Broadband Light for the Face
What BBL HERO Is
BBL HERO is Sciton’s 2020-generation BroadBand Light, a pulsed light (IPL) device, not a laser, that Sciton states delivers four times the speed, three times the peak power, and two times the cooling of the original BBL, and it treats brown spots, freckling, facial redness, visible vessels, and diffuse sun damage on the face, neck, and hands. At Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD it is the face and localized-area workhorse, typically given in 2 to 3 sessions about four weeks apart during laser season, October to April, on untanned skin.
BBL HERO is Sciton’s BroadBand Light in its 2020 generation, a pulsed light device in the IPL class and not a laser. HERO stands for High Energy Rapid Output; Sciton states the handpiece has four times the speed, three times the peak power, and two times the cooling capacity of the original BBL. It treats brown spots and freckling, facial redness and visible vessels, and diffuse sun damage, most often on the face, neck, and the backs of the hands, and with specific filters it also treats active acne and mild laxity. At Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD, the med spa of Howarth Plastic Surgery in Scottsdale, BBL HERO is the face and localized-area workhorse: the handpiece the team reaches for when the problem is a cheek of sun spots, a red nose, or a few lentigines on a temple. A typical facial correction is 2 to 3 sessions about four weeks apart, scheduled during laser season, October to April, on untanned skin. The practice also runs the newer BBL HEROic handpiece for large body areas, and the assessment decides which one you need.
The mechanism is selective heating. Interchangeable filters narrow the light to a band that melanin in a brown spot or hemoglobin in a dilated vessel absorbs more strongly than the surrounding skin; the target heats, the chilled sapphire crystal on the handpiece keeps the surface cool, and the spot darkens and flakes away over 7 to 14 days while the vessel closes and fades over the following weeks. In a 2013 pilot study from Stanford published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, researchers found that after a course of BBL treatments the gene expression pattern of aged skin more closely resembled that of younger skin. That finding underlies Forever Young BBL maintenance and is a molecular observation, not a promise. For texture, pores, or fine lines, BBL HERO is combined in the same visit with MOXI or HALO; you can compare Sciton lasers side by side.
Why Patients Ask for BBL HERO
What Patients Who Choose BBL HERO Notice
Most people who ask Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD about BBL HERO point to one part of the face. It is rarely the whole picture that bothers them; it is the spot on the cheekbone that makeup will not cover, the nose that reads red in every photograph, or the two hands that look older than the face above them. These are the findings the team hears most.
- One or two dark, flat spots on a cheekbone or temple that keep drawing the eye
- A nose and inner cheeks that stay red after exercise, heat, or a glass of wine
- Fine thready vessels beside the nostrils or on the chin
- Freckling across the forehead that has merged into a mottled band
- Backs of the hands that look older than the face
- A tan line of pigment along the jaw or neck where sunscreen stopped
Discrete spots and discrete vessels are the problems BBL HERO solves best, because a compact handpiece with manual pulse placement lets the operator treat exactly the lesion and nothing else. Diffuse redness responds too, over more sessions. Whatever is cleared stays cleared unless new sun makes new lesions.
Surgeon-Directed Care
More Tools in the Toolbox: Why a Plastic Surgeon Directs Light-Based Treatment of Pigment
Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD is the medical aesthetics practice of Ashley Howarth, MD, FACS, a board-certified plastic surgeon and instructor in plastic surgery at Mayo Clinic. The judgment a plastic surgeon adds to BBL HERO comes before the first pulse: deciding which spots should be treated with light and which should not. Arizona has one of the highest skin cancer rates in the country, and a long-term Scottsdale resident’s face is a field of overlapping lesions, most of them harmless solar lentigines, some of them seborrheic keratoses, and occasionally one that is a lentigo maligna, an early melanoma that can look like nothing more than a large, slightly uneven sun spot. Broadband light can lighten that lesion enough to hide it from the next examiner. Dr. Howarth’s protocol is therefore that every pigmented lesion is examined before treatment, that asymmetry, irregular borders, more than one color, a diameter over 6 mm, or any history of change sends the patient to a dermatologist first, and that BBL is never used as a shortcut around that referral. A surgeon who treats skin cancer knows what she is protecting.
