One size does not fit all.’ Or to put it another way: ‘One wavelength cannot hope to accomplish everything in all skin types.’ Taking these well-quoted maxims into consideration, in the summer of 2012 Lutronic Corporation added a new dual wavelength system to its expanding armamentarium of reliable, efficient user-friendly devices: CLARITY™.
To the tried and tested long-pulsed versions of the 755 nm alexandrite and 1064 nm Nd:YAG solid state lasers in one platform, or individually, Lutronic added a clean top hat beam profile, a large range of spot sizes (2–20 mm), one-fibre-fits-all beam delivery, flexibly adjustable treatment parameters and a choice of cooling methods. These attributes have enabled treatment in patients of all skin types with an expanding range of pigmented lesions and vascular disorders, skin rejuvenation and lifting, and laser hair removal.
With CE marking in place —and US FDA clearances downstream — the system has worldwide acceptance as both safe and effective. After implementing feedback from a large number of worldwide users, for all skin indications and all types of hair, Lutronic proudly presents CLARITY as even more reliable, conveniently user-friendly, and versatile.
The art of medical science
It is often argued that science is medicine or medicine is science, but it is probably more accurate to say that medicine is the art of applying specific aspects of science appropriately in clinical practice, and this is particularly so with the medical application of the laser. If the applied science is correct, and is correctly applied in treatment, then the medical application will, at the very least, be credible to the practitioner, and at the very best, be optimum for the patient.
For hair removal in particular, it is paramount not only to target and destroy the hair, but also the pigment in the follicle, the stem cells in the bulge and bulb, and to deprive the papilla of its blood supply. CLARITY accomplishes all this effectively, safely and reliably, and is additionally ideal for epidermal pigmented lesions, lifting lax skin, erasing rhytides, and eliminating small vascular lesions.
A well-engineered system with Hybrid Cooling
(A) Before and (B) after one treatment session. Rosacea treatment with the CLARITY 755 nm Alexandrite laser. Images courtesy of Bettina Rümmelein, MD, Switzerland
Everything about CLARITY shows superior engineering, from the stylish console with Lutronic’s trademark interactive graphic interface unit (GUI) touchscreen to the complex electronics, optics and mechanics within the case. The 755 nm and 1064 nm wavelengths offer distinctly different but very complementary indications. The alexandrite is ideal for lighter skin types, and the Nd:YAG safer for darker skin types. Both wavelengths are delivered in homogeneous ‘top hat’ beam mode down a single lens-coupled optical fibre, obviating the need to change fibres when changing wavelengths. Spot sizes range from 2–20 mm, the latter being one of the largest spot sizes offered in the field: all cartridges work for both wavelengths, and are automatically recognised and registered by the system. The larger spot sizes are ideal for swift and effective hair removal from larger areas, or for skin rejuvenation, while the smaller spot sizes offer precision with safety for pigmented or vascular lesions.
The fluence, pulse width and pulse rate comprise the independently adjustable parameters. The top-end fluences are a very respectable 600 J/cm2 for the Alexandrite and Nd:YAG, but stable low fluence settings are also available with small spot sizes for safe and more gentle treatment of pigmented lesions in sensitive skin. The wide range of pulse widths is from 350µs (0.35 ms) to 300 ms, and when coupled with pulse rates of 0.5–10 Hz, customisation of the treatment is flexible and convenient on a case-by-case basis, and for all skin types.
Comfort for the patient is assured by a choice of two cooling options, the choice being available at the time of purchase. A cryogenic gas intelligent cooling device (ICD) can be adjusted to provide variable pre- and post-cooling from the ICD handpiece, or for clinicians who already have a chilled air-cooler, the air cooling handpiece allows direct connection of the cooler hose. A recent innovation, based on clinician feedback, is a Hybrid Air Cooling Clip for the ICD model, which allows simultaneous continuous air cooling together with the ICD cooling, or alone.
Clinician feedback
(Left) Kubilay Yücel, MD,(Right) Bettina Rümmelein, MD
Kubilay Yücel, MD, is a dermatologist practicing in the Turkish city of Antalya, who has been using CLARITY for some 14 months, and has noted consistently high satisfaction with the results from his patients.
‘They especially like the clinical outcomes,’ noted Dr Yücel. ‘And I appreciate that I can use the system for multiple applications, including hair removal, where the larger spot sizes offer efficacy with speed and comfort.’
Laser selection depends, however, on skin colour, and the general population in Turkey offers a wide range of skin types. ‘I use 1064 nm for the many medium and dark-skinned patients I see in my practice, and 755 nm for the lighter ones,’ said Dr Yücel. ‘Patients are very satisfied with the rapid and painless treatment.’
Bettina Rümmelein, MD, a Swiss dermatologist practicing in the Medical Center See-Spital Kilchberg in Zürich, is no stranger to Lutronic systems, CLARITY being her fourth device to complement her three existing LUTRONIC systems: her fractional CO2 laser, the eCO2™, and her multimode Q-switched Nd:YAGs, the SPECTRA™ and SPECTRA XT™.
(A) Before and (B) after three treatment sessions. Hair removal with the CLARITY 755 nm Alexandrite laser. Images courtesy of Kubilay Yücel, MD, Turkey
‘CLARITY has become one of the favourites in my practice,’ she said. ‘The device is perfect to perform virtually painless treatments on the face and the body. It is in constant use because it covers a wide range of indications and enables fast, visible results, including effective, fast hair removal. Patients are very satisfied and so am I.
‘Vascular lesions react particularly well to CLARITY, such as spider veins, vessels on the nasal alae and haemangiomas, especially in cold weather. The continuous air cooling increases treatment speed and patient comfort for all indications.’
Conclusions
Among Lutronic’s users, CLARITY is now considered one of the top laser devices commercially available, and there is no doubt that CLARITY strongly represents a valuable and multipurpose addition to aesthetic laser practices and practitioners worldwide.
It is Lutronic’s aim to imbue its clinicians with Faith in our systems, and to allow practitioners to give patients Hope for a successful treatment result: both of these concepts are embodied in CLARITY. Faith, Hope and CLARITY: where science meets medicine
