BBL HEROic

They're related. Both use broadband light. BBL HEROic is a newer, more precise version. Your provider can tune it more finely and cool your skin while it works, which means we can push the settings harder without making you uncomfortable. We offer both. At your consultation, we'll tell you which one fits your skin and your budget. Learn about IPL.

We take photos first, every time. Skin changes slowly and memory is unreliable, so photos are the only honest way to show you it worked. Then we apply a cool gel and give you eye protection. During the treatment, the handpiece moves across your skin in pulses. Most people describe it as a warm snap, like a rubber band. The tip is chilled, so your skin stays cool while it works. No numbing needed for most areas.

Most people sit through it easily. Nobody loves it, but nobody needs a break from it either. The chilled handpiece does most of the work of keeping you comfortable.

Because it worked. The light breaks up the pigment and pushes it to the surface, where it looks like coffee grounds for about 5 to 7 days before flaking off. This is the most common thing patients call us about. It's normal, and it's the treatment doing its job.

Redness usually improves within days. Brown spots clear once they flake, so around day 7. If you're treating a lot of sun damage, the real difference shows up after your second or third treatment.

The spots we treat are gone. But you keep living in California, so new sun damage keeps arriving. Most patients come back once or twice a year to stay ahead of it.

Yes, but you can't be tan going in, and you can't get tan afterward. If you have a beach trip coming up, book after, not before.

Yes, same day for most people. Your skin will be warm and pink for 30 to 60 minutes. Wear sunscreen after. Actually wear it.

It depends. BBL works by targeting color, so the more contrast between your skin and the spot, the better it works and the safer it is. If you have a deeper skin tone, we use more conservative settings, and sometimes we'll recommend MOXI instead. We'll tell you at your consultation rather than after.

Most people are. Skip BBL if you're pregnant, have a fresh tan or sun exposure planned, take medication that makes you light-sensitive, or have taken Accutane recently. We'll walk through all of this at your complimentary consultation.

Yes. BBL pairs with MOXI and with HALO TRIBRID in a single appointment. BBL works on color: brown spots and redness. MOXI works under the surface on texture and brightness. Running them together covers both in one visit and one recovery window, and it's one of the most common things we do. If your skin is irritated, if you're new to lasers, or if you have a hard deadline coming up, we'll usually start with one and add the other later. Plan your recovery around the MOXI timeline, not the BBL one.

No. A facial works on the surface. BBL works in the skin and changes what's actually there. They're not competitors. A lot of our patients do both.