BBL light therapy
BBL BroadbandLight.
Filtered broadband light that targets the colour in your skin, absorbed by red vessels and brown pigment while leaving surrounding tissue alone.
At a glance
- Placed by
- Trained laser clinician, treatment plan and settings signed off by our Medical Director
- Price
- from $150
- Consultation
- Free
What it is
What BBL light therapy
actually does.
Broadband light for facial redness, flushing and brown spots. We will tell you if your pigment type is better treated another way.
A treatment for colour, not for texture
BBL is a light treatment, and light is absorbed by colour. That single fact explains everything BBL is good at and everything it cannot do.
The device emits a broad spectrum of light which is then narrowed by a filter to the wavelengths best absorbed by a particular target. Aimed at haemoglobin, the light heats the blood inside a small dilated vessel until the vessel closes and is cleared. Aimed at melanin, the light heats a cluster of pigment until the damaged pigment rises to the surface and sheds.
Because the energy is absorbed by the target rather than by the skin as a whole, the surrounding tissue is largely spared. That is why there is no wound and no peeling in the way a resurfacing treatment produces.
What people come to us for
Facial redness is the most common. Persistent flush across the cheeks and nose, the kind that has been called rosacea for years and has been managed with creams that only ever half work, is one of the most rewarding things BBL treats.
Broken capillaries on the face are the second, and we scope this honestly: we treat facial vessels. We do not offer sclerotherapy, so we do not treat leg veins, and we will tell you where to go for that rather than pretending we can help.
Sun damage is the third. Years of Ontario summers leave brown spots across the cheeks, nose, chest and the backs of the hands, and those respond well.
Where BBL is the wrong choice
Melasma. This is worth stating plainly because it is the single most common mistake made with light-based devices. Melasma is driven by hormones and by heat, not simply by UV, and delivering heat into melasma-prone skin often causes it to come back darker than before. We would rather assess your pigmentation carefully and treat you more gently over a longer period than sell you a fast treatment that sets you back.
BBL also does nothing for wrinkles caused by movement, nothing for volume loss, and very little for texture and scarring. Those need injectables or resurfacing.
Who this suits, and who it does not
It suits you if your primary complaint is red or brown, if you have not been in the sun, and if you can commit to a course and to sun protection between sessions.
It does not suit you if you are tanned or recently sun exposed, if you have a higher Fitzpatrick skin type where the pigment risk outweighs the benefit, if you are pregnant, if you have taken isotretinoin recently, or if you have an active infection or cold sore in the treatment area.
At the appointment
Your skin is assessed and photographed and your skin type is documented. Protective eyewear goes on before the device is switched on and stays on. A cool gel is applied, and the handpiece is worked across the area with the filter and settings selected for your concern.
Afterwards
Expect warmth and redness, similar to mild sunburn, settling over hours. Treated pigment darkens before it clears and flakes off, so plan accordingly. Do not pick at it.
Sun protection between sessions is what determines whether your result holds. BBL removes the damage that is already there; it does not stop you making more.
If it is wrong for you, we say so before you book again. A nurse-practitioner-led clinic has a licence at stake. That is the whole reason we are careful - and the reason the honest answer sometimes is "not this, and not yet".
Concerns
What it treats.
Every concern below is one we would consider BBL light therapy for. Open any of them for the honest version: what actually causes it, and what we would and would not do.
Being straight with you
When we would
tell you no.
Every clinic lists who a treatment suits. This is the other half. If any of these is you, say so at the consultation and we will talk about what else might work, or about waiting.
- You are tanned or recently sun exposed, from the sun or a bed. We will move you.
- Your pigmentation is melasma. Heat driven pigment often rebounds darker after light treatment.
- You have a higher Fitzpatrick skin type where the pigment risk outweighs what BBL offers.
- You are pregnant. We will keep you on the list for afterwards.
- You have an event this week. Treated brown spots darken before they flake away.
- Your concern is wrinkles, texture or scarring. BBL treats colour and nothing else.
Who performs it
A nurse runs
the room.
Every treatment in this clinic is carried out by a licensed clinician - never a technician, never someone on a weekend certificate. Your treatment plan is then signed off by Alex Dinovich, FNP-PHC, our Nurse Practitioner & Medical Director, who has more than eight years in injectables, skin health and laser.
- Performed by Kaitlyn Meli, RPN · Ashley Bravo, RPN · Yuliya Leonov, RPN
- Signed off byAlex Dinovich, FNP-PHC - Nurse Practitioner & Medical Director
- Licence#13564840
- Experience8+ years in injectables, skin health and laser.
How it works
Four appointments'
worth of care.
Nothing here happens on the same visit you first walk in, unless you want it to and it is right for you. This is the order we work in.
