Glossary
Capital equipment is sold in acronyms. This page defines the 37 terms that appear most often across our device pages, our compliance documentation and our research peptide catalog — wavelengths, energy settings, regulatory routes and the handful of commercial terms that decide what a quote actually means.
Definitions describe technology and terminology only. Nothing here is clinical, legal or regulatory advice, and suitability for any patient or practice is a decision for the treating practitioner. Regulatory status is stated per device on that device's own page.
Wavelengths
11 terms defined in this section.
Also written: QS Nd:YAG, nanosecond Nd:YAG
A Q-switched Nd:YAG laser stores energy and releases it in nanosecond pulses — billionths of a second. The pulse is short enough to shatter dermal pigment into fragments small enough for the body to clear. On the Q-Switch Nd:YAG Tattoo Removal platform it delivers up to 2,500 mJ through a 2–10mm adjustable spot, in single or double pulse mode.
Also written: pico laser, picosecond Nd:YAG
A picosecond laser fires pulses measured in trillionths of a second. Because the pulse is far shorter than a nanosecond one, it fractures pigment mechanically rather than by heating it. The Picosecond Nd:YAG platform runs 500ps or 800ps pulses at 1064nm and 532nm, up to 800 mJ, at 1–8 Hz. Compared in detail on the picosecond vs Q-switched page.
Also written: diode hair removal laser, 808 diode
808nm is the everyday wavelength of laser hair removal: deep enough to reach the follicle, with moderate melanin absorption that keeps it usable across a wide range of skin tones. USBioLongevity supplies it at 1200W/2000W on the P-808 and at 3000W with four spot sizes on the HIDL-3000. Both cool the skin to −16°C at the contact window.
Also written: in-motion SHR, super hair removal
SHR raises the dermis to follicle-damaging temperature gradually, using rapid low-energy pulses delivered while the handpiece is in motion, rather than one high-energy shot. The MONA ONE SHR-950B filters its output to 650–950nm to exclude longer infrared that generates surplus heat. Compared against diode lasers on the diode vs SHR/IPL page.
Also written: intense pulsed light, IPL/RF combination
IPL is filtered broadband light rather than a single laser wavelength, so one lamp can be tuned across several indications by changing the filter. E-Light pairs that light with radiofrequency energy. The MONA ONE SHR-950B runs SHR, IPL and E-Light from one 3000W console, with a 560–950nm skin-rejuvenation handpiece alongside the hair-removal head.
Also written: CO2 fractional resurfacing, ultra-pulse CO2
A fractional CO₂ laser is an ablative resurfacing laser that treats in a grid of microscopic columns rather than the whole surface, leaving untreated tissue between them. The Super Pulse CO₂ Plus runs fractional, ablative and surgical modes so depth and density can be tuned per patient. See also the ablative vs non-ablative comparison.
Also written: erbium YAG, 2940nm ablative
Er:YAG is an ablative resurfacing laser operating at 2940nm. Water absorbs 2940nm strongly, so the energy is deposited very shallowly and precisely, which is why Er:YAG is described as more precise and generally faster-healing than traditional resurfacing lasers. USBioLongevity supplies it as the ElisPure 2940nm Er:YAG, aimed at practices whose patients will not accept long downtime.
Also written: 1927 thulium fibre, thulium fractional
Thulium at 1927nm is a non-ablative fractional wavelength that works superficially, targeting pigmentation, sun damage and uneven tone rather than deep remodelling. It appears on two USBioLongevity platforms: the Thulium 1927nm + Er:Glass 1550nm 2-in-1 and the LumiGlam Pro 1927 + 1550nm, each pairing it with a deeper wavelength.
Also written: erbium glass, 1550nm non-ablative fractional
Er:Glass at 1550nm is the deeper half of a non-ablative fractional pairing. It reaches further into the dermis than 1927nm thulium and is directed at wrinkles, acne scarring, texture and collagen remodelling rather than surface pigment. On the dual-fibre 2-in-1 platform it is delivered with continuous motion tracking across 20 × 20mm and 12 × 12mm scan fields.
Also written: high-intensity focused electromagnetic
HIFEM is high-intensity focused electromagnetic energy. The field drives supramaximal muscle contractions a patient cannot produce voluntarily. On the HIFEM + RF platform it is paired with monopolar RF in 30-minute sessions, typically sold as a course of four or more about a week apart. The MageShape MIX adds a pelvic floor treatment chair to the same modality.