The second judgment is about the skin around the spot. BBL on melasma or on Fitzpatrick IV to VI skin at the wrong settings trades one pigment problem for another, so those decisions are made by protocol, not by the calendar. And because Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD is the med spa of a plastic surgery practice, the plan is not limited to light. BBL HERO shares a platform with MOXI and HALO, the physician-led team performs those under her protocols, and when the answer is deeper, physician-performed laser skin resurfacing or eyelid surgery, facelift, and neck lift are evaluated by the same physician. More tools in the toolbox, and an honest answer about which one you need.
SCOTTSDALE · MODERN OFFICE SETTING
Where to Start
Who BBL HERO Is For, and What Happens First
BBL HERO at Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD is for adults with fair to medium skin, Fitzpatrick I to III routinely and IV with care, who have brown spots, freckling, redness, or visible vessels on the face, neck, or hands, are untanned at the time of treatment, and can protect the treated skin from sun for two to four weeks afterward. The skin assessment is the first step and the most important one. A member of the physician-led team examines every pigmented lesion under magnification, distinguishes solar lentigines from melasma and seborrheic keratoses, flags any spot with irregular borders, uneven color, or a history of change for a dermatologist before any light touches it, records your Fitzpatrick type and recent sun exposure, and reviews retinoid, antibiotic, and photosensitizing medication use. If the concern is confined to the face or a small area, BBL HERO is the plan. If it covers a whole back, both arms, or the legs, the assessment moves you to BBL HEROic. Fitzpatrick V skin is treated only at conservative settings after a test area, and Fitzpatrick VI is directed to MOXI and chemical peels instead.
Dr. Ashley Howarth, MD, FACS is a board-certified plastic surgeon and an instructor in plastic surgery at Mayo Clinic. Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD is the medical aesthetics brand of her practice, Howarth Plastic Surgery, at 7373 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite C150, Scottsdale, Arizona 85253.
One Handpiece, Seven Filters, Precise Placement
How BBL HERO Is Used in Scottsdale
Brown Spots and Freckling on the Face
Solar lentigines and freckling on the face are treated with the 515 and 560 nm filters, darkening within a day and flaking away by day 7 to 14 over a series of 2 to 3 sessions.
For solar lentigines and freckling, the team uses the 515 and 560 nm filters, which melanin absorbs strongly, and places each pulse by hand over the lesion. A spot darkens within a day, looks like a coffee ground on the skin for several days, and flakes away by day 7 to 14. Most faces need 2 to 3 sessions about four weeks apart, then a single maintenance session a year. The same approach treats the backs of the hands, where flaking takes closer to three to four weeks because the skin turns over more slowly. The one rule that never bends: an irregular or changing lesion is examined by a dermatologist before it is treated with light.
Redness, Rosacea, and Visible Vessels
BBL HERO closes visible vessels and fades rosacea redness with the 560, 590, 640, or 695 nm filters, often clearing discrete vessels in 1 to 2 sessions and diffuse redness in 3 to 5.
For diffuse redness and rosacea flushing, BBL HERO uses the 560 and 590 nm filters across the cheeks and nose, and the 640 or 695 nm filters for deeper or larger vessels. Hemoglobin absorbs the light, the vessel wall heats and closes, and the redness that ran through it fades over the following weeks. Discrete vessels beside the nostrils often clear in 1 to 2 sessions; diffuse background redness usually takes 3 to 5. A 2022 meta-analysis found intense pulsed light and pulsed dye laser produced comparable improvement in the facial erythema of rosacea. Heat, hot yoga, and hard workouts are paused for 48 hours after a vascular session.
