Everybody, no matter what skin type they are, has the pigment melanin in their skin; the darker your tone, the more melanin you have. That’s also the case if you have freckles. Freckles are nothing more than small clumps of melanin that dot your face and arms; so are age (liver) spots, which are simply hyperpigmented areas due to sun exposure. While freckles and age spots are perfectly natural, that doesn’t mean you have to keep them.
Well, your wish has come true. At Eterna Vein & Medical Aesthetics in Puyallup, Washington, we use Forever Young BBL™, an FDA-approved form of broad-band light (BBL) therapy to make your freckles, and a number of other skin blemishes, disappear. Here’s how.
What’s broad-band light therapy?
An broad-band light treatment is similar to a laser treatment, except that a laser focuses a single wavelength of light on your skin, while BBL or it’s close relative intense pulsed light (IPL) uses a number of different wavelengths, allowing it to target multiple skin issues at the same time. It penetrates right through your outer skin layer (epidermis), coming to rest in the middle layer (dermis), where spots and other blemishes reside.
How does Forever Young BBL make freckles disappear?
BBL (Broadband Light™) relies on the energy from IPL to target skin imperfections without cutting the surface or causing collateral tissue damage. As the light penetrates into the dermis, its energy is absorbed by melanocytes (cells containing melanin) in the form of heat, which breaks up the pigment. The light is also absorbed by the hemoglobin found in your blood vessels, which causes skin conditions such as rosacea or visible facial vessels, sealing those vessels off.
After a BBL treatment, the treated hyperpigmented spots will darken and then slough off, taking the discoloration with them, and the sealed vessels are flushed out of your body over a period of weeks or months. The result is smoother, clearer, and more toned skin.
BBL, though, is capable of much more than just removing freckles. It can also address issues such as acne and acne scars, large pores, and even fine lines and wrinkles. That’s because it stimulates your body to amp up elastin and collagen production, two proteins essential for smooth and toned skin, but whose production starts to decrease while you’re in your mid-20s. As new proteins plump up your skin, they also fill in lines and scars and even out your skin tone.
BBL treatment
BBL is a safe and painless treatment option for hyperpigmentation and other skin blemishes. The treatment itself is rather uneventful, in that you lie on the treatment bed while we direct the device at the treatment area. We can apply a numbing cream, if you like, but the most you’ll feel is some warmth and tingling, which resolves quickly. It can take as little as a few minutes for a small treatment area to an hour for a large treatment area. After that, you can go about your activities without much restriction. The results appear afterward, as your skin remodels itself.
While you don’t need to take any downtime, you do need to treat your skin even better than usual, as it’s going to be extra-sensitive for a short time to UV rays. Apply sunscreen liberally, wear a hat, and stay indoors during the hottest part of the day.
If you’ve got freckles, other hyperpigmentation issues, or skin blemishes, Forever Young BBL might be right for you. Give Eterna Vein & Medical Aesthetics a call at 253-268-3400 to set up a consultation with one of our Master Aestheticians today.