Cutera enlighten

Cutera's enlighten is a family of picosecond laser systems built around a Q-switched Nd:YAG source that fires at either 750 picoseconds or 2 nanoseconds. The first model, introduced in December 2014, offered two wavelengths, 1064 nm and 532 nm. FDA cleared it under K133945 on August 11, 2014, for benign pigmented lesions, and under K140727 on November 6, 2014, for tattoo removal. All versions use a touchscreen console, a footswitch and an articulated arm that carries the beam to one handpiece.

Two later models share the name. The enlighten III, introduced in December 2016 after clearance K160488, adds a third wavelength of 670 nm with a 660 picosecond pulse. A 2017 clearance (K172077) extended that 670 nm output to green and blue tattoo inks. In December 2018, clearance K182997 added an optional Micro Lens Array attachment that fractionates the 1064 nm beam for acne scars. The enlighten SR, which Cutera announced in April 2018, returned to the 532 and 1064 nm pair at 750 picoseconds and was aimed at skin revitalization and pigment.

To identify your system, start with the wavelength choices on the treatment screen. A 670 nm option means an enlighten III. Two wavelengths point to either the original enlighten or the SR, and the build date on the serial label separates them, since a two wavelength console made before April 2018 predates the SR. The original handpiece also took detachable tips of 2, 3, 4, 6 or 8 mm, while the enlighten III handpiece uses a zoom lens.

Dealers pricing an enlighten want to know the software version, because Cutera cleared a 2017 software change that opened the full parameter range on the enlighten III. Report any pulse count the system displays, the last service date and whether the arm was realigned after a move. Note whether the Micro Lens Array attachment or the original spot size tips are included. Photograph the serial label, the wavelength screen and the handpiece.