Forever Clear, SkinTyte, and Forever Young Maintenance
Beyond color correction, BBL HERO’s 420 nm filter treats active acne, its 800 nm SkinTyte filter addresses mild laxity, and Forever Young BBL maintenance keeps results going with 1 to 2 sessions a year.
Two filters give BBL HERO uses beyond color. The 420 nm filter is Forever Clear BBL for active acne, delivered in a series of 3 to 6 sessions two to four weeks apart. The 800 nm infrared filter is SkinTyte, which heats dermal collagen under sapphire cooling for mild laxity over 3 to 5 sessions. Forever Young BBL is the maintenance program that follows any correction series: 1 to 2 sessions a year, typically each October and late winter, based on the Stanford study in which treated skin’s gene expression pattern more closely resembled younger skin. Many Scottsdale patients pair the fall session with MOXI for fine lines and texture.
When BBL HEROic Is the Better Handpiece
For a full back, both arms and legs, or a whole-body sun damage pass, the newer BBL HEROic handpiece with automated pulse placement is the better choice than BBL HERO.
BBL HEROic is Sciton’s next-generation BBL handpiece, introduced in 2024. It shares the physics and the standard filters of BBL HERO and adds automated pulse placement that Sciton states prevents striping and pulse stacking, a 532+ filter for thready nasal vessels and low-contrast pigment, the SkinSmooth 640S finishing filter, and CoolComfort cooling. At Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD it is the handpiece for a full back, both arms and legs, or a whole-body sun damage pass, where covering a large area evenly matters more than placing individual pulses. If your assessment shows sun damage across the body rather than on the face, the team will recommend HEROic, and the HEROic page explains that plan in full.
At a Glance
BBL HERO at a Glance
Concerns treated with BBL HERO at Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD, the filters commonly used, typical sessions, downtime, and when in the Scottsdale year they are scheduled; individual plans are set at the skin assessment.
| Concern | Filters used | Sessions | Downtime | Scottsdale season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown spots and freckling on the face | 515 and 560 nm | 2 to 3, four weeks apart | Spots darken and flake 7 to 14 days | October to April |
| Sun spots on the neck and backs of the hands | 515 and 560 nm, pulses placed by hand | 2 to 4, four weeks apart | Flaking 2 to 4 weeks | October to April |
| Diffuse redness and rosacea flushing | 560 and 590 nm | 3 to 5, four weeks apart | Pink a few hours to 2 days; 48-hour heat pause | October to April |
| Discrete vessels beside the nose or on the chin | 590, 640, or 695 nm placed over each vessel | 1 to 2 | Possible purple tinge for a few days | October to April |
| Active acne (Forever Clear BBL) | 420 nm, often with 560 nm | 3 to 6, two to four weeks apart | Minimal; mild redness | Year-round with strict sun protection; confirm at assessment |
| Forever Young maintenance | 560 nm full face, plus a vascular filter as needed | 1 to 2 a year after correction | Light flaking for about a week | October and late winter |
Two Handpieces
HERO vs HEROic
How the two BBL handpieces at Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD differ, using Sciton’s published specifications; the team chooses the handpiece at the skin assessment, and the BBL HEROic page covers the large-area plan.
| BBL HERO | BBL HEROic | |
|---|---|---|
| Introduced | 2020, High Energy Rapid Output | 2024, HERO with Intelligent Control per Sciton |
| Pulse placement | Manual; the operator places each pulse over the lesion | Automated; Sciton states it prevents striping and pulse stacking |
| Filters | 420, 515, 560, 590, 640, 695, and 800 nm | The same set plus 532+ (500 to 650 nm) and SkinSmooth 640S |
| Cooling | Sapphire contact cooling; two times the cooling capacity of the original BBL per Sciton | Sapphire crystal with CoolComfort technology per Sciton |
| Skin types | I to IV routinely; V with a test area; VI not treated | Sciton lists I to V; the practice applies the same caution |
| Used at the practice for | Face, neck, and hands; discrete spots and vessels; Forever Young facial maintenance | Full back, arms, legs, chest, abdomen, and whole-body sun damage passes |
A Visit Built Around Your Skin Type
What to Expect at a BBL HERO Visit at Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD
A BBL HERO visit at Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD has three parts: an examination of every spot and vessel to be treated, the treatment itself, and a written sun plan. A full face takes about 20 to 30 minutes in the room; a localized area such as the hands or one temple takes about 10 to 15.
