ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT02912507Updated Oct 4, 2023Results posted

Split-tattoo Study Comparing the Safety and Efficacy of 670nm Picosecond Laser Versus 755 nm for Tattoo Removal

An interventional study of Cutera enlighten laser and CynoSure PicoSure 755nm laser in Tattoo Removal, sponsored by Cutera Inc.. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-10-04.

Sponsored by Cutera Inc. · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
11
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Study to evaluate safety and efficacy of treatment with the investigational Cutera enlighten laser for tattoo removal as compared to treatment with the Cynosure PicoSure laser

Read the detailed description

This is an open-label, split-tattoo, single-center prospective, comparison study in up to 20 male or female subjects, age 18 to 65 years, who desire laser removal of a tattoo containing single or multi-color ink. Subjects will receive laser treatments, and will be followed at 6 weeks.

02

Conditions studied

  • Tattoo Removal
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Cutera Inc. is the lead sponsor of 42 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Of its 19 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 19 (100%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Female or Male, 18 to 65 years of age (inclusive).
  • Fitzpatrick Skin Type I - VI.
  • Target tattoo contains single or multi-color ink.
  • Subject must be able to read, understand and sign the Form.
  • Must be willing and able to adhere to the treatment and follow-up schedule and post-treatment care instructions.
  • Wiling to cover tattoos with a bandage or clothing; and/or have very limited sun exposure and use an approved sunscreen of SPF 50 or higher on the treated area starting 2 to 4 weeks before the treatment and/or every day for the duration of the study, including the follow-up period.
  • Willing to have digital photographs taken of the treatment area and agree to use of photographs for presentation, educational or marketing purposes.
  • Agree to not undergo any other procedure(s) for tattoo removal during the study (as applicable).
  • or surgically sterilized, or using a medically acceptable form of at least 3 months prior to enrollment and during the entire course of the study, and no plans to become pregnant for the duration of the study.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participation in a clinical trial of a drug or another device in the target area during the study.
  • Target tattoo contains only black ink.
  • History of allergic reaction to pigments following tattooing.
  • History of allergy to local anesthetics.
  • History of allergy to topical antibiotics.
  • History of malignant tumors in the target area.
  • Skin abnormalities in the target area, e.g., cuts, scrapes, wounds, scars, large moles.
  • Pregnant and/or breastfeeding.
  • Having an infection, dermatitis or a rash in the treatment area.
  • Significant concurrent illness, such as diabetes mellitus or cardiovascular disease, e.g., uncontrolled hypertension.
  • Suffering from coagulation disorders or taking prescription anticoagulation medications.
  • History of keloid scarring, hypertrophic scarring or of abnormal wound healing.
  • History of /immune deficiency disorders or currently using immunosuppressive medications.
  • History of vitiligo, eczema, or psoriasis.
  • History of connective tissue disease, such as systemic lupus erythematosus or scleroderma.
  • History of seizure disorders due to light.
  • Any use of medication that is known to increase sensitivity to light according to Investigator's discretion.
  • History of disease stimulated by heat, such as recurrent herpes simplex and/or herpes zoster (shingles) in the treatment area, unless treatment is conducted following a prophylactic regimen
  • History of radiation to the treatment area or undergoing systemic chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer.
  • History of pigmentary disorders, particularly tendency for hyper- or hypo-pigmentation.
  • Systemic use of or isotretinoin within 6 months of study participation.
  • Anytime in life, having have used gold therapy (gold salts) for disorders such as rheumatologic disease or lupus.
  • Excessively tanned in areas to be treated or unable/unlikely to refrain from tanning during the study.
  • Current smoker or history of smoking within 6 months of study participation.
  • As per the Investigator's discretion, any physical or mental condition which might make it unsafe for the subject to participate in this study.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(5)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Postmenopausal

Periods have stopped for good: usually no period for 12 months in a row without another medical reason, sometimes confirmed by a blood test (FSH).

Contraception

Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.

Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.

Immunosuppression

A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.

Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.

Corticosteroids (steroids)

Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.

Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
11 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Investigational Enlighten Device

    Tattoo removal treatments with the investigational Cutera enlighten laser

    Device: Cutera enlighten laser

  • Active comparator
    Cynosure PicoSure 755 nm laser

    Tattoo removal treatments with the Cynosure PicoSure 755 nm laser

    Device: CynoSure PicoSure 755nm laser

Interventions

  • DeviceCutera enlighten laser

    high-powered, Q-switched 670nm Picosecond laser system indicated for tattoo removal

    Also known as: 670nm Picosecond Laser

  • DeviceCynoSure PicoSure 755nm laser

    high-powered, Q-switched Alexandrite system that delivers laser energy in the 755 nm wavelength and has received FDA clearance (K133364) for tattoo and benign pigmented lesion removal.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Degree of Tattoo Clearing as Assessed by the Investigator (Physician's Global Assessment of Improvement)

    Degree of tattoo clearing at 6 weeks post-final treatment as assessed by the Investigator (Physician's Global Assessment of Improvement). Higher scores indicate better outcomes 4= Very Significant or Complete Clearing 3= Significant Clearing 2= Moderate Clearing 1= Mild Clearing 0= No Clearing

    Time frame: 6 weeks post-final treatment, an average of 8 months from baseline

07

Results

Posted Oct 4, 2023

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneSingle Arm Treatment - Cutera Enlighten LaserSplit Tattoo Treatment - Cutera Enligthen LaserSplit Tattoo Treatment - Cynosure PicoSure 755 nm Laser
Started555
Completed111
Not completed444

Outcome measures

PrimaryDegree of Tattoo Clearing as Assessed by the Investigator (Physician's Global Assessment of Improvement)

Degree of tattoo clearing at 6 weeks post-final treatment as assessed by the Investigator (Physician's Global Assessment of Improvement). Higher scores indicate better outcomes 4= Very Significant or Complete Clearing 3= Significant Clearing 2= Moderate Clearing 1= Mild Clearing 0= No Clearing

Time frame:
6 weeks post-final treatment, an average of 8 months from baseline
Reported as:
Mean · score on a scale
Degree of Tattoo Clearing as Assessed by the Investigator (Physician's Global Assessment of Improvement)
score on a scaleSingle Arm TreatmentSplit Tattoo Treatment- EnlightenSplit Tattoo Treatment- PicoSure
Degree of Tattoo Clearing as Assessed by the Investigator (Physician's Global Assessment of Improvement)4 ± 04 ± 04 ± 0

Adverse events

Collected over 6 weeks post final treatment, up to 8 months. Non-serious events are listed at a 5% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Single Arm Treatment - Cutera Enlighten Laser0/5 (0%)0/5 (0%)5/5 (100%)
Split Tattoo Treatment - Cutera Enlighten Laser0/5 (0%)0/5 (0%)5/5 (100%)
Split Tattoo Treatment - Cynosure PicoSure 755 nm Laser0/5 (0%)0/5 (0%)5/5 (100%)
Most frequent other events
Most frequent other events
EventSingle Arm Treatment - Cutera Enlighten LaserSplit Tattoo Treatment - Cutera Enlighten LaserSplit Tattoo Treatment - Cynosure PicoSure 755 nm Laser
ErythemaSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders5/55/55/5
EdemaSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders4/55/55/5
PetechiaeSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders2/52/52/5

Baseline characteristics

Age, Categorical
Age, Categorical(Participants)Single Arm TreatmentSplit Tattoo TreatmentTotal
<=18 years000
Between 18 and 65 years5510
>=65 years000
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Single Arm TreatmentSplit Tattoo TreatmentTotal
Female347
Male213
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Single Arm TreatmentSplit Tattoo TreatmentTotal
American Indian or Alaska Native000
Asian000
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander000
Black or African American000
White5510
More than one race000
Unknown or Not Reported000
08

Study locations

1 site
  • Laser Skin Solutions Jacksonville
    Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32250, United States
09

References and documents

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

10

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Ran from Sep 2016 to primary completion in Aug 2017, 11 months.

Results were first posted in Oct 2023, 6 years 1 month after primary completion.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Sep 16, 2016
First posted
Sep 23, 2016
StartActual
Sep 9, 2016
Primary completionActual
Aug 16, 2017
CompletionActual
Aug 16, 2017
Results first posted
Oct 4, 2023
Last update
Oct 4, 2023
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Oct 4, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02912507
Lead sponsor
Cutera Inc.
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Sep 23, 2016
Start date
Sep 9, 2016
Primary completion
Aug 16, 2017
Completion
Aug 16, 2017
Results posted
Oct 4, 2023
Last update
Oct 4, 2023

Study contacts

Jill Lezaic, DO
principal investigator · Laser Skin Solutions Jacksonville

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2023. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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