Nubway TL4

Nothing specific to the code. The manufacturer's public catalogue lists other units in the same portable series, but not this one, and trade directories also carry no entry for it. What we can rely on is the photograph and the series pattern, both of which point to a portable diode unit with a multi-wavelength heritage, pending a datasheet.

A benchtop unit with a portrait touchscreen, an emergency stop on top, a blue light strip at the base and two handpieces. The front handpiece sits in a cradle with a wider head, which in this maker's designs usually signals a body spot. The raised handpiece carries a small screen on its top, a feature the series uses to let the operator adjust settings without looking away from the skin. The interface opens on a graded row of skin tones.

That depends on wavelength and settings more than on the machine's name. The Fitzpatrick scale runs from type I, very fair skin that always burns, to type VI, deeply pigmented skin that never burns. Types I to III are the straightforward end for most diode wavelengths. Types IV to VI can be treated, but only with longer wavelengths, longer pulse widths and lower energies, because epidermal melanin absorbs laser energy and raises the risk of burns and pigment change.

The longer ones. At 1064 nm, less energy is absorbed in the epidermis, and more reaches the follicle, making it the usual choice for types V and VI. The 808 nm band is the general-purpose middle, 940 nm sits between, and 755 nm suits fair skin with finer, lighter hair but carries more risk on darker skin. If a service expects a diverse client base, confirm in writing that 1064 nm is supplied, and on which handpiece.

Because there is almost nothing in the hair for the laser to target; diode energy is absorbed by eumelanin, the dark pigment in brown and black hair. Blonde and white hair have very little; grey hair has lost it, and red hair relies mainly on a different pigment the laser barely absorbs. Treating these clients takes their money without delivering results, and saying so at the consultation protects the service's reputation.

Presumably it loads starting parameters matched to a skin type, which is useful for consistency across operators. Ask the supplier exactly what each preset changes: energy, pulse width, rate, wavelength mix, or all of them. A preset is a starting point, not a clinical decision. The operator still has to assess skin type in good light, check for a tan, and adjust based on the patch test result rather than the screen alone.

On a small, representative area at the settings intended for the first treatment, with the result checked after an interval set by the local protocol and extended for darker skin. Record the skin type, wavelength, energy, pulse width and spot, and photograph the area before and after. A normal response is mild redness and perifollicular swelling that settles. Blistering, lasting darkening or lightening means the settings are wrong for that client.

Anyone with a recent tan or self-tan in the area, an active infection or broken skin, a tattoo or pigmented lesion in the treatment field, photosensitising medication, or recent oral retinoid use. Pregnancy is commonly a reason to defer. Unexplained new hair growth, particularly on the face or chest, can reflect a hormonal condition and is worth a medical review before a laser course is sold as the answer.

The design suggests one for broad body areas and one for faces and smaller contours, which would let a single session move from legs to upper lip without changing tips. That is an inference from the photograph. Confirm the spot size, power rating, and wavelengths of each handpiece, because a darker-skinned client may need a particular wavelength that only one provides.

A benchtop body that can travel between rooms or sites, not a light one: the maker's comparable portable unit weighs 40 kg. Room controls don't change with the format. A laser-controlled area, eyewear for every wavelength supplied, local rules and a Laser Protection Adviser apply exactly as they would to a trolley. Confirm the supply rating before booking mobile work, since venue sockets vary.

Services whose client base is mainly types V and VI, unless 1064 nm is confirmed on the right handpiece. Buyers who expect to treat blonde, grey or red hair will not get results from any diode laser. A mobile operator who needs something genuinely light should check the weight first. Where the wavelengths and presets cannot be confirmed before ordering, Medigear.uk can point the buyer to an alternative specification.