Also written: fat freezing, controlled cooling
Cryolipolysis uses controlled cooling to crystallise the triglycerides inside fat cells at temperatures the surrounding tissue tolerates, so those cells die off and clear through normal metabolism over the following weeks. The USBioLongevity cryolipolysis console ships with two cryo handles plus RF and cavitation ultrasound handpieces. It is compared with HIFEM on the body contouring page.
Energy platforms
3 terms defined in this section.
Also written: microneedle RF, insulated needle RF
RF microneedling delivers radiofrequency energy directly into the dermis through insulated microneedles, remodelling collagen at depth while leaving the epidermis largely intact. Because the energy is radiofrequency rather than light, it treats every skin type equally. The full system offers 0.5–3mm screen-adjustable depth across four handpieces; a portable console offers three fixed depths and a 36-needle array.
Also written: plasma pen, plasma skin tightening
Plasma energy creates precise micro-treatment zones at the skin surface and drives a thermal signal beneath it, triggering the body's own repair response over the following weeks. The Plasma Pro handpiece is built for control rather than coverage, which is why it is positioned for delicate facial areas — eyelids, fine perioral lines, localised scarring — where an ablative laser is too aggressive.
Also written: photobiomodulation, cold laser
LLLT uses light at intensities low enough to work by biostimulation rather than heat, so sessions produce no thermal effect. The SH650-1 hair regrowth hood combines dual 650nm and 670nm laser output with 160 red, yellow and blue LEDs, hands-free, in 20–25 minute sessions three or four times a week, with results generally assessed at 10 to 12 weeks.
Settings on the sheet
8 terms defined in this section.
Also written: energy density, J/cm²
Fluence is the amount of laser energy delivered per unit of skin area, expressed in joules per square centimetre. It is the setting that most directly determines how hard a pulse hits. USBioLongevity device pages publish the available range: 10–80 J/cm² on the P-808 diode, 10–100 J/cm² on the P-MIX triple wavelength, 0–50 J/cm² on the MONA ONE SHR/IPL.
Also written: spot, treatment window, applicator size
Spot size is the area a single pulse covers. Larger spots cover ground faster and penetrate slightly deeper; smaller spots give precision on lip, nose and brow. The HIDL-3000 ships four interchangeable sizes from a 5.2 cm² applicator down to an 8.25mm round tip, with the largest running about 40% faster than a conventional spot.
Also written: pulse duration, pulse length
Pulse width is how long a single pulse lasts. Longer pulses heat a target gradually; very short pulses deliver their energy before heat can spread into surrounding tissue. The range spans nine orders of magnitude across this catalog — 10–100ms on the P-808 diode, nanoseconds on Q-switched platforms, and 500–800 picoseconds on the picosecond laser.
Also written: frequency, Hz, firing rate
Repetition rate is how many pulses a platform fires per second, measured in hertz. It governs how quickly an operator can cover an area, and therefore how many patients fit in a day. Published figures in this catalog include 10 Hz on the P-808 diode, 1–10 Hz on the P-MIX, 1–8 Hz on the picosecond platform.
Also written: sapphire cooling, chilled tip
Contact cooling chills the skin at the point where the handpiece touches it, protecting the epidermis while the pulse passes through to its target. The diode hair-removal handpieces cool to −16°C, and the HIDL-3000 cools 360° around the contact window. A separate cold-air system delivers chilled air to −30°C for use alongside other platforms.
Also written: target chromophore
A chromophore is the substance in tissue that absorbs a given wavelength and converts it to heat — melanin, haemoglobin, water or tattoo ink. Matching wavelength to chromophore is what makes a laser selective. It is why 980nm is used for vascular work, sitting at the absorption peak for porphyrin in vascular cells on the 980nm vascular platform, and why 2940nm Er:YAG is absorbed by water.
Also written: Fitzpatrick I–VI, skin phototype
The Fitzpatrick scale classifies skin into six phototypes, I through VI, by how it responds to ultraviolet exposure. In device selection it is shorthand for how much competing melanin sits in the epidermis, which determines which wavelengths and settings are appropriate. The HIDL-3000 states coverage across all six types; suitability for any individual patient remains a practitioner judgement.
Also written: ablative resurfacing, non-ablative fractional
Ablative lasers remove tissue at the surface; non-ablative lasers pass through the epidermis and deposit energy beneath it, leaving the surface intact. CO₂ and Er:YAG are ablative; 1927nm thulium and 1550nm Er:Glass are non-ablative. The trade-off between them is the subject of the ablative vs non-ablative resurfacing comparison.
Clearance and quality
8 terms defined in this section.
Also written: premarket notification, K-number
A 510(k) is the US premarket notification through which most aesthetic energy-based devices reach market. Each individual model is reviewed and cleared for its own specific indications, so a clearance held by one platform says nothing about any other platform. USBioLongevity therefore publishes clearance status per device rather than as a site-wide badge — the reasoning is set out on the compliance page.
