Sciton BBL (Broadband light) in Birmingham and Solihull
The Sciton BBL (Broad Band Light) is the world’s most powerful IPL (Intense Pulse Light) system. Hundreds of different colours of light penetrate the skin with each flash. The light targets unwanted pigmentation, redness, thread veins, sun spots and freckles. Treatment leads to an even and fresher skin complexion. Regular Sciton BBL treatment also keeps skin healthy and slows the visible sign of ageing.
The dermatologists at Midland Skin use BBL to correct skin conditions and maintain healthy-looking skin with minimal downtime. The result of BBL treatment is brighter, fresher and smoother-looking skin. Regular BBL treatment is a good way of maintaining the appearance of the skin and preventing pigmentation and redness from recurring.
What does BBL treatment do?
Sciton BBL is an advanced skin treatment with the following benefits:
Clearing pigmentation with BBL
BBL is excellent at reducing freckles, age spots and sun spots and improving the general colour of skin which may have darkened with time from ageing and sun exposure
Reducing facial redness and thread veins with BBL
BBL reduces redness in the skin, including general redness, thread veins, broken capillaries and Poikiloderma.
Rejuvenation photofacials with BBL
A course of BBL treatments gives clearer, brighter, smoother and healthier-looking skin without the need for any injectable treatments. In addition, BBL improves the appearance of fine lines and pores.
Reversing the signs of ageing with BBL
BBL reduces fine lines and wrinkles by boosting collagen production and improving elastic fibres in the skin. As well as correcting the reds and browns, Sciton BBL gives better-looking and better-quality skin.
Treatment of rosacea with BBL
BBL is a leading treatment for redness, rosacea and thread veins. The symptoms of rosacea that improve with BBL:
- redness
- thread veins
- flushing
- burning
- inflammatory papules
Treatment of acne with BBL
BBL helps reduce inflammation in the skin and improve active acne spots and reduce redness from acne. This is known as Forever Clear treatment. A course of 6 to 8 treatments is required.
How does Sciton BBL treatment work?
BBL is short for Broad Band Light and is a the most advanced form of IPL (Intense Pulsed Light). BBL improves skin complexion and slows down skin ageing.
Sciton is the name of the company that has pioneered this device.
During treatment, a handpiece comes in contact with the skin, and hundreds of colours of light are flashed at the same time. Your practitioner at Midland Skin will carefully select the cut-off filters, energy levels, cooling and other settings to your skin’s needs. The light simultaneously targets and clears multiple elements in the skin, such as red areas, brown areas and collagen.
Research has also shown that regular BBL treatments boost the genes in skin cells associated with youth, help preserve collagen, and reduce the rate of skin ageing. This means that regular BBL treatments also slow down the signs of skin ageing. See below for the science behind this.
The science behind the long term results
In one study, 15 candidates had at least one BBL per year over eight years. 500 experts, including dermatologists and plastic surgeons, evaluated the photos. Patients did not have any surgical procedures. In 9 years, those who had BBL regularly did not appear to look any older despite the passage of time—having a BBL treatment once or twice a year for maintenance of good skin called Forever Young BBL. Forever Young BBL is one of the best non-invasive treatments that someone can do to slow down the ageing process.
Research from Stanford University School of Medicine explained how skin is rejuvenated after BBL treatments.
The Stanford researchers showed that three full-face BBL treatments changed the gene expression in aged skin. Over 1000 genes in the skin of women over the age of 50 years became similar to how they would behave if they were in youthful skin. The same study showed a significant reduction in fine wrinkles, redness and pigmentation. Biopsy tests also showed that collagen fibres became more robust and more uniform, and there was less elastosis (abnormal elastin) under the skin.
So, research has shown that regular BBL not only attacks pigmentation and redness, itt also switches on the genes that reverse the signs of ageing.
What is Forever Young BBL?
Forever Young BBL is the name given to a full-face BBL for maintaining and preventing skin ageing once the skin has been corrected with an initial course of BBL treatments.
