Candela PicoWay

The Candela PicoWay is a picosecond laser that delivers pulses of 240 to 500 picoseconds through an articulated arm and handpiece. Inside the console, a 755 nm alexandrite laser pumps the 1064 nm output, which is frequency doubled to produce 532 nm. A titanium sapphire rod pumped at 532 nm produces the 730 nm and 785 nm outputs. The result is four wavelengths from one system: 532, 730, 785 and 1064 nm.

What a particular PicoWay can do depends on its handpieces. FDA clearance K191685, decided on September 16, 2019, describes the Resolve handpieces at 1064 nm, 532 nm and a 532 nm high energy version, the Resolve Fusion handpieces at 1064 nm and 532 nm, the Zoom handpiece at 532 nm and 1064 nm, and dedicated 785 nm and 730 nm handpieces. The tattoo indications in that clearance are split by wavelength: 1064 nm for black, brown and other dark inks across all skin types, 532 nm for red, yellow and orange inks, and 730 nm and 785 nm for green and blue inks. The same clearance lists benign pigmented lesions, wrinkles and, for the Resolve 1064 nm handpiece, acne scars.

Because each handpiece adds a capability, two PicoWay consoles from the same year can be very different systems on the resale market. A unit with the 730 nm and 785 nm handpieces covers ink colors that a 1064 nm and 532 nm only unit does not. When you describe yours, name every handpiece in the box and note any that are missing or damaged.

Buyers will also ask for the system's usage or pulse records, the service history, the condition of the articulated arm and handpiece optics, and whether the console has been moved since its last service. Photos of the serial number label, the main screen and each handpiece help a dealer confirm the configuration before making an offer.