Also written: Class 2, moderate-risk device
Class II is the US risk classification covering most aesthetic laser and energy-based systems. Devices in this class generally reach market through a 510(k) premarket notification rather than full premarket approval. Classification describes the regulatory pathway, not the quality of a machine, and it does not by itself tell you whether a specific model has been cleared — see FDA 510(k).
Also written: CE mark, EU MDR conformity
CE marking is the conformity marking required to place a medical device on the European market, assessed under the Medical Device Regulation. It applies per device family rather than per company. USBioLongevity lists CE/MDR as the European route on its compliance page, and some platforms are CE marked but deliberately not offered for US sale.
Also written: quality management system standard
ISO 13485 is the international quality-management standard specific to medical device manufacturing, covering design controls, traceability and post-market surveillance. It is held at the manufacturing level and describes how equipment is built, audited and documented — it is not a clearance for any individual model. USBioLongevity lists it among the manufacturing certifications on its compliance page.
Also written: Medical Device Single Audit Program
MDSAP is the Medical Device Single Audit Program: one manufacturing audit recognised by multiple national regulators, including the United States, Canada and Australia. For a buyer it means the production site has been audited to a standard several jurisdictions accept, without a separate audit for each. Like ISO 13485, it describes the factory rather than clearing an individual device model.
Also written: electrical safety and EMC report
An IEC test report is independent documentation of electrical safety and electromagnetic compatibility for a platform as manufactured. It addresses whether the machine is safe to plug in and will not interfere with other equipment in the room. It is a manufacturing-level document and sits alongside, not in place of, the per-model clearance documentation supplied with a quote.
Also written: Medical Device Licence, Canada
A Medical Device Licence is required to sell a medical device into Canada, and is issued per device and per class. As with the US 510(k), a licence covers a specific model rather than a supplier's whole catalog. USBioLongevity lists Health Canada MDL as the Canadian registration route in its registration-by-region table.
Also written: Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australia
TGA registration is the Australian requirement for supplying a therapeutic good, including aesthetic medical devices. Which platforms can be supplied into a given market depends on that market's registration requirements and varies by device — USBioLongevity confirms availability for a territory before any distribution agreement, as set out on the distributors page.
Peptide line
2 terms defined in this section.
Also written: RUO, for laboratory research use
Research use only marks a compound supplied for laboratory and research purposes. Every peptide in the USBioLongevity research peptide line carries this designation: the compounds are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and statements about them have not been evaluated by the FDA. The catalog states what each compound is and what it has been studied for, and no more.
Also written: bacteriostatic diluent, BAC water
Bacteriostatic water is sterile, non-pyrogenic water containing 0.9% benzyl alcohol as a preservative. The preservative allows multiple withdrawals from a single vial under proper aseptic technique, which is why it is used as a multi-dose diluent for reconstitution. It is a diluent only and contains no active compound. It is listed alongside the compounds in the peptide catalog.
Commercial terms
5 terms defined in this section.
Also written: total landed cost, delivered cost
Landed cost is the total price of getting equipment installed in your room, not the headline price of the machine. Every USBioLongevity written quote states equipment, freight, duties and installation as one figure, so freight, duties and customs clearance are inside the number rather than arriving afterwards. It is one of four documents supplied before you commit — see compliance.
Also written: delivery window, build time
Lead time is the interval between order and delivery of a capital platform. USBioLongevity does not publish lead times on device pages, because they vary by platform and configuration; the full technical specification sheet, lead time and total landed cost are supplied in writing with every quote. Ask about a specific platform through the contact form.
Also written: quotation, formal quote
A written quote is how USBioLongevity prices equipment — there is no online checkout and no published price list. Each quote carries four documents: the specification sheet for the exact configuration, regulatory documentation for that model, total landed cost, and warranty and support terms. The process starts from the service you want to offer rather than a model number. See how buying works.
Also written: reseller, territory partner
A distributor resells USBioLongevity equipment into its own territory, typically an established seller into clinics, med spas and aesthetic practices with existing relationships and service capability. A distribution relationship includes volume-based territory pricing with reseller margin rather than a retail discount. Which platforms can be supplied depends on that market's registration requirements — details on the distributors page.
Also written: finance, payment terms
Equipment financing spreads the cost of a capital platform over time rather than paying it in full at order. USBioLongevity does not publish financing terms: deposits and any financing arrangements are set out in the quote itself, and the equipment enquiry form asks whether you want financing options included in the conversation.
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