Fotona StarWalker PQX

The StarWalker PQX is the picosecond member of Fotona's StarWalker family. Like the other StarWalkers, it uses one flashlamp pumped Nd:YAG cavity at 1064 nm, with a KTP crystal that doubles the frequency to produce 532 nm. FDA clearance K202172, decided on November 19, 2020, added PICO modes to the StarWalker family with pulse widths of 300 to 400 picoseconds, at up to 0.8 J for 1064 nm and up to 0.3 J for 532 nm. The PQX device record was published in January 2021.

The indications in K202172 are split by wavelength. The 1064 nm PICO mode is cleared for tattoo removal across Fitzpatrick skin types I to VI in black, brown, green, blue and purple ink, plus benign pigmented lesions and acne scars in narrower ranges. The 532 nm PICO mode is cleared for tattoo removal in types I to III and benign pigmented lesions in types I to IV. The device record also describes optional dye converter handpieces at 585 nm and 650 nm. Fotona sells both full beam and fractional handpieces for the PQX, and the fractional ones accept LIOB spacers.

In the FDA device database every StarWalker carries model number M031-3A/2, followed by a version suffix: QX and MAQX for the Q-switched models, PQX, and PICO Pro, a newer record published in October 2025. Reading that suffix on the rear label is the reliable way to confirm a PQX. Fotona lists the PQX console at 68 kg, running on 110 or 220 V.

Fotona's interface for this system keeps a history of past treatments and a patient database, so plan how that data will be exported and cleared before the unit leaves the practice. A buyer will ask for a full list of handpieces and spacers, the service history, the condition of the articulated arm and the date of manufacture from the serial label. Photos of the label, the main screen and each handpiece make the configuration easy to confirm.