Broad Band Light (BBL) Therapy
Frequently Asked Questions
Broad Band Light (BBL) Therapy is a treatment that targets signs of aging and other skin conditions with precision. The treatment is designed to rejuvenate your skin, making it clearer, smoother, more vibrant, and to restore it to it’s natural beauty.
BBL uses light energy delivered through a laser to the target areas of the skin. The heat from the light energy is absorbed by your skin and will stimulate your skin cells. This causes the skin cells to regenerate and the old particles of skin or pigmentation will die and eventually peel off. After treatment, your body’s natural removal process of these skin cells will take one to two weeks.
The cost of treatment depends on the location and size of the area being treated. It will also depend on the number of treatments needed to fully eliminate the concern.
Broad Band Light Therapy can treat brown pigmentation areas like freckles or sunspots as well as vascular issues like redness, small blood vessels, and rosacea. It is generally used to treat facial concerns. BBL can also help improve again skin, uneven skin texture, and loss of firmness.
The number of treatments needed will vary from patient to patient and your clinician will personalize a treatment plan based on your needs and desired outcome.
The procedure is typically gentle and safe. Generally, there is no need for a topical anesthetic; however, your clinician may choose to use it. Your eyes will be protected with safety shields or glasses. You may briefly feel a warm or “rubber band snap” sensation as the light is absorbed by the targeted areas. Your procedure may take as little as a few minutes depending on the size of the area to be treated and the type of procedure performed. Your clinician will discuss all of your options with you including the benefits, risks and what to expect.
You may experience some redness that should resolve within a few hours. For some spots, you will see a darkening of the treated areas followed by fading and flaking off at a later stage. Results depend on your skin type, the number of treatments, and the area treated.
This is a non-invasive and typically gentle procedure with virtually no downtime. you are able to return to work, and resume most of your activities immediately. Your clinician will provide you with more information on what to expect as well as give you an aftercare plan to follow that will involve avoiding direct sun exposure and using sunscreen.
It is likely that you will be able to return to work, apply make-up, and resume daily activities immediately after treatment. For brown spots, they will slowly peel or scale off within one to two weeks.
The number of treatments you will need will depend on your skin and your condition. For age spots most patients need 1-2 treatment sessions for complete removal.
At the time of treatment, patients skin should not be tanned. It is important to let your healthcare practitioner know if you have been tanning or exposed to the sun in the past four weeks. Do not use self-tanning lotions or sprays for one month before treatment. These can increase your risks of blistering and discoloration along with other complications.
Broad Band Light Therapy uses short, powerful blasts of light, so the side effects are similar to that of a sunburn. After treatment you may experience redness or mild itching. These effects usually subside within a few hours or up to two days.