Candela launches major new dermatology product.

WAYLAND, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 10, 1996--Candela Corp. (CLZR) announced today that its new ScleroLASER has gone into production, and the company is currently accepting orders for shipment this quarter.

The ScleroLASER will be used for treating leg veins, and it will be formally introduced at next month's annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) in Washington, D.C.

The worldwide market for leg vein treatments is estimated at $1 billion. Approximately 28 percent of all women and eight percent of all men have the type of leg veins that can be treated with this device.

The ScleroLASER is an improvement over the most common current treatment, sclerotherapy, which uses an invasive procedure of needle injections of chemicals directly into the vessels. The ScleroLASER is a non-invasive treatment that eliminates the need for needle injections, and it can treat an estimated 80 percent of all leg veins with less pain and fewer side effects. It is also more effective than treatments using other light sources because the ScleroLASER is more highly selective in targeting the vessels.

Gerard E. Puorro, Candela's president and chief executive officer, stated, "Clinical results have dramatically demonstrated that a substantial fading of the vessels can be achieved after just one treatment. More detailed data from the clinical trials will be presented at next month's meeting of the AAD."

Puorro continued, "Although the ScleroLASER was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration in April of 1995, we delayed introduction of the new device until we were satisfied that we had further optimized the treatment parameters of the laser."

Eric F. Bernstein, M.D., director of the Division of Laser Surgery and Cosmetic Dermatology, Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa., and an independent clinical investigator who participated in the clinical trials stated, "The ScleroLASER represents a major advance in laser technology, and its ultra long pulsewidth permits deeper penetration of the laser light into the vessels, enabling more uniform and sustained heating. Clinical trials to date indicate that this will be an effective alternative for removing small, difficult-to-treat vessels."

Roy G. Geronemus, M.D., a nationally prominent dermatologist, president of The Laser and Skin Surgery Center of New York City, and also a participant in the clinical trials said, "The Candela ScleroLASER system is an excellent adjunct to sclerotherapy. It can be used quickly and effectively on vessels up to one millimeter in size. Approximately eighty percent of all leg veins fall into this category."

Richard J. Olsen, president of Candela Skin Care Centers Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Candela Corp., stated, "The ScleroLASER will provide a competitive advantage for our emerging chain of laser cosmetic clinics because over 12 percent of our patients' inquiries are for the treatment of leg veins. The ScleroLASER is the first and only laser that has been cleared by the FDA for treating leg veins."

Puorro also said, "The ScleroLASER will begin to contribute to the company's revenue in this quarter, and we believe that this product has the potential of changing the way leg veins will be treated in the future."

CONTACT: Candela Corp.

Richard J. Olsen, 508/358-7400 x224