I will purcahse an IPL mainly for pigment, redness and acne problems. I also want to perform skin thightening. Which one should I go for: E light or BBL. Can anyone compare the two? Pros and Cons. I will mostly deal with skin type III. Thanks.

Very different systems. The e-light is basically a beginner's system. As it has a relatively 'fixed' pulse width, you will not have the flexibility/ability to successfully treat Fitz III for reds/browns. The RF with the Syneron is nice as it does lead to some skin tightening with treatment of reds/browns. The e-light does not have wavelength-specific heads to treat reds or browns separately thus if you are trying to treat a Fitz III patient who has both reds and browns it will take you several more treatment sessions and the results will never equal that of the Sciton BBL. The Syneron e-light is a relatively safe system for a spa-type setting where you may want to designate certain fixed settings for certain patients/conditions. Again, because of this higher safety-profile, you will need to perform more treatments and the results will never equal that of the BBL.

Because of the variable pulse width of the Sciton BBL as well as the wavelength-specific filters (i.e. 515nm, 560nm, 590nm etc.), treatment of the Fitz III is very successful. Additionally, the ability to completely control the chilled treatment head will help to customize the treatment and also provide a bit of a safety margin. The BBL is a very assertive system and can treat a patient with reds and browns in just a couple of sessions. Because of it's assertive nature, it is not for everybody.

The ST on either system will provide approximately the same results for skin tightening if performed properly. There are people out there who would suggest that the e-light skin tightening is more painful because of the RF. Because of an in-motion technique that is possible with the BBL, the patient is more likely to experience less pain/discomfort.

Although I have