What is the main difference between IPL and BBL? Is BBL a laser?

Light therapy is often the treatment chosen for areas of pigmentation and redness in the skin.  Both IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) and BBL (BroadBand Light) are light therapy treatments.

BBL is the acronym for Broad Based Light source, and is a brand name of a particular IPL machine.  IPL is the acronym for Intense Pulsed Light.  Laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.  Laser indicates a single wavelength of light that will then be absorbed by the target being treated.  Most commonly, the "target" is pigment (freckles, sun spots, or hair follicles), oxyhemoglobin (blood vessels, redness of the face), or water (skin rejuvenation).  IPL uses multiple wavelengths of light to treat several conditions during the same treatment. In the past, most IPLs were not as effective as lasers for treating certain conditions such as telangectasias or spider veins.  Best of luck,Suneel Chilukuri, M.D.