My BBL (Broadband Light) Experience

I have always been unhappy with the appearance of the skin on my face. As a teenager I had terrible acne and I was teased horribly by my peers. Later as an adult my acne got better but I was always conscious of any little scar,mole, skin tag or age spot. I heard about BBL through RealSelf and I was just curious enough to check it out for myself. I am very hopeful that this will be the first step to having clear, healthy looking skin for what I feel like is the first time in my life!

So I booked my consult with Ideal Image and I was pretty unsure going in. In my mind it was just for information I had no intention to book anything at all! After talking with the friendly staff and meeting one of the nurses on staff, I felt confident enough to book. Oh and it helped that they were running a promotion at the time for buy one area and get one area free promotion!! I mean come on!! I had about a hundred questions and I would not have booked at all if I did not feel comfortable believe me. I’ve been to a few consults and I’ve just walked out and never looked back. I have to feel a vibe you know?
Anyway, I had just been tanning and I was told I could not have the procedure for 30 days because you need to stay out of the sun in order to get the best results so I booked that same day for 30 days later and I also paid for half of the total invoice at that time. Needless to say, I was very excited waiting for the 30 days to pass !

On the day of my BBL treatment I was excited but nervous. It was scheduled for first thing in the morning and I’m really not a morning person so I was half awake and I honestly think that was a good thing. lol. (I tend to overthink things)
Prep for the appointment was simply to arrive without makeup, have clean skin and to make sure that I had stayed out of the sun for the past 30 days. If you use face cream or lotion with Retinol you are asked not to use it for atleast a week prior to treatment also. I didn’t so I was fine. Also if you must be in the sun, they only ask that you use a SPF 50 or stronger sunscreen while you are out
So I got Checked in and the staff was very friendly even though I arrived 10 minutes late. I was offered water and I was called in moments later by my nurse. She was really friendly and she explained the procedure to me once I had undressed and put a drape over my chest area. The nurse applied witch hazel all over the treated area and then a gel before we started. I am having my full face and my chest treated so she started with my face and after I put my goggles on, she explained how bright the light would be. Boy was she right!! I jumped the first few times the applicator zapped on my cheeks. It’s a very weird sensation. It makes a snapping sound, flashes a bright light and it feels quite warm so be prepared! I jumped quite a few times because it is quite startling. I would not say it hurts so much as it is uncomfortable (in some spots more than others ) It should be noted that we did NOT use any numbing gel.
The entire procedure including my face and chest took about 90 minutes. After we were all done, the nurse explained my aftercare and gave me a sheet with the aftercare info and some cream for the treated areas.
After I got dressed we went up front and I booked for another 30 days and off I went. I had purchased a bundle of 5 treatments which is recommended to get optimal results
I have to say I was a little sore for the first two days and it definitely feels like a sunburn. Your skin gets tight and there was some swelling but other than that it is just fine. You really need to be very gentle with the treated area when you are washing or applying lotions or makeup as it is very sensitive! Oh, and Do NOT scratch off the little darkened bits that appear on the skin. Leave them to fall off on their own. Also I was warned not to drink alcohol or eat spicy food for two days after or to do any intense workouts. Stay away from extreme heat or cold!
So I guess that’s it for now. I will let you know how it goes over the next four months. So far so good. I honestly feel like it is way too soon for me to say how I feel about it yet but you will be the first to know about my results.
If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask away. I hope you find this useful.