Turn Back the Clock With Your New Bestie: The BBL Laser
While it’s impossible to turn back the clock to the carefree days of summer, you can reverse the effects of the sun on your skin. As that warm glow begins to fade, visible signs of aging start making their presence known. But don’t go into hibernation just yet – there is help! Say hello to BBL laser therapy.
What Is BBL Laser Therapy?
BBL stands for broadband light and delivers clearer, smoother, more youthful skin, anywhere on your body – with minimal discomfort and little downtime. By delivering concentrated light energy deep into your skin, BBL stimulates collagen production and regenerates skin cells, with results that last indefinitely with regular treatment.
The state-of-the-art, non-invasive technology targets trouble spots with extreme precision, and can be combined with other services, such as dermal fillers or and Botox®, to create a custom treatment plan tailored to each client’s specific needs and desired results.
The most popular treatment areas are the face, neck, back of the hands, chest, and shoulders – those that are most often exposed to sunlight – but BBL can be used anywhere on the body.
What Is BBL Used For?
The primary goal of BBL laser therapy is to reduce hyperpigmentation in the form of age spots, freckles, and sun damage while improving the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and a dull complexion. It’s also effective on uneven skin tone and texture and can combat the effects of acne scarring and rosacea.
Laser treatments focused on uneven pigmentation or surface blood vessels affect only the darker-colored tissue, eliminating those cells, stimulating collagen production, and enabling new and more even-looking growth.
What to Expect Before BBL Laser Therapy
A BBL laser therapy course of treatment starts with a one-on-one consultation with your medical aesthetics professional, during which they will evaluate your skin and develop a customized plan that typically includes multiple laser sessions.
Approximately six weeks before your first session, you will begin a skin care regimen designed to optimize the results of the treatment and minimize complications. Be sure to discuss any medications you’re taking with your doctor, as blood thinners (including over-the-counter NSAIDs) and drugs that cause photosensitivity can increase the risk of complications, and discontinue the use of treatments that contain Vitamin A at least 60 days prior to your first session.
What to Expect During BBL Laser Therapy
The treatment itself lasts approximately 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the target area, and begins with the application of an ultrasound gel to help transmit the light. During the session, you may experience a pulsing sensation, and your skin may feel warm or appear slightly red – not unlike a sunburn.
What to Expect After BBL Laser Therapy
The BBL laser procedure brings the unwanted pigmentation to the surface of your skin, where it is naturally exfoliated. You can expect to see improvements in your skin tone within several days or weeks of the first treatment, with more significant changes as the course of treatment progresses. Because collagen production happens gradually, you will continue to see improvements over time – up to two months after your last treatment.
Laser therapy does make the skin temporarily more vulnerable to damage from UV radiation, so you will need to be particularly careful to avoid direct sun exposure or use a sunblock with at least 30 SPF for about two weeks after your treatment.
Am I a Good Candidate for BBL Laser Treatments?
Healthy adults with an active lifestyle or damage from sun exposure are ideal candidates for BBL laser treatments. Other conditions that may benefit from BBL sessions include:
- Spider veins
- Scarring
- Wrinkles
- Acne scars
- Rosacea
How Many BBL Sessions Will I Need?
The recommended number of BBL laser treatments varies from patient to patient, and depends on several factors, including the condition being treated and the desired level of results. Most patients schedule between three and six sessions, spaced at intervals of four to six weeks.
Saying goodbye to summer is never easy, even with the heady aroma of pumpkin spice filling the air. But fall is the perfect time to reassess, get back to a routine, and feel good about that face you see in the mirror. And what better way to head into the holidays than with a glowing complexion and more youthful-looking skin?
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