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BBL; Broad Band Light Treatment

BBL by Sciton is an intense pulse light rejuvenation treatment for sun damage, pigmentation, freckles, acne & rosacea. Lasers provide better outcomes, with less pain, & in most cases lower overall cost. We employ BBL for freckles & skin rejuvenation on the chest, neck & decolletage.

Key Points

  • BBL uses intense pulse light or IPL technology to rejuvenate skin 
  • Treatments are fast with minimal down time
  • BBL is great for freckles in most skin types
  • Blue light BBL can be effective for inflammatory acne
  • Red filtered BBL targets blood vessels 
  • 2-4 sessions are required for best outcomes
  • In most cases we prefer lasers over BBL
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BBL; Broad Band Light Treatment at a glance

For: Pigmentation, freckles, redness, rejuvenation, acne
Procedure time: 30 minutes
Duration of results: Variable
Back to work: 2-4 sessions
Recovery: 1- 5 days
Anaesthetic: Nil
Your specialist: Nurse
How much: $

Our results speak for themselves

Before

After

BBL Treatments treatment cutis dermatology brisbane scaled

Broad Band Light, 2 sessions

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    Before

    After

    BBL chest vein removal cutis dermatology

    Broad Band Light on neck and decolltage

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      Before

      After

      IPL-BBL-Freckle-Face

      M22 IPL Results.

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        FAQs

        How can BBL improve my skin?

        BBL Sciton can address many skin concerns including-

        • Pigmentation including freckles & non-melasma pigmentation
        • Redness, flushing & rosacea
        • Acne including pustules & zits
        • Laxity with the BBL SkinTyte setting
        • Fine lines. BBL can give marginal improvements with fine lines- lasers are much better for wrinkles

        How long will it take to recover from BBL?

        Treatments are gentle, with a recovery period dependent on the treatment settings & indications. You may slightly red after treatments with BBL, but you can wear makeup if you wish. 

         

        If you are undergoing BBL for pigmentation, your spots will darken over the next few days, before flaking off. 

        What areas can BBL or Intense Pulse Light treat?

        Frequently treated areas include the face, neck, chest, hands & arms. BBL/IPL is great for larger areas of skin, & in some cases is preferred over lasers. 

        What does BBL treatment involve?

        • Each pulse of light delivers a warm sensation. Treatments are over within 10-20 minutes.  Your eyes will be protected during the treatment. Cold conduction gel is used on the treated areas. Your nurse will discuss the post treatment after care, including what to use & your recovery process. You will need to sun protect for 2 weeks after treatment.

        When will I see the improvements in my skin following BBL treatments?

        Most will see a visible improvement after 1-2 treatments. Initially, the skin may appear more flushed. If you are treating pigment, brown spots may appear darker. These changes fade over a few hours to a few days.

        How well does Forever Clear BBL work for acne?

        This is a good treatment for inflammatory acne (zits, pimples & pustules). It temporarily suppresses acne by killing bacteria. Results can be seen within a few days. 

         

        Blue light BBL should not be used if you have darker skin type, as light in the blue spectrum is shown to worsen post inflammatory pigmentation scarring. For these patients we prefer the Beam Prima or Perfecta over BBL. 

        How does SkinTyte BBL work?

        SkinTyte uses a longer wavelength of radiation, known as infrared light. This penetrates deeper into the dermal layers of skin, ‘targeting’ collagen. This, in theory, can cause skin tightening, hence the name. In actual fact, it’s not that efficient at contracting collagen as there are many variables to consider- see note below. 

        Does BBL get rid of wrinkles?

        BBL is a fantastic treatment for pigmentation, however it is not great for wrinkles. Wrinkles do better with Hybrid Laser Resurfacing, Fraxel HD & CO2 lasers. If you have pigment & wrinkles, combination treatments are infinitely better than BBL alone- even with BBL SkinTyte.

        Learn more (link to Hybrid Laser Resurfacing)

        What is better at treating pigment, BBL or lasers?

        BBL is more of a Swiss Army knife, meaning it is OK at doing lots of things but not good at doing things really well, with the exception of treating freckles. 

         

        Picoway & Picosure Pro are much better, safer & less painful at treating pigmentation due to sun, age & post-inflammation. 

         

        Learn more (link to Picoway laser) 

        What is better at treating rosacea & redness- BBL or vascular laser?

        Vascular lasers are much better at treating redness as they are-

         

         

        • More effective
        • More comfortable
        • Have fewer side effects
        • Carry a Medicare rebate for most treatments

         

        10% of rosacea patients respond better to BBL & IPL, possibly because of a broader spectrum of light. The majority prefer VBeam Perfecta, or DermaV lasers.

        Can BBL treat melasma pigmentation?

        Yes, but in most cases your melasma will rebound at week 2 & flare up. Melasma is a medical condition that should be treated with tyrosinase inhibitors & modulators. 

         

        Lasers are infinitely safer & better at treating melasma compared to BBL light. 

        Learn more (link to melasma treatment landing page) 

        Can BBL treat freckles?

        BBL or IPL is an excellent treatment for freckles. In most cases only 1-2 sessions are required. In fact, this is our preferred way of treating freckles in most skin types. 


        We do prefer Picoway or Picosure Pro over BBL in cases of mixed pigment- freckles & melasma. 

        Products

        Medik8 Physical Sunscreen SPF50+
        $69.00

        Dermaceutic All Things Pigment 21 Day Kit
        $154.00

        Broadband light can be used to treat sun damage, pigmentation & redness on the chest, neck & decolletage.

