Cynosure Apogee+

The Apogee+ is a single wavelength Cynosure laser built around a 755 nm alexandrite source. Cynosure describes it as an outgrowth of the company's Apogee Aesthetic Workstation and lists fluence of up to 20 J/cm2 through an 18 mm spot at a repetition rate of 2 Hz. It is marketed for hair reduction and for epidermal pigmented lesions such as age spots and freckles. FDA's device identifier database lists the console as the Apogee+ Laser Assembly, model 100-7018-290.

The Apogee name is older than many owners realize. FDA cleared the Apogee-TKS dermatological laser in June 2000 and the Apogee-TKS II in June 2003, both 755 nm alexandrite systems. The Apogee Elite, cleared in February 2004, added a 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser head to the alexandrite console, and Cynosure's 10-K filed in 2006 describes a single source Apogee 5500 that could be upgraded to the Apogee Elite. The dual wavelength line then moved to the Elite MPX in 2009, the Elite+ cleared in 2014, and the Elite iQ, which trade press described in June 2020 as the next generation of the Elite+.

An Apogee+ has one laser, so its screen offers only 755 nm. If your console also offers 1064 nm, it belongs to the Elite family. Cynosure states that an Apogee+ can be upgraded to an Elite+ by adding the Nd:YAG laser, so describe an upgraded unit as upgraded and include the paperwork. Spot size range is another clue on older units: the Elite+ filing lists 3 to 24 mm, while the earlier Apogee Elite stopped at 15 mm.

A dealer will ask for the model number from the label, the pulse count, the service history and the date of any laser head or flashlamp work. List every spot size tip in the box, note the condition of the handpiece window, say whether a skin cooling unit is included, and photograph the screen showing the software version.