Every lesion examined, skin type and sun history recorded
The team examines each pigmented spot and vessel under magnification, records your Fitzpatrick type and recent sun exposure, separates sun spots from melasma and seborrheic keratoses, refers any irregular or changing lesion to a dermatologist before treatment, and chooses the filters. Tanned skin postpones the visit.
Cool gel, protective eyewear, and pulses placed by hand
A cool gel goes on and you wear protective eyewear. The technician places each pulse over the target, and each one feels like a warm snap under a cold crystal. Spots are treated first with a pigment filter, then redness with a vascular filter. Numbing cream is rarely needed. Spots begin darkening within hours.
A sun plan in writing
You leave with mineral SPF 30 or higher on the treated skin, instructions not to pick at flaking spots, a hat-and-shade plan for two weeks, a 48-hour heat pause if vessels were treated, and the date of your next session about four weeks out.
Clear Information. Informed Choices.
Safety and Limitations of BBL HERO
BBL HERO is safe when the filter and energy match the skin type, the skin is untanned, and every lesion has been examined first. Most side effects are expected and short-lived. The one that matters most in Arizona is post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, a new darkening of treated skin that is more likely on tanned skin, on darker skin types treated too aggressively, and on skin exposed to sun while healing. The one that matters most medically is treating a lesion that should have been biopsied: a lentigo maligna can look like a large uneven sun spot, and lightening it with light can delay the diagnosis. That is why the team screens skin type, examines every spot, refers anything irregular, schedules treatment between October and April, and does not treat Fitzpatrick VI skin with BBL.
Possible Side Effects Include
- Redness, warmth, and mild swelling for a few hours to two days
- Spots that darken and flake for 7 to 14 days on the face
- Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, especially with sun or tanned skin
- Temporary bruising or a purple tinge over treated vessels
- Rarely, blistering, crusting, temporary lightening, or scarring
What Treatment Cannot Guarantee
- Permanent clearance while daily sun exposure continues
- A complete result from a single session
- Safe improvement of melasma
- Tightening comparable to surgery from SkinTyte
- A substitute for skin cancer screening
What Happens After BBL HERO
Recovery After BBL HERO
Recovery from BBL HERO on the face is short, visible, and self-limiting: treated spots get darker before they leave, and treated vessels may look angrier for a day before they fade. Because HERO sessions are usually confined to the face, neck, or hands, the practical impact is small: makeup the next morning, work the same day, and a hat for two weeks. When MOXI is added in the same visit, expect an extra 1 to 2 days of pinkness; with HALO, 5 to 7 days of peeling.
The face feels warm like a mild sunburn for a few hours. Treated vessels may look slightly more red or purple. By evening the treated spots are darker and sharper edged than they were that morning; that is the melanin lifting, not a burn. Mineral sunscreen goes on before you leave the office. No makeup for the rest of the day, and a gentle cleanser and moisturizer that night.
Pinkness settles within one to two days and makeup is fine. The darkened spots lift and flake on their own over about a week; leave them alone, since picking or scrubbing can leave a mark that outlasts the spot. Retinoids and acids stay paused. Hats, shade, and mineral SPF 30 or higher reapplied every two hours outdoors. If vessels were treated, skip hot yoga, saunas, and hard workouts for the first 48 hours.
Facial flaking is finished by about two weeks; the backs of the hands, where skin turns over more slowly, may still be shedding at three to four weeks. Remaining spots are fainter and background redness is reduced. The second session falls at about four weeks, once the skin is calm and still untanned. Two weeks of strict sun avoidance is the minimum; four is safer in Arizona.