All full-face BBL treatments, whether part of the initial correction course or done two to four times a year for maintenance, provide Forever Young benefits – boosting collagen and reducing skin ageing.
Which skin types can be treated with Sciton BBL?
Sciton BBL is safe on skin types 1 to 5, white through to darker complexions, including Asian and Indian skin types.
What happens during a Sciton BBL treatment?
The doctor or nurse will clean the skin and apply a clear gel. The treatment comprises multiple flashes of light. The treatment is relatively quick and takes 15 minutes for the face and 10 minutes for the neck.
How does treatment with Sciton BBL feel?
Some people feel relatively little, and others feel a hot snap. However, there is no lingering discomfort afterwards.
How will I look after treatment?
There may be some redness that can last between 1 to 8 hours. Freckles may appear darker before breaking up. There may be swelling on the face, especially around the eyes.
What is the aftercare?
It is important to stay out of the sun and regularly use a high factor sun block before and between treatments.
What is the downtime with Sciton BBL?
For most individuals, there is minimal downtime, and you can apply make-up and sunblock immediately and get on with day-to-day activities.
How effective is Scition BBL?
BBL-treated skin appears healthier and more youthful than untreated skin. BBL-treated skin continues to appear healthier and more youthful in those people that are getting regular BBL treatments. The beneficial effects of BBL are seen anywhere on the body.
How many treatments are required?
It is possible to see a difference after one treatment, but a series of treatments is usually required. A course of 3 to 5 treatments is generally initially needed to correct the skin from pigmentation and redness. Each treatment is given once every 3 to 4 weeks. Certain individuals can require more than five treatments in the initial course.
How often is maintenance treatment required?
Following initial treatment, a treatment every 3 to 6 months keeps the skin in its best condition.
How can I ensure I get the best possible outcomes with Sciton BBL?
Ensure you plan to have enough treatments and consider a maintenance schedule after that. Also, avoid the sun and use excellent, evidence-based skin care alongside treatment.
Anyone with signs of ageing and sun damage is a good candidate for BBL. So is anyone who has healthy skin and wants to maintain this. Anyone in their late 20’s onwards can benefit from 2 treatments per year.
BBL is most popular on the face, and the neck, decollete and chest & back of the hands are other top areas. The entire arm from the shoulder to the wrist and the upper back are also commonly sought treatments.
Who should consider Sciton BBL?
Sciton BBL is a treatment for anyone with sun damage, sun pigmentation and redness, and signs of ageing that they would like to improve. BBL is also for those who want to actively reduce skin ageing and keep their skin healthy looking.
Scition BBL is a safe and effective treatment for younger patients in their 20’s and 30’s who have maintained their skin and would like their skin to keep looking healthy. In this way, it supplements sunscreen by slowing down the ageing process.
Scition BBL is also popular among middle-aged patients with skin issues that cause an uneven complexion. However, it is also suitable for those with healthy skin who have looked after their skin and want to keep their skin healthy and slow down ageing of the skin.
Sciton BBL is a safe consideration for those with darker skin types who wish to maintain their skin and slow down the ageing process. This includes those of Chinese, Indian, Middle Eastern and Hispanic descent.
Which areas of the body can be treated with Sciton BBL?
Sciton BBL is safe anywhere on the body. The results are equally good all over the body. The common areas to be treated are:
- Face
- Neck
- Décolletage
- Chest
- Back of hands
- Forearms
- Arms up to the shoulders
How to prepare for BBL
Detailed instructions on how to prepare for BBL are provided once you have made a reservation for this treatment. In summary, t is essential to avoid the sun for 4 weeks before treatment and to be absolutely tan-free when you have treatment. Also, you must not have any fake tan on the skin either. You should arrive at your appointment make-up free. You should stop retinoids about a week before BBL treatment.
What happens after treatment?
The skin may appear red for a few hours after treatment, and swelling can be minimal or last one or two days in some people (longer in those over 45y). It is best to allow one or two days to recovery from your first treatment, and it is possible to wear make-up on the same day if required and return to work. Brown spots may darken and take a week to resolve. Occasional bruising can occur too, which lasts one week.
