Do you have pigmentation problems that you constantly have to hide with makeup? Are you constantly ashamed of the high visibility of skin discolorations on your hands or face? Do you have scars or wrinkles that you would like to have reduced? If so, then broadband light (BBL) treatment may be for you.
WHAT IS BROADBAND LIGHT TREATMENT?
BBL is a variation of the Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) cosmetic treatment. IPL addresses some of the weaknesses of laser treatment to give better results in treating some forms of cosmetic skin issues. For example, because the light emitted by lasers is both very intense and monochromatic, it can be a deeply penetrating treatment that has weakness in treating certain skin discolorations, namely those that are red in color. IPL offers a less invasive and more effective treatment for some skin coloration issues by using light of a wider spectrum. BBL takes the IPL concept one step further by using an intentionally broad spectrum to attempt to attack discolorations of all colors.
BBL procedure reduces pigmented lesions through a process known as selective photothermolysis. Because dark areas in the skin absorb light more intensely than lighter areas, the dark areas heat with the absorption of light faster than light areas. This leads to the destruction of the pigment-carrying cells. Through this form of selection, i.e. survival of the lightest, the dark regions of the skin are destroyed while the light ones are relatively unaffected. This allows the treatment of:
- Freckles (aka solar lentigines)
- Age spots
- Brown spots, birth marks
- Rosacea
- Port wine stains
- Hyperpigmentation
- Poikiloderma
- Spider veins
- Broken capillaries
- Facial veins
- Telanglectasia
Finally, BBL does stimulate the skin and can also have a significant impact on warts, scars, striae, and fine wrinkles.
In general, patients do not feel any discomfort from BBL photorejuvenation.
SKIN TIGHTENING
In addition to the removal of dark skin lesions, some people experience skin tightening as a consequence of BBL treatments. The heating of subsurface collagen with surface cooling promotes a partial denaturation and contraction of the collagen without causing damage to surrounding tissues. Collagen is partly responsible for skin elasticity, so the contraction of the collagen leads to tighter skin. The heating process and destruction of dark skin lesions also stimulates the body’s natural healing process, which leads to collagen production and more tightening of the skin. The improvement in skin tone is significant, comparable to that achieved with the use of dermal fillers in some cases. The results also last about the same amount of time as popular dermal fillers like Restylane and Juvéderm.
If you would like to learn more about the possible results of BBL, schedule a broadband light treatment consultation with a local cosmetic surgeon today.