After 2 to 3 sessions most treated lentigines are cleared or markedly lighter, discrete vessels are gone, and diffuse redness is reduced. The result holds as long as daily sunscreen continues; new spots reflect new sun. Most Scottsdale patients move to Forever Young BBL maintenance, 1 to 2 sessions a year, and use HydraFacial through the summer. The Skin in Arizona guide explains the timing.
Before & After
BBL HERO, Before and After Treatment
BBL HERO results are best judged in photographs taken in the same light before the first session and four weeks after the last, when flaking has finished and redness has settled. Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD maintains before-and-after galleries for BBL, MOXI, and HALO, and the team can show you facial cases that match your skin type, whether the concern is pigment or redness, and the time of year, during your visit.
Patient Case Summaries
Selected BBL HERO Case Summaries
These deidentified case summaries illustrate how the physician-led team at Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD plans BBL HERO treatment in Scottsdale. They include a lesion that went to a dermatologist before any light was used, localized spots on a temple and the hands, fair and darker skin types, summer and laser-season timing, rosacea redness, and Forever Young maintenance paired with MOXI. Each summary connects the patient’s concern and skin assessment with the treatment performed or the recommendation made.
Case 01
Dermatology first
A large uneven cheek spot that was biopsied before BBL HERO treated the rest of the face
Patient presentation
A man in his sixties, a Scottsdale resident for thirty years with a history of two basal cell carcinomas, asked to have the sun spots on both cheeks cleared with BBL HERO before a wedding.
Skin assessment
Most of the lesions were uniform solar lentigines on Fitzpatrick II skin, but one spot on the left cheek was 9 mm across, had two shades of brown and an irregular edge, and by his account had grown over the past year. Under Dr. Howarth’s protocol it was photographed and he was referred to his dermatologist before any treatment.
Recommendation
Dermatology referral first. The lesion was biopsied and reported as a benign lentigo with atypia, and after clearance he returned for a series of three BBL HERO sessions to both cheeks and the forehead with the 515 and 560 nm filters, four weeks apart, in November through January.
Clinical rationale
A lentigo maligna can resemble a large uneven sun spot, and lightening it with broadband light can delay a diagnosis; a physician-led practice examines every lesion first and treats only what has been cleared.
Follow-up
The wedding photographs were taken after the second session; he now has an annual skin check with his dermatologist and one BBL HERO maintenance session each fall.
Case 02
HERO localized
A few stubborn spots on one temple and the backs of the hands treated with HERO
Patient presentation
A woman in her sixties, a long-term Scottsdale resident, asked about four or five prominent brown spots on her left temple and a scattering on the backs of both hands that made her self-conscious in photographs.
Skin assessment
The spots were uniform solar lentigines on Fitzpatrick II skin with no irregular lesion, and the rest of her face had little pigment to treat. She was untanned in January.
Procedure performed
Two BBL HERO sessions to the temple and both hands spaced four weeks apart with the 560 nm filter, placing each pulse by hand on the individual spots rather than treating the whole face.
Clinical rationale
For a small, localized area with discrete spots the HERO handpiece with manual pulse placement gives the most precise control, and there was no reason to treat the full face or to use the automated large-area coverage of HEROic.
Follow-up
The temple spots cleared after the second session and the hands after a third the following fall, where skin turns over more slowly; she now applies SPF to the backs of her hands before driving.
Case 03
Darker skin type
Uneven pigment on Fitzpatrick V skin, and why BBL HERO was not the answer
Patient presentation
A man in his forties with deep brown skin reported darker patches along his cheekbones and forehead after years of outdoor work and asked for the BBL treatment a coworker had described.
Skin assessment
The assessment showed diffuse post-inflammatory and sun-related hyperpigmentation on Fitzpatrick V skin. Broadband light carries a meaningful risk of further darkening at this skin type, and the pigment was diffuse rather than in discrete spots, which is where BBL HERO’s precision offers the least advantage.
