Clearing Acne with BBL HEROic Forever Clear: What It Is, How It Works, and What to Expect

Let’s talk about all things BBL HEROic Forever Clear. One of my favorite protocols for  managing and treating acne! 

Acne is personal to me. I know the struggle and the pain that comes with breakouts, especially  the feeling that it will never go away. Even when things seem to be calming down, the leftover  redness and dark marks or lingering texture can stick around making it feel impossible to be  fully confident in your skin. 

I am here to tell you first and foremost: ACNE DOES NOT DEFINE YOU. As an esthetician, I want to help. As a fellow acne patient, I see you. 

If you are looking for a new way to manage your breakouts, when it seems like everything else  has been trial and error…I present to you, BBL HEROic Forever Clear. 

I will give you all the details towards the protocol, how it fits into your acne management  treatment plan, and even what the experience is like in real life…yes my own personal  experience! 

What is BBL HEROic Forever Clear? 

Before diving into exactly how this protocol works, you should know what the BBL is doing at its  core. BBL stands for Broad Band Light. It is a non-invasive light based energy device, a form of  IPL (intense pulsed light) that targets redness, pigment, and aging. Using various wavelengths,  different chromophores, or targets, can be addressed improving the overall skin tone and clarity. 

BBL HEROic Forever Clear is a light-based acne treatment protocol that uses broadband light  technology developed by Sciton. It’s part of the newer generation of intense pulsed light (IPL)- style systems, designed to target acne in multiple ways instead of just addressing surface  symptoms. 

The “Forever Clear” protocol uses 3 steps to:

• Target acne-causing bacteria 

• Calm inflammation 

• Reduce oil production • Support skin healing over time 

How It Fits Into Acne Management 

Before jumping into devices and treatments, it helps to have a full in office & at home routine established. Acne management is usually accompanied by using topicals such as gentle  cleansers, retinol, hydrating moisturizers, SPF protection, spot treatments, etc. 

Most people start with skincare and sometimes oral medications. Treatments like BBL HEROic  Forever Clear are usually added when: 

• Breakouts are persistent 

• Skin is resistant to topicals alone 

• There’s a need to reduce inflammation and redness faster 

• Post-acne marks are a big concern 

Think of it less as a “replacement” and more as an “enhancement” to a broader acne routine. 

A key takeaway when it comes to management at home…not all acne is the same. Everyone  has different skin and different acne, therefore it is about finding what works for YOU. 

All skincare regimens with Therahaus Wellness MedSpa are COMPLETELY customized, they  are NOT a one size fits all bundle. 

How the Treatment Actually Works 

The Forever Clear protocol involves 3 steps during one session: 

1. Blue light phase (420nm) 

a. Targets acne bacteria on the skin’s surface 

b. Helps reduce active breakouts 

2. Yellow light phase (560nm) 

a. Calms inflammation and redness 

b. Supports healing of active acne lesions 

3. Infrared light phase (590ST) 

a. Works deeper in the skin 

b. Helps reduce oil gland activity and promotes longer-term improvement

Because it works on multiple layers of acne formation, it’s often described as a “multi-target”  approach helping alleviate current symptoms as well as prevent against the formation of new  acne or breakouts. 

What a Session Feels Like 

Most people describe the treatment as pretty tolerable…some steps are better than others. My personal experience: 

• Step 1 feels like quick flashes of warm light on the skin. Sometimes on the outer face on  the cheeks, closer to my ears I can feel tiny tingles that itch more than hurt. • Step 2…this guy is snappy. During my initial trial for a full protocol, I was unable to get  through step 2 during my very first session. I was not numb and fully felt the zaps. We  ended up shifting the treatment to a spot treatment on the main inflammatory regions or  any current breakouts/PIE I was dealing with. For the second session I numbed, and it  still is snappy. It is more tolerable, and I did get through the treatment, but we still do  spot treating over the whole face, rather than 2 full passes. 

• Step 3 is like a warm blanket after the last step. It feels amazing and really helps to  soothe the skin. Sometimes it can get pretty hot when the device is going a bit fast, but  you can always tell your provider to slow down :) 

Afterward, the skin might look slightly red or warm, similar to a mild sun exposure feeling, but  this typically fades within a few hours. If you numb before the treatment, you will most likely be  red due to numbing cream causing vasodilation. This can be enhanced from the treatment as  well, and the numb feeling can sometimes make the heat from the treatment a big more intense  (because you may already feel a bit hot from the numbing). We can also use our Zimmer Chiller  to alleviate that heat feeling during treatment! 

For me, I numb but do not use the zimmer. I find the worst part is the zapping from Step 2. 

I tell myself that clear skin is on the other side. Although a bit uncomfy (and maybe a bit scream  worthy)...nothing feels as good as clear skin. 

Results: What You Might Notice 

Results aren’t instant overnight changes, but improvements tend to build over time. Common changes people report:

• Fewer active breakouts 

• Less redness around acne spots 

• Faster healing of pimples 

• Gradual fading of post-acne marks 

You may also notice darkening of pigment from any brown spots that were hiding in the skin. 

For myself, I am around a Skin type 2-3, but I do hold a lot of pigment deeper in my skin, not so  much visible to the naked eye. After my treatments, I would have shedding and darkening of  certain brown spots that I did not even know were there! 

Most treatment plans involve multiple sessions, most commonly a series of 8 sessions. We can  do as many as 2 sessions per week, or 1 session every 2 weeks. When it comes to timing  treatments with acne, I find it is most beneficial to come in more regularly so that the skin does  not have a full month to reach its cell turnover rate. Ideally, you would want to be treated more  than 1 time in a month to achieve this timeline. 

Aftercare Basics 

Aftercare is simple but important: 

• Use gentle cleanser (nothing harsh or stripping) 

• Moisturize regularly 

• Wear sunscreen daily (very important for preventing pigmentation and further  inflammation) 

• Avoid strong exfoliants or retinoids for a short period if your provider recommends it 

Your skin can be a bit more sensitive right after treatment, so keeping things minimal usually  helps. 

For me, I wanted to test how a retinol or using exfoliants during a treatment session would  interact. I had just started my Alastin Retinol 0.25 shortly before performing the acne protocol,  and I already felt it working! I did not want to stop that, so I kept using it! Here was my daily  regimen: 

AM 

Cool Water Rinse (no cleanser) 

Alastin Ultra Light Moisturizer 

OneSkin Untinted SPF30

PM 

Therahaus Wellness Antioxidant Purity Cleanser 

Benzoyl Peroxide 10% Wash 

Alastin Renewal Retinol 0.25 

Alastin Ultra Light Moisturizer 

1x Per Week Therahaus Wellness Clarifying Treatment Pads 

This may not be possible for everyone and that is OKAY! Most people will only need to stick to a  gentle cleanser and hydrating moisturizer daily, along with SPF reapplication during the day.  Everyone has different sensitivity levels as well as comfortability when it comes to actives or  more intensive skincare during treatments. For those that have worked their way up to using  retinol, especially a low dose daily, your skin is used to the Vitamin A and naturally processes  that ingredient. If you feel more comfortable not using the retinol the night before or after a  treatment, that can work too! 

Who It Works Best For 

BBL HEROic Forever Clear tends to work well for: 

• Mild to moderate inflammatory acne 

• Oily or combination skin types 

• People dealing with redness or post-acne discoloration (Post Inflammatory  Erythema/PIE) 

• Those who want a new approach to acne management or who do not want to use oral  medication 

It may not be the best standalone solution for severe cystic acne. It may not be the solution for  everyone in general. There is key science and data to back up the reasons why this treatment is  an amazing option for people looking to treat their acne.  

Anyone who has used Accutane (isotretinoin) in the last 6 months at least is unfortunately not a  candidate for this treatment series.

Pros and Limitations 

Pros: 

• Non-invasive 

• Little to no downtime 

• Targets multiple causes of acne 

• Can improve overall skin tone and redness 

Limitations: 

• Requires multiple sessions 

• Results build gradually 

• Not a cure-all for severe acne 

• Maintenance may be needed over time 

Final Thoughts 

BBL HEROic Forever Clear isn’t a magic switch, but it can be a useful tool in a broader acne  treatment plan. It works best when paired with consistent skincare habits and realistic  expectations. 

If your acne has been stubborn despite skincare efforts, light-based treatments like this can  offer another layer of support, especially for inflammation and lingering marks. 

For myself, I truly felt after each BBL treatment, my skin today feels so much less inflamed. Any  breakout was immediately in healing mode and started to scab/felt less painful. This is definitely  a treatment protocol that I feel is absolutely necessary to at least try if you deal with persistent  inflammation, acne, or red marks due to acne. My skin is not perfect but it is SO much better.  Every treatment was a huge improvement and I already felt so confident in my skin even just 3  sessions into the series! 

*special shoutout Dr. Patrick Bitter Jr. for treatment knowledge and inspiration :)*