Cutera Secret RF

Secret RF is a fractional radiofrequency microneedling system manufactured by ILOODA in South Korea and distributed in the United States by Cutera. FDA cleared it under 510(k) K170325 on June 13, 2017, for dermatologic and general surgical procedures requiring electrocoagulation and hemostasis, and Cutera introduced it to US practices in January 2018. According to the FDA summary, the console delivers bipolar RF at 2 MHz with a maximum output of 25 W, and needle insertion depth can be set from 0.5 to 3.5 mm in 0.1 mm steps. The microneedles are gold plated stainless steel.

The cleared system consists of the main unit, a bipolar handpiece, a footswitch and an LCD touch screen. Two electrode tips are named in the clearance, model numbers MTR-AC-25 and MTR-AC-64, which correspond to the 25 pin and 64 pin tips Cutera offers for face and body. In September 2019 FDA cleared an add on, the Secret RF Smartcure Applicator (K182355), which has its own handpiece and uses monopolar microneedle electrodes with model numbers MTR-AC-01, MTR-AC-04, MTR-AC-27G and K3i.

Three Cutera systems carry the Secret name and all include RF microneedling, but Secret RF is the one without a laser. Secret DUO adds a 1540 nm nonablative erbium glass laser handpiece, and Secret PRO adds a fractional CO2 laser handpiece. A console with no laser handpiece is a Secret RF, and the serial label confirms the model.

The FDA summaries describe the electrode tips as disposable and single use, so a buyer prices tips apart from the console and ignores opened ones. What a dealer needs from you is the state of the reusable hardware: whether the bipolar handpiece moves the needles smoothly through the full depth range, whether its cable shows wear, and whether the Smartcure applicator is included. Add the service history, any recurring error codes, and photos of the serial label, the touch screen and each handpiece.