What’s the difference between BBL and IPL?

IPL (intense pulsed light) is a treatment for skin conditions which uses multiple light wavelengths at high energy to target and destroy unwanted skin structures. BBL is a relatively new and more advanced form of IPL with several advantages including advanced cooling and an “in motion” option which allows smoother and faster treatment.

IPL (intense pulsed light) is a popular non-invasive skin rejuvenation treatment that uses high-energy light therapy to address a range of skin concerns such as fine lines, wrinkles, sun damage, pigmentation, sun spots, acne, discoloured scars and unwanted hair. BBL (BroadBand Light) is a newer type of intense pulsed light with some advantages over the original IPL.

At Spot Check Clinic, we use the Sciton mJoule BBL device, which has the following features not typically seen in traditional IPL:

• BBL uses an advanced cooling system, delivered through the treatment head. After delivering a brief flash of intense light, the device immediately cools the treated area of skin. This makes the treatment significantly less painful and in many cases completely pain-free. It also reduces the risk of burning and resulting downtime (although this is rare with any form of IPL treatment).
• The Sciton mJoule BBL device has the option for a style of treatment known as “in motion”. With this technique, the treatment handpiece automatically flashes 2-4 times per second while the operator treats the skin with a smooth gliding motion. This type of treatment is faster than the conventional “stamping” motion often used in IPL and laser treatment. There is also less risk of double-treating or inadvertently missing areas of skin in the treatment region. “In motion” is an efficient and comfortable treatment for large areas like the back, torso, arms and legs.
• BBL delivers more power per treatment than IPL, which means that BBL treatment results may be achieved with a lesser number of treatments required than with IPL.
• BBL has been shown to alter the way genes are expressed in treated cells so that they behave more like much younger skin cells — rejuvenation on a genetic level.

Both IPL and BBL are valuable and effective treatments for a wide range of skin concerns, but BBL may offer a superior experience in terms of comfort, treatment speed and number of treatments.