DEKA Studio

DEKA Studio is a compact Q-switched Nd:YAG laser from DEKA M.E.L.A., the medical laser company of Italy's El.En. group, with 1064 nm and 532 nm wavelengths. DEKA lists it among its aesthetic systems for tattoo removal, benign pigmented lesions and photorejuvenation. The manufacturer describes the system as one laser source offering two pulse modalities. In Q-switched mode it fires 6 ns pulses for photoacoustic work on ink and pigment. In free running mode the 1064 nm output delivers pulses of up to 0.3 ms, which DEKA uses for thermal rejuvenation.

Energy reaches the skin through handpieces built on DEKA's flat top Optibeam design, which spreads energy evenly across the spot. DEKA also highlights square spots, which let the operator tile pulses with less overlap than round spots allow. DEKA's documents page lists a Studio brochure and a clinical user's manual, both available only on request, so a seller who still has the manual or packing list should include it.

Studio is easy to confuse with other DEKA and El.En. devices that use the same wavelengths. TORO, the newer DEKA system, adds a 785 nm picosecond source to Q-switched 532 and 1064 nm. Quanta System, also part of El.En., sells its own Q-switched Nd:YAG platforms under the Chrome and Q-Plus names. A search of FDA 510(k) records for El.En. returns no clearance under the Studio name, so US buyers should confirm the regulatory status of a specific unit before making an offer.

Before pricing a Studio, a dealer will want the serial label, the pulse or shot counter if the software shows one, and a list of the handpieces and spot shapes in the box. Buyers also check the articulated arm and handpiece optics for damage or contamination, ask whether both pulse modes still fire normally, and ask when the system was last serviced.