Recommendation
A topical pigment program for six weeks, then a series of three conservative-density MOXI sessions in winter combined with light chemical peels between sessions. BBL was not used.
Clinical rationale
On darker skin types the non-ablative 1927 nm fractional laser at conservative settings, paired with peels and topical suppression, evens pigment with far less risk than broadband light, and an honest no is part of a physician-led plan.
Follow-up
Over one winter the patches lightened noticeably, and he continues the topical program and daily SPF year-round with a single MOXI session each laser season.
Case 04
Summer timing
A request for BBL HERO in July that waited until October
Patient presentation
A woman in her fifties asked for a BBL HERO series in July to clear the sun spots on her face before a mid-September family event.
Skin assessment
Her skin was tanned from a summer of swimming, and she could not realistically avoid sun for two to four weeks after each session. The risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from treating tanned skin in an Arizona July outweighed the benefit before the event.
Recommendation
Two HydraFacial treatments with a brightening booster in July and August, a corrected mineral SPF habit, and a BBL HERO series booked to begin in October once the tan had faded.
Clinical rationale
Hydration and superficial care are safe in full sun and improve tone enough for photographs; broadband light on tanned skin in summer was more likely to leave marks than remove them, so the series waited for laser season.
Follow-up
She was pleased with her skin at the event and completed a three-session BBL HERO series to the face between October and December.
Case 05
Rosacea redness
Persistent flushing and nasal vessels treated with the vascular filters on HERO
Patient presentation
A woman in her forties who had moved to Scottsdale from the Midwest reported redness across her nose and cheeks that flared with heat and wine and no longer faded, plus a few fine vessels beside each nostril.
Skin assessment
The assessment found erythematotelangiectatic rosacea on Fitzpatrick II skin with diffuse background redness and discrete thready vessels at the nasal alae, no papules, and no melasma. Her dermatologist had confirmed the diagnosis. She was untanned in February.
Procedure performed
A series of four BBL HERO sessions to the nose and cheeks four weeks apart, using the 560 and 590 nm filters for the diffuse redness and individually placed 590 nm pulses over the vessels beside each nostril, with a heat-avoidance plan for the first 48 hours after each visit.
Clinical rationale
Hemoglobin absorbs the vascular filters and the vessels close, which reduces both the visible redness and the flushing that runs through them; the discrete nasal vessels needed pulses placed by hand rather than a large-area pass.
Follow-up
After four sessions the background redness was markedly reduced and the nasal vessels were no longer visible; she maintains with one session each winter and keeps a written list of her flushing triggers.
Case 06
Forever Young maintenance
Ten years of annual BBL HERO, now paired with MOXI each fall
Patient presentation
A woman in her sixties who had completed a BBL correction series years earlier asked whether continuing an annual session was still worth it, since her spots had never really returned.
Skin assessment
Her face showed even tone, minimal new lentigines, and mild background redness on Fitzpatrick II skin, with early fine lines and slight dullness that light alone does not address. She was untanned in October.
Procedure performed
A single Forever Young BBL HERO maintenance session with the 560 nm filter to the face and neck, followed in the same visit by a light MOXI pass, repeated each October, with a second BBL-only session in late winter.
Clinical rationale
The Stanford study’s finding that treated skin’s gene expression pattern more closely resembled younger skin is the basis of the Forever Young schedule of 1 to 2 sessions a year, and adding MOXI addressed the fine lines and dullness that BBL does not.
Follow-up
Her tone has stayed even for a decade of annual visits; she describes the October session as the appointment she does not skip.
From First Visit to a Plan You Can Keep
Booking, Planning, and Follow-Up at Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD
Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD is a medical practice with a spa’s convenience. Established patients book online. New patients can book online or request a consultation, and the team responds usually the same day.
Online booking or a consultation request
Book a skin assessment directly online, or request a consultation and describe the spots or redness you notice, where they are, and when they appeared. Either path starts with the same examination of your skin.