Why choose Midland Skin for Sciton BBL?
Midland Skin is the most experienced clinic in the Midlands for BBL, being the first to provide this treatment in the central England region. The practitioners have offered BBL and other forms of IPL for over ten years. BBL is a complex treatment that is very practitioner dependent. It requires tailoring various settings to suit a particular individual to provide safe and successful treatment. This means that treatment at Midland Skin will give superior results with fewer treatments; not all BBL is the same.
Also, being medical experts having access to multiple other top-of-the-range skin lasers, we tailor your treatment to your specific needs, and a lack of expertise or treatment modalities does not limit us in providing you with the best possible outcome.
The seven different Sciton cut-off filters even mean that dark skin types up to skin type 5 (Indian) can be treated safely. This is because of our technique and the constant cooling from the crystal handpiece.
Truly personalized treatment with BBL
Each treatment is designed by our Dermatologists and bespoke to the individual patient. BBL enables the energy, timing, cooling and density of treatment to be fine-tuned to ensure that results are optimum for any individual case. Being only among a few practitioners to have a large amount of experience in BBL, in different skin colours and types, our Dermatologists can provide you with a highly individualised treatment plan.
Is BBL treatment safe?
Due to the advanced technology, cooling, and properties of the light, BBL is safe for fair skin to skin of colour.
Combining BBL with other treatments
Your Dermatologist may recommend combining treatments with BBL, such as
- halo laser
- nanolaser peel
- microlaser peel
- vascular laser
- Nd YAG laser
Many treatments pair up well with BBL and may give better and faster results. Whether a paired treatment is suitable for your concerns will depend on the advice provided to you by your Dermatologist at Consultation.
What is the difference between BBL and BBL Hero?
BBL Hero is the latest version of BBL, which we also offer at Midland Skin. BBL Hero is four times faster than regular BBL. The combination of higher peak powers, shorter pulses and rapid cooling means that a large amount of energy can be delivered with comfort and speed to rejuvenate large areas of skin.
What’s the difference between Sciton BBL and Sciton Halo?
Halo is a different technology in which 2 wavelengths of laser are delivered to the skin to rejuvenate the collagen. Halo treatment can be combined with BBL in the same session.
What is the difference between BBL and Fully ablative laser treatment?
Fully ablative laser treatment is a form of intensive laser resurfacing that is suitable for wrinkles and acne scarring.
What can I do to ensure I get the best possible outcome?
Begin using sunscreen before the treatment and commit to using it regularly for at least three months after the treatment.
Use sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection and an SPF of 30 or more daily and reapply every two hours when in the sun.
Avoid sun exposure for at least two months after the treatment.
Don’t wear make-up until your skin has peeled, and avoid strenuous exercise until your skin has healed.
Follow any other skin care advice your Dermatologist has provided to you.
What should I do next?
Would you like to discuss a Scition BBL treatmet? Please arrange an appointment with one of our dermatologists, who will be happy to help.
References
Rejuvenation of gene expression pattern of aged human skin by broadband light treatment: a pilot study. J Invest Dermatol 2013 (133): 394-402.
This is the first study that shows that Sciton BBL reactivates genes that get turned off in the skin as we age. Three Sciton BBL treatments were given, which caused a boost in genes associated with youth – the rejuvenated genes included several known key regulators for longevity, lifespan and tumour suppression.
Bitter, P, Pozner, J. (2013) Retrospective Evaluation of the Long-term Antiaging Effects of Broadband Light Therapy. Cosmetic Dermatology, February 2013, 34-40.
A blinded panel of physician evaluators determined that BBL-treated patients appeared 9 years younger than their actual age. Patients who maintain a regular regimen of BBL treatments annually can reduce and delay the long-term signs of skin ageing in a way that looks very natural. BBL-treated skin ages more slowly than non-treated skin. 1-3 treatments per year for 9 years after 5 or more treatments at the start. Maintenance BBL reduces the speed of ageing.
What should I do next?
Contact us here and let us know more about your needs. Our fees can be reviewed here.
