Reading the specifications
The terms used across Cutis Lux, defined in one sentence or two. Knowing them makes it easier to judge what a brand’s specification does, and does not, tell you.
- Wavelength
- The colour of light, in nanometres (nm). Blue is about 415 nm, red 630–660 nm, near-infrared 800–1100 nm; lasers here use 808, 1440 and 1450 nm.
- Irradiance
- Light power reaching the skin per area, in mW/cm². It sets how fast a dose builds up.
- Fluence (dose)
- Energy delivered per area, in J/cm²: irradiance × time. Studies report it; most brands do not.
- Output power
- For lasers, total beam power in milliwatts (mW). Not comparable with LED irradiance.
- Photobiomodulation
- Changes in cell behaviour triggered by red or near-infrared light absorbed in mitochondria, without heat.
- Low-level laser therapy (LLLT)
- Photobiomodulation delivered by a laser at non-heating power. Also called cold laser.
- Non-ablative
- A laser that leaves the skin surface intact while heating deeper layers.
- Fractional
- Treating the skin in a grid of microscopic zones rather than the whole surface, so untreated skin speeds healing.
- Microthermal treatment zone (MTZ)
- One microscopic column of heated tissue made by a fractional laser, typically around 0.1 mm wide.
- Fitzpatrick skin type
- A six-point scale of how skin responds to sun, from I (always burns) to VI (rarely burns). Used to judge laser pigment risk.
- FDA 510(k)
- US clearance based on substantial equivalence to an existing device.
- Sham control
- A fake treatment that looks real, used to separate a device’s effect from the placebo effect.