What Makes BBL(BroadBand Light) Different from IPL? | APS Seminar 2025 Korea – Chapter 1

[Music] Hello everyone. Welcome to APS Korea 2025. I'm Dr. Enk Park from Nunopi Plastic Surgery. Today I'm here to unveil the secrets of Syon BBL. What it can do, how it's

different from other light devices, and what I've learned in clinical practices. Shall we begin? Let's begin with the fundamentals. What is IPL and how it's different from laser? Unlike lasers

which emit columated and monochromatic beams, intense burst light is non-olimated and polychromatic. The light spreads out the moment it exits the crystal which means contact to the skin is essential for

effective delivery. And another key difference is the absence of photochanical effect in IPL. While Q switch lasers can cause immediate whitening or TKI, IP works through photothermal

effect and the results may take few minutes to show up often as gray color with irrima. And speaking of delivery, gel matters a lot. Make sure you use hydrophilic clear and colorless gel,

never blue ultrasound gel. There are three functions of gel. Number one, it's medium for light delivery. Number two, it cools the skin. And last, gel works as heat sink effect to absorb excess

heat. When it comes to gel thickness, for treating pigment lesions, thin or thick gel technique would be fine. But if you are using thin gels, be cautious in bony areas like forehead or jawline because low fat means higher risk of

burns. But for vessel or hair removal, avoid thick gel because too much gel blocks deeper penetration to the target. IP works as photothermal effect. It means heat is used to damage the target. For example, epidermal pigment

is coagulated and carbonized with appropriate energy. When excessive energy is delivered, blisters can form as a result of dermal burnt, capillary rupture, and plasma

leakage. This is my grandmother after receiving a slightly stronger BBL treatment. I don't usually treat with this much intensity but for those who cannot visit the clinic often even one or two

sessions can give satisfying noticeable result for vascular lesions. If full coagulation happens dark chocolate color change is noticed in partial response. Dark chocolate color fades in

seconds. If the energy was too high, it might resultici. This kind of rupture may indicate the photo mechanical effect of IPL due to high energy which are more common in pur die

lasers. Now let's talk about the art of setting parameters. This is where IPL becomes both powerful but a little tricky. To get great results and avoid complications, you have to think about two things. Device settings and patient

factors. In device settings, the parameters should consider filter fluence per Swiss per sequence and delay time spot size and cooling temperature. For example, when you are treating pigment lesions with more cooling, it

increases the temperature difference between target and the skin surface. So, it may be safer and more precise. But cooling isn't always a good thing. When treating vessels, too much cooling can shrink them and that makes

it harder to get effective result. Now, let's turn to the other side of the equation. Every patient is different and your setting should reflect that. We should consider the skin type, the size,

darkness, and contrast of pigmented lesions, diameter, depth, and degree of pigment when targeting vascular lesions. For selecting pitpatrick skin type, you can ask patients like, "Do you burn or tan while in summer vacation?"

And that tells you a lot. In treating pigment leion, you can adjust your IPL settings based on several factors such as size, darkness, and contrast of background skin color. And about vascular legion, you

should account for the vessel diameter, severity, and the presence of coexisting pigment lesions. So remember, it's not about blasting more energy. It's about choosing smart parameters tailored to your patient.