        What are the side effects of BBL treatment?

        Used correctly, side effects are rare. Used incorrectly side effects are common, & include-

         

         

        • Pigmentation flares up, especially melasma pigment. 
        • Blistering
        • Post treatment pigmentation or post inflammatory hyperpigmentation

        Is BBL treatment painful?

        BBL is a non-invasive treatment therefore mild discomfort is felt for a few short periods. The skin does feel slightly hot with each pulse, but is cooled with the special sapphire tip of BBL. 

        How much are treatments?

        BBL or broad band light is treatment for pigment & sun damage. It’s great for freckles, chest & decolletage rejuvenation.

        • BBL full face: $590 per treatment  
        • BBL neck and neck and décolletage: $690 per treatment 
        • BBL forearms: $550 per treatment 
        • BBL full arms: $790 per treatment 

        Who are ideal candidates for BBL treatment?

        Here’s the marketing bit. ‘Men & women who want a clearer & smoother complexion, fewer lines & wrinkles together with a radiant glow can benefit from BBL treatments. Each treatment can be tailored to suit each patient’s specific requirements.’ 

         

        Here’s our take- BBL should be employed as best treatment practice for each skin condition. In most cases, other lasers are better, however for freckles & low contrast pigment, BBL can be very useful. 

        Can BBL be used to maintain your skin quality?

        BBL can be especially useful for patients who have freckling. One or two treatments yearly can keep your skin clear. 

        In the context of anti-aging, fractional lasers are much better at preventing wrinkles & fine lines. They include Fraxel, Clear + Brilliant as well as fractional pico lasers including Picoway & Picosure Pro. 

        What are the fundamental differences between lasers & BBL or IPL?

        Lasers fire one wavelength of light. BBL or broad band light delivers a variety of wavelengths via cut off filters. These filters are classified as broadband, covering 10 to 15 nanometers, or narrowband covering a more narrow spread. In most cases, lasers are far better at getting a task done, examples include-

        • Wrinkles, fine lines & creases. CO2 lasers are best for this job
        • Redness broken capillaries, again vascular lasers are much better than BBL
        • Pigmentation & sun damage- we have pigment lasers for this job
        • Melasma pigment- lasers are more precise than BBL or IPL

        What conditions are BBL or IPL good at treating?

        So, here is the truth. At Cutis we have over 35 lasers & energy devices, we employ the best device for a problem. It’s like having an adjustable wrench or specific tools. With the latter you will do a much better job, faster. BBL or Broad Band Light is an adjustable wrench, but it is exceptionally good at-

        • Treating freckles
        • Treating broad areas of pigment such as the neck, chest & decolletage
        • Treating low contrast skin pigmentation on the face, arms, chest

        What is BBL Forever Bare?

        The acronyms keep coming- BBL Forever Bare is a fast, comfortable & very inefficient way of hair removal. 

        It is accepted that BBL or IPL should not be used for hair removal as it leaves behind wispy hairs that are resistant to BBL & also resistant to hair removal lasers. Dermatologists abandoned the use of BBL for hair a decade ago. Additionally long pulse Nd Yag lasers are infinitely safer at removing hair in darker skin types

        Why do results vary with BBL SkinTyte?

        Here is our take on things. Firstly, you need to consider patient demographics. In Brisbane, Queensland, we have a tremendous amount of photodamage or sun damage. This means there is more fragmented collagen than loose collagen. This is termed elastosis. We know that energy devices much more powerful than IR SkinTyte do not contract collagen well. This includes RF, as well as HIFU or Ultherapy – Ultraformer.

        For broken collagen, CO2 lasers or super deep chemical peels are much better at collagen denaturation as compared to IR heat. 

        Secondly you need to understand the differences when it comes to ‘statistically significant outcomes’ & clinical outcomes. An outcome based upon mathematics does not translate to clinical satisfaction rates- both subjectively & objectively. 

        Thirdly you should compare various treatments to gain an understanding of treatment efficiency – both cost wise, & clinical outcomes. A simple fractional CO2 laser session, or Hybrid Laser Resurfacing will give much better results than half a dozen IR SkinTyte sessions. 

        What experience have we got with BBL SkinTyte?

        SkinTyte is an infrared treatment used to treat skin laxity & sagging. Infrared or IR penetrates deep into the dermal layers of skin. This uses IR to heat dermal collagen & in their cause denaturation & subsequent contraction of collagen, again in theory. 

        This process initiates the body’s natural healing process which creates renewed collagen that may improve skin laxity. We used this device for just over 18 months, however, could not get the results as advertised. 

        We find that CO2 lasers, especially combined with 1927 thulium laser, give much more predictable responses when it comes to skin tightening, especially in patients with sun damage. More on this in the next paragraph. 

        Learn More (link to Hybrid Laser Resurfacing) 

        What is the marketing behind BBL Forever Young?

        Forever Young BBL is the only device shown to reprogram aging cells to behave like young, healthy skin, meaning the skin doesn’t just look younger – it is genetically programmed to be younger! It achieves this result by targeting the DNA of aging skin cells directly. Now if you believe this, go out there & get some DNA repair water. 

        Here’s the truth, lasers, or even simple chemical peels (like TCA) can provide controlled destruction of abnormal cells- hell, even a simple cream like Efudix can ‘selectively’ destroy abnormal or aged cells. In fact, microneedling does the same. By reducing the population of abnormal or aged cells, new skin cells can repopulate the treatment area. You don’t need Forever Young BBL to do so, it’s achieved with some chemicals & sandpaper!

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