Is BBL the same as IPL?

BBL and IPL are two names a reader meets when looking up photofacials. The simplest way to sort them out is to see how a medical source uses the two names.

Two names in one sentence

UCLA Health uses them together: "Photofacial treatments use intense pulsed light (IPL) or broadband light (BBL) sources to rejuvenate the skin." The word "or" between them puts both under the photofacial heading rather than treating one as a separate service.

What the device does

UCLA Health also describes the machine itself, saying the "IPL or BBL device emits multiple wavelengths of light to target signs of sun damage during a single treatment session." The same sentence names both acronyms again, so the source treats them as one kind of device.

More on light-based treatments

If you want to compare light sources, DermNet has a page on pulsed dye laser treatment, and the PMC article Unconventional Use of Intense Pulsed Light is about intense pulsed light.

Asking which device is used

Ask any provider which device they use and what skin sign they are aiming at, since sun damage is the target UCLA Health names. Readers in St. Johns, Florida, can use that answer to compare menus on the same terms.