What is ProNox?
ProNox is a device that administers “laughing gas” in an inhaled mixture of 50% Oxygen and 50% Nitrous Oxide. The device is used to reduce anxiety and discomfort during in-office procedures, and it can be used in conjunction with local anesthesia. It is inhaled using a mouthpiece, delivered to the lungs, and then exhaled. It does not cause people to fall asleep. Instead, people are awake during their procedure, but they have very little anxiety or discomfit. During the procedure, you would take several breaths through the device and feel the relaxing effects in less than a minute, and these effects would last approximately 5 -10 minutes. If you start feeling anxious or uncomfortable, you would inform the team, who would take a break for a few seconds while you take several more breaths. Once you reach the perfect state of relaxation the procedure would resume. In this way, it is controlled and regulated by the patient in order to achieve the optimal level of relaxation for each specific person.
Pronox can be used with a variety of procedures in plastic surgery, both in the office and in the operating room. It can be used with simple procedures such as botox and filler injections, as well as skin resurfacing treatments, including laser resurfacing, chemical peels, and micro-needling. It can also be used with more involved procedures such as blepharoplasty, fat grafting, facelift and scar revision, among others.
Nitrous Oxide has been used safely for decades during dental procedures, and is frequently termed “laughing gas”. It is a non-addictive, non-sedating, and not messy. When used occasionally for medical purposes, it is not thought to have any long-term side effects. For example, this system is currently being used in labor and delivery units, without any adverse effects for mothers or newborns. Some short-term side effects include headache, nausea, or a room-spinning sensation. Fortunately, these effects are uncommon, mild, and short-lived. One of the benefits of this system is a rapid onset of action, which means that it takes effect quickly. Similarly, once the procedure is finished, its effect wears off within minutes.
Sometimes people are very interested in a procedure, but are dissuaded by a fear of needles, a fear of discomfort, or a fear of medical offices in general. With ProNox, these fears don’t seem so big. Often one of the most unsettling things about surgery is a fear of general anesthesia. Similarly, some people cannot undergo general anesthesia due to medical problems. ProNox is one way to avoid general anesthesia for certain procedures. ProNox also helps avoid other shortcomings of general anesthesia such as grogginess, GI upset, downtime, expense and inconvenience. Because its effects wear off so quickly, people may drive themselves to and from their procedure. And perhaps most importantly, ProNox is patient-controlled. This means that you have control over your level of relaxation during the procedure, so you can be as alert or relaxed as desired.
PRO-NOX puts you, the patient, in the driver’s seat. You control the amount of analgesia. During your treatment, you determine the amount of pain relief you need as you hold on to the disposable mouthpiece and hose as you breathe the nitrous oxide. It’s similar to what you might have used in the dentist’s office to reduce a case of nerves and pain, but it’s also different because with PRO-NOX you control how much you breathe in.
You know your body and your pain threshold better than anyone, and we love PRO-NOX because you can effectively control how much (or little) pain relief you need.
The best part of PRO-NOX is that within five-10 minutes, there is no trace of the chemical in your body. This means you can safely return to your activities and drive with no risk.
We find that many of our patients are anxious before treatments. While many of these procedures are non-invasive, they can be painful. Sometimes they opt out, and sometimes they choose narcotic pain medications. With PRO-NOX, you aren’t dealing with meds that interrupt your day and make it so you have to have a driver bring you and take you home from the office.
Here are the PRO-NOX benefits:
- You self-administer it
- Quick onset – takes effect in seconds
- Immediate relief from pain and anxiety
- Short duration – can return to activities
- No oral pain medications or narcotics
- Ideal for aesthetic procedures
Basically, you can use PRO-NOX for any treatment that you find painful. More specifically, we think our patients will appreciate PRO-NOX during the following:
- Injectables and Fillers such as BOTOX Cosmetic and Juvéderm products
- Ultherapy® – this is the only FDA-cleared, non-invasive procedure that lifts and tightens the neck, chin and brow, and improves lines and wrinkles on the chest.
- Vivace microneedling – this alleviates fine lines and wrinkles, minimizes scars and stretch marks, and you can see the results immediately.
- Laser Treatments – this may include laser hair removal, fine lines and wrinkles, anti-aging, brown spots, rosacea, scarring, sun damage, redness, skin rejuvenation, pigmentation, and more.
Be sure and talk to our skin care staff about the opportunities for using PRO-NOX instead of pain meds.
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