A series, not a single appointment
You leave your first visit with a written plan: which filters; how many sessions; which months they fall in; whether the concern belongs on HERO or on HEROic; whether MOXI or HALO is added; and the sunscreen and home routine that protects the result.
Forever Young maintenance timed to laser season
Most Scottsdale BBL HERO plans repeat annually: a fall session, sometimes a second in late winter, summer HydraFacial, year-round mineral sunscreen. A-List members have the next season scheduled before they leave the last one.
Your Questions, Answered
BBL HERO Frequently Asked Questions
BBL HERO is Sciton’s BroadBand Light in its 2020 generation, a filtered pulsed light device in the IPL class, not a laser. Filters narrow the light to a band that melanin in a brown spot or hemoglobin in a vessel absorbs; the target heats and breaks down while a chilled sapphire crystal protects the surface. Sciton states HERO has four times the speed, three times the peak power, and twice the cooling of the original BBL.
BBL HERO treats brown spots, freckling, and sun damage; facial redness, rosacea flushing, and visible vessels; active acne with the 420 nm Forever Clear filter; and mild laxity with the 800 nm SkinTyte filter. At Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD it is used mainly on the face, neck, and hands. It does not resurface texture or treat melasma safely, and it is not a substitute for skin cancer screening.
BBL HERO is the 2020 handpiece with manual pulse placement, which Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD uses for the face and small localized areas. BBL HEROic, introduced in 2024, automates pulse placement to prevent striping and pulse stacking, adds the 532+ and SkinSmooth 640S filters and CoolComfort cooling, and is the handpiece for a full back, arms, legs, or a whole-body pass. Same physics, different coverage.
Skin type is the main safety variable. Fitzpatrick I to III skin is treated routinely, IV at conservative settings, and V only after a test area, because broadband light can cause post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation on darker skin. Fitzpatrick VI is not treated with BBL at Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD; MOXI at conservative density with chemical peels is the usual alternative. Tanned skin of any type postpones treatment.
Most faces need 2 to 3 BBL HERO sessions spaced about four weeks apart to clear brown spots or discrete vessels. Diffuse redness from rosacea usually takes 3 to 5. The backs of the hands often need one more session than the face because skin there turns over more slowly. After the correction series, Forever Young BBL maintenance is 1 to 2 sessions a year with daily sunscreen.
Almost none in terms of activity, but the skin is visibly changing for a week. The face is pink and warm for a few hours, treated spots darken and flake for 7 to 14 days, and makeup goes on the next morning. The real requirement is two to four weeks of strict sun avoidance afterward, which in Scottsdale means scheduling between October and April, when the UV index is manageable.
Each pulse feels like a warm snap, often compared to a rubber band, under a cold sapphire crystal that cools the skin during the pulse. A full face is about 20 to 30 minutes and most patients do not ask for numbing cream. The skin feels like a mild sunburn for a few hours afterward. Vascular pulses over the nose are the most noticeable; pigment pulses over the cheeks the least.
Treated brown spots darken within a day, flake between days 7 and 14 on the face, and the skin underneath is clearer once they are gone, so the first visible result arrives at about two weeks. Vessels fade over three to four weeks. The full result of a series is judged four weeks after the last session, when flaking has finished and redness has settled.
Yes, and it often is. BBL HERO treats color, while MOXI and HALO treat texture, pores, and fine lines, so the two are done in the same visit at Aesthetica by Ashley Howarth MD: BBL first, then the laser. MOXI adds 1 to 2 days of pinkness; HALO adds 5 to 7 days of peeling. Botox and fillers are scheduled at a separate visit. Use the Sciton laser comparison to see which fits.
A treated spot or vessel does not come back, but new ones form wherever sun exposure continues, and Arizona offers about 300 days of it a year. With daily broad-spectrum mineral SPF 30 or higher and a hat, most Scottsdale patients hold their result with 1 to 2 Forever Young BBL sessions a year. Without sunscreen, new spots can appear within a single summer.
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