Compression sleeve or Halloween accessory? LympheDIVAS makes medical devices stylish

Rachel Levin Troxell developed the idea for her fashion meets medical device company to change the conversation about her compression wrap to treat lymphedema. The bulky ace bandage made it look like she’d sprained or broke her wrist but there were few options. She developed the condition after she had lymph nodes removed as part of her breast cancer surgery. So she founded LympheDIVAS to convert the device so that fashion was the first thing people saw instead of a medical condition. The conversations changed from, “What happened to you?”  to “Omigod, where did you get that?” Lymphatic fluid in the interstitial tissue can cause swelling, most often in the arms and/or legs. It can also be caused by a malfunction of the lymph nodes or some form of trauma. Although the fashion component may seem superficial, it can make a difference in making people with the condition more inclined to wear the devices. The sleeves and gauntlets — a smaller version without fingers that fits around the hand — are also designed for comfort and to be lightweight and still provide compression. As Troxell’s breast cancer worsened, she passed over management of the company in 2008 to her family. Her brother Josh Levin is the CEO and her father Howard is the CMO. They moved the business from Philadelphia to Pittsfield,  Mass. In a phone interview with MedCity News, Josh Levin said the company was tackling an area that a lot of people don’t talk about. He does not think that people are aware of the risks of developing lymphedema until after the fact. He hopes that by carving a niche in this area and collaborating with other companies the business will grow and remain competitive. Levin noted that the company has worked very hard to convince the medical community of the quality and importance of its product. “It’s not always the bitter medicine that works.” The sleeves come in three sizes and two levels of compression. The company is developing an app for iOS network devices to help healthcare professionals select the most appropriate sleeve called Fitter’s Aid. Levin said it expects the app to be ready in January.   The company combines the class 1 medical device with a fashion sense designed to appeal to the wide variety of people who develop lymphedema. It has developed partnerships with artists such as R Stevens who illustrates web comic Diesel Sweeties. It donated some of the proceeds from its compression sleeve and gauntlet sales to a charity of his choosing — the Pancreatic Action Cancer Network. The company collaborated with Crickett’s Answer For Cancer after NASA scientist Susan Niebur introduced it as an organization that might be interested in a partnership opportunity. After Niebur died of inflammatory breast cancer, it honored her memory with its Hubble Collection. It also works with the cancer charities Living Beyond Breast Cancer and Young Survival Coalition.   The company works with a manufacturer in North Carolina and spends a lot of time on the printing process. Although the market was very difficult when Josh and his father took over the running of the business in 2008, it has weathered the challenging economic climate. It’s continuing to look for partnership opportunities with other companies.