Sciton SkinTyte II

SkinTyte is not a separate machine. It is Sciton's name for a skin laxity treatment performed with its BroadBand Light, or BBL, handpiece, and Sciton's current page describes it as powered by BBL HERO. Sciton's education material uses the name SkinTyte II BBL, so a seller who lists a SkinTyte II is in practice selling a BBL handpiece and the Sciton console it connects to. FDA records show BBL cleared on both the older Profile platform and the JOULE. Sciton describes SkinTyte as infrared light that heats the dermis, applied in motion over four passes while the handpiece cools the skin surface.

Sciton's published BBL HERO specification covers 420 to 1400 nm with filters at 420, 515, 560, 590, 640, 695 and 800 nm, output up to 30 J/cm2, pulse widths up to 200 ms and a 15 by 45 mm spot. Continuous thermoelectric cooling holds the sapphire plates at a setting between 0 and 30 degrees C. The 2011 FDA clearance for the JOULE platform, K101916, lists BBL among its modules and gives the 800 nm long pass filter, the longest of its filters, an indication for topical heating.

To identify what you own, look at the console badge to tell a JOULE from a Profile, and at the handpiece label to see which BBL generation is attached. Sciton's current SkinTyte page refers to BBL HERO, so note whether your handpiece is labeled HERO. The filters present determine which treatments a buyer can offer. Count every filter and spot adapter that comes with the handpiece.

Buyers will check the sapphire window and filter faces for chips, scratches or burned spots, confirm that the thermoelectric cooling reaches its set temperature, and ask for any usage records. They will also want the service history and the console software version. Photos of the console label, the handpiece label, each filter and the BBL screen help a dealer see exactly which configuration is for sale.