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Practitioners across Europe are combining SkinTyte and BBL from Sciton, Inc. (Palo Alto, California, U.S.) to achieve fast, often immediate results when treating skin laxity.
The broadband light of BBL also addresses pigmentation, vascular lesions, acne and permanent hair reduction. “When tightening the skin with SkinTyte, you can see results after only one session,” confirmed Charry Chavelas, M.D., a dermatologist-venereologist from Ioannina, Greece. “For many patients, one session is enough. The results get better with time, reaching a maximum effect five to six months after the first session.” “We prefer the infrared technology of SkinTyte over other technologies used for skin tightening,” said Fernando Urdiales, M.D., medical director of the Instituto Medico Miramar in Málaga, Spain. “Erythema occurring post treatment disappears after a couple of hours, leaving only the immediate positive effects.”
SkinTyte deeply heats dermal collagen while continuously protecting the treated epidermis with sapphire contact cooling for maximum safety and comfort, with no need for a topical anesthetic. Energy is delivered in rapid, gentle pulses to promote contraction and partial coagulation of the collagen, initiating the body’s natural healing process.
Following treatment, a new foundation of collagen is created, leading to increased skin firmness. SkinTyte’s large 15 mm x 45 mm spot size and rapid repetition rate allow for a swift procedure. “We can treat a face and neck in 20 minutes,” said Dr. Urdiales, who moves the handpiece to maximize coverage area while keeping temperatures consistent. “We can maintain temperatures at 40º to 42º over the skin, ensuring 55º to 58º in the deep tissue – necessary for collagen remodeling – without creating any risk.” Dr. Urdiales prefers a range of 40 J/cm2 to 47 J/cm2, with five second pulses. “I make five to seven passes,” he said. “These settings can be used for the face and neck.
Even fewer passes are needed on the neck.” Dr. Chavelas opts for 50 J/cm2 to 60 J/cm2 fluences, a six to seven second pulse width and cooling at 14º C for type III skin. “For lighter skin types, you can use a higher fluence and/or pulse width and the opposite for darker skin types,” he said.
The BBL, a complete and versatile broadband light system, features duallamp technology, Smart Filters, Finesse Adapters and precision thermoelectric cooling. This system comes as part of Sciton’s JOULE platform, with an optional SkinTyte module, or as a stand-alone system. Dr. Chavelas uses BBL alone for pigmentation, vascular lesions, acne, hair removal, melasma and keloid scars. Dr. Chavelas also relies on BBL in combination with SkinTyte to treat striae or keloids (by adding intralesional injections of cortisone). “I can combine different wavelengths, such as the 590 nm and SkinTyte filters, in one session to achieve optimal results when treating striae,” said Dr. Chavelas. “For difficult problems, BBL is effective after only a few sessions.” Dr. Urdiales also uses BBL in some difficult depilation patients, “when the hair is thin and clear, at the end of treatments and lasers don’t work.” Though countries apart, Dr. Urdiales and Dr. Chavelas stand together when summarizing the benefits of BBL and SkinTyte. “Both allow for very comfortable and satisfactory procedures for patients,” said Dr. Chavelas. “Since obtaining these technologies, I have had many compliments from my patients.”
