BBL (Broadband Light)
A BBL handpiece resting flat on the cheek. The flat glass window is what tells you this is a light treatment rather than a laser — it treats a wide patch at once instead of a narrow beam.
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Dermapedia / CompareProcedures
BBL vs Pico Laser
Both treatments target colour in the skin, but they suit different jobs. BBL is broadband light — a flash of many wavelengths at once — and it works best on redness and diffuse brown patchiness. A picosecond laser fires one wavelength in pulses measured in trillionths of a second, and it works best on tattoo ink, defined spots and acne scars. In darker skin, the laser is usually the safer choice, because broadband light carries more risk of burns and pigment change.
At a glance
| The difference | BBL (Broadband Light) | Picosecond Laser |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Judge it by the course, not the visit | Judge it by the course, not the visit |
Picosecond Laser
The Pico handpiece delivers its energy in extremely short pulses. That is what breaks pigment apart with less heat than an older laser.
Side by side
The differences that matter
What you actually do
BBL (Broadband Light)
A flash lamp passed over the skin
A handheld lamp fires a broad band of wavelengths across the surface. It is a form of intense pulsed light, not a laser.
Picosecond Laser
A laser with an ultra-short pulse
A laser fires one wavelength. Each pulse lasts trillionths of a second.
Conditions treated
Picosecond Laser
Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation
Breaks pigment into fragments small enough for the body to carry away, using very short pulses that put less heat into the skin than older lasers. It is one of the safer device options for stubborn deep marks, but the evidence in dark marks after inflammation is still thin. Test patch first, and expect a course rather than one session.
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Melasma
A newer laser that delivers very short pulses at low energy, aimed at the deeper pigment creams struggle with. The melasma studies so far are small and cautiously encouraging. Like every device used here it is an addition to creams and sun protection rather than a shortcut past them, and results still fade without them.
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Sun Spots (Solar Lentigines)
Delivers its energy in much shorter pulses, which breaks up pigment with less heat spilling into the skin around it. That lower heat is the reason it is often chosen for medium and deeper skin tones, where a darker mark afterwards is the main worry. It costs more than the older lasers and the results in sun spots are broadly similar.
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Dark Circles Under the Eyes
A pigment-targeted laser used for stubborn brown circles that have not moved with creams or peels. Results vary a good deal, several sessions are needed, and eye shields are essential. The same caution applies as with peels: aggressive settings on eyelid skin can leave darker marks than the ones being treated, and that risk is higher on deeper skin tones.
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What you can expect to see
BBL (Broadband Light)
Redness, flushing, freckling and spots fade
It suits broad, diffuse colour spread over an area.
Picosecond Laser
Ink, defined spots and scars improve
It suits well-bounded targets, and it changes texture.
How it works on the target
BBL (Broadband Light)
Light absorbed by colour, turned to heat
Pigment and blood vessels soak up the light and heat up.
Picosecond Laser
Heat plus a mechanical shock
The pulse is so short that it shatters the target rather than only heating it. With a lens attached it can also make tiny cavities in the skin that trigger repair.
How it works, illustrated
Picosecond Laser
What it will not do
BBL (Broadband Light)
It will not clear a tattoo
Broad-spectrum light is not aimed at ink.
Picosecond Laser
Not better than older lasers on brown
For general brown pigment, picosecond has not been shown to beat older lasers. A review of the studies found no clear benefit for melasma either.
Related topic illustrations
Picosecond Laser
Surgical excision
Strong evidence, and the only method that removes ink completely and predictably. Limited to small tattoos, and it trades the tattoo for a surgical scar. Sometimes used for a small stubborn remnant at the end of a laser course.
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Microneedling
Moderate evidence for acne scars and texture, with or without radiofrequency. Cheaper per session, no wavelength to match, and does nothing at all for tattoo ink. Often chosen over fractional laser modes on deeper skin tones.
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The downside
BBL (Broadband Light)
Redness for hours, spots flake for days
Treated spots darken like coffee grounds and lift over about a week.
Picosecond Laser
Depends on the device
Some devices settle within a day. Others often leave pinpoint bruising that is still visible at 24 hours.
Sessions
BBL (Broadband Light)
Usually a series, then maintenance
Picosecond Laser
A few for spots, ten or more for a tattoo
Clinics often quote ten to twelve sessions for a tattoo, and sometimes twenty. The published review reports a range of one to ten.
Cost
BBL (Broadband Light)
Judge it by the course, not the visit
The usual shape is a short series, then maintenance. Price the whole series.
Picosecond Laser
Judge it by the course, not the visit
A tattoo is the expensive case, because the course is long.
The at-home or drugstore version
BBL (Broadband Light)
No real home version
Home IPL gadgets exist, but they are sold for hair removal. They put a fraction of a clinic lamp's power into the skin.
Picosecond Laser
No real home version
There is no home picosecond laser. A handheld gadget cannot produce that pulse length or power. Fading creams work on the surface over weeks. Nothing you can buy shatters pigment.
Who tends to be happy with it
BBL (Broadband Light)
- Best for — Ruddiness, flushing, and the general freckled look of sun damage.
- The mindset — You want the whole face evened out.
Picosecond Laser
- Best for — A tattoo, a few stubborn spots, or acne scarring.
- The mindset — You have a specific target.
About skin tone
Picosecond Laser
The same caution applies to picosecond lasers, for a different reason. Any treatment that targets pigment can also provoke it. The laser is still the gentler option here, but it is not risk-free.
The fine print
Picosecond Laser
Picosecond laser clearances vary by device. Between them they cover tattoo removal, benign pigmented lesions, acne scars and wrinkles. Picosecond lasers are not cleared for melasma. Pico Genesis is a protocol run on Cutera's enlighten laser.
The 755 nm picosecond devices generally settle faster than 532/1064 nm devices, which more often leave pinpoint bruising at 24 hours.
Clearance tells you what was reviewed, not what works. It is not a finding that one device beat another.
Related
BBL (Broadband Light)
- Moxi laser vs Fraxel
- IPL and broadband light guide
- Picosecond Laser
Common questions
Questions Patients Ask
Is BBL a laser?
No. BBL is intense pulsed light — a broad band of wavelengths released as a flash. A laser puts out a single wavelength. The distinction matters because it changes what each one is good at.
Which is better for brown spots?
Both are used for them. BBL suits diffuse, scattered sun damage across an area. A picosecond laser suits a smaller number of well-defined spots. Neither has been shown to beat the other for general brown pigment.
Which is better for redness?
BBL. Broad-spectrum light is well suited to flushing and visible vessels. That is not what a picosecond laser is designed for.
Can I have both?
Yes, and clinics often pair light-based and laser treatments across a plan. Ask your provider to sequence them rather than booking them independently.
Does pico hurt more than BBL?
Both are described as a snapping or rubber-band sensation. Which feels worse varies by person, by setting and by the area treated. Numbing cream is common for both.
How many sessions will I need?
For pigment or redness, usually a short series then maintenance. For a tattoo, clinics typically quote ten to twelve picosecond sessions and sometimes up to twenty, though the published review reports one to ten — always price a tattoo by the full course.
Is either covered by insurance?
Not for cosmetic use. Some related diagnoses are covered — port-wine stains and infantile hemangiomas on the face or neck, and actinic keratosis after topical treatment or freezing has failed. Coverage follows the diagnosis, not the device. Those rules come from two large commercial insurers' policies; Medicare, Medicaid and individual plans set their own.