Okay, first up I’m talking about Broad Band Light, not Big Bash League or Brazilian butt lift!
Broad band Light (BBL) is a type of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) made by a company called Sciton in California.
I have been a big proponent of IPL treatments, and offered and performed them, for about 30 years. In fact the clinic I worked at back then had the first ever IPL machine installed in Australia. I remember back then both certain plastic surgeons and Dermatologists on the Gold Coast being very negative about IPL, but of course they all offer it now, as do many smaller clinics.
IPL is a light based treatment that improves or removes pigmentation, sun-damage, broken vessels, small angiomas and Rosacea.
So what’s different about IPL at Envisage Clinic?
I would say two things. Firstly the machine we use, and secondly the experience we have.
I have always used top end IPL devices, costing around $80,000. My Sciton BBL device was nearly twice as much again. Now, you can buy an IPL machine made in China for as little as $1,000, and this is the type of device used in many beauty salons and small clinics. So what’s the difference? Well, as they say, “Good is not cheap and cheap is not good”.
Cheap machines lack in power and safety. They are often unable to use enough power to safely get results, and they cannot be relied on to be properly calibrated nor to put out the exact same energy every single shot. This leads to one of two problems – usually patients are under treated and get little to no result, or they may suffer from a burn or skin damage.
I often see patients who are reluctant to have an IPL treatment again because they tried it elsewhere and found it had no significant benefit
BBL from Sciton is different in several key regards. Essentially it is safer, faster, has less discomfort, less to zero downtime and gives better and more even results. It calibrates every shot for safety and consistency, it is a powerful machine and is by far the fastest on the market.
Its fast speed allows for safer multi-pass treatments, especially on the body areas, eliminating irregular results and stripes and making treatments supremely safe and painless.
But there is something else special about BBL from Sciton. Scientific studies in collaboration with Harvard university have shown that it anti-ages the skin at a cellular level. One study showed that out of 2,265 genes whose expression was altered in ageing skin, 1,293 (more than half) were fully restored with BBL treatment.
Other studies have shown that two BBL treatments per year is enough to essentially halt skin ageing changes and that it is safe to use on most skin types, even up to skin type 4 and 5 (Asian, Mediterranean, South American and other dark skins).
Personally I particularly like BBL treatments for males. Many men have sun damaged, uncared for skin after years of working or playing sport outdoors. Cleaning that damage up with just a couple of BBL treatments can take years off a face without any risk of altering the appearance or looking like anything cosmetic has been done.
Some experts believe virtually everyone over the age of 30 would benefit from a BBL treatment. Remember Envisage Clinic offers free or Bulk Billed appointments, so feel free to come and discuss if BBL might be an option for you.
Call us today on (07) 5539 4000 if you’d like a free consultation to see if BBL treatment is right for you.
Article by Dr Christopher Leat – Medical Director Envisage Clinic Benowa
Dr Christopher Leat – Medical Director Envisage Skin Clinic Founder and Director.
Dr Christopher Leat has 33 years’ experience in Medicine and is a member of The Royal College of Physicians of London.
Dr Leat has devoted the last 18 years to Cosmetic Medicine and is recognized throughout Australia as one of the most experienced doctors in the field of Cosmetic Medicine.