- 01
Consult
We look at what is actually bothering you, ask what you have tried, and tell you honestly whether this is the right treatment. Costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
- 02
Plan
Your clinician maps the plan with you and agrees it before you commit to anything. The plan is signed off by our Medical Director before treatment begins.
- 03
Treatment
Your clinician carries out the plan exactly as it was agreed. You are told what is happening, where and why, before it starts - and the quoted price does not change on the chair.
- 04
Review
We see you again to check the result and adjust the plan for next time. The first appointment is the start of the plan, not the whole of it.
What it costs
Where this
treatment starts.
BBL Broadband Light starts at from $150. That is where it starts, not a figure everybody pays: your plan is confirmed in person before anything is booked.
The consultation is free, and the number you are given at it is the number you pay. It does not change once you are in the chair.
- ConsultationFree
- BBL light therapyfrom $150
- Medical-grade peels from $99
- HydraFacial from $229
- CO2 resurfacing from $1,199
Published prices
| Area or option | Single | 3 pack | 6 pack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forever Young, full face | $499 | $1,199 | $2,000 |
| Forever Young, upper chest, neck, arms or back Add-on $150 | $399 | $999 | $1,799 |
| Forever Young, hands | $299 | $699 | $1,099 |
| Sun spot removal, one or two spots | $150 | not published | not published |
| Broken capillaries or cherry angioma Per 20 minutes | $150 | not published | not published |
| Forever Clear, acne | $399 | $999 | $1,799 |
| Forever Clear, rosacea | $399 | $999 | $1,799 |
| SkinTyte, small area | $399 | $999 | $1,799 |
| SkinTyte, medium area | $499 | $1,199 | $1,999 |
| SkinTyte, large area | $599 | $1,299 | $2,200 |
Prices are in Canadian dollars and subject to applicable taxes. Pricing may be updated from time to time. Your booked package price is always honoured. Guide updated June 2026.
Questions people actually ask
Straight answers.
What does BBL treat?
BBL treats colour: facial redness, flushing, visible broken capillaries on the face, brown sun spots, freckling and some forms of pigmentation, and it has a role in inflammatory acne. It works by delivering filtered light that is preferentially absorbed by haemoglobin in vessels and melanin in pigment, so the target heats and the surrounding skin does not.
Is BBL the same as IPL?
BBL is a form of intense pulsed light, but not all IPL devices are equivalent. The differences that matter clinically are the filters available, how precisely the pulse and cooling are controlled, and how consistently the device delivers the same energy shot to shot. What matters more than either is that the person operating it assesses your skin properly and chooses the right filter and settings.
Can BBL treat melasma?
Usually not, and often it makes it worse. Melasma is heat and hormone driven, and light-based devices deliver heat, which is why an aggressive BBL on melasma-prone skin frequently causes a rebound. If we assess your pigmentation as melasma rather than sun damage, we will tell you and steer you toward gentler peels, careful topical management and a longer-term plan instead.
What happens to the brown spots afterwards?
They typically darken first before they clear. Treated pigment usually goes a shade or two darker over the following day, looks like coffee grounds on the skin surface, and then flakes away over the following week or so. This is the expected sequence, not a complication, but it does mean you should not book BBL immediately before an event.
Does it work on all skin tones?
No, and this is where honest assessment matters most. Because BBL targets melanin, higher Fitzpatrick skin types carry a genuine risk of burns and of post-inflammatory pigmentation. We assess your skin type and your recent sun exposure, and if we do not think light-based treatment is safe for you, we will tell you and offer something that is.
Can I have BBL if I have a tan?
No. We will not treat tanned or recently sun-exposed skin, including from a tanning bed, because the risk of burning rises sharply. Self-tanner must also be fully off the skin. If you have a holiday booked, tell us and we will time your course around it rather than around our diary.
How many sessions will I need?
Vascular and pigmentary concerns are almost always treated as a course rather than a single session, and rosacea in particular is managed rather than cured. We plan and quote the course at consultation, and we will tell you at review if it is not responding rather than continuing to book you in.
Does it hurt?
Most people describe it as a hot elastic band snap against the skin, with cooling applied throughout. It is short and tolerable for the large majority of people. You will wear protective eyewear for the whole treatment, which is not optional.
Related treatments
Often considered
alongside.
If this is not the whole answer for your face, one of these usually is. Every one of them is planned by the same nurses, in the same room.
Come and see us
Get the real
number first.
The consultation is free, takes one appointment, and ends with a written plan and a price - whether or not you go ahead. If a form is not your thing, text us instead and a real person will answer.
- Clinic444 Holland St W, Unit #2
Bradford, ON L3Z 0G1 - Phone647-333-6805
- HoursMon, Tue, Thu 9am-7pm
Wed 9am-5pm
Fri, Sat 9am-4pm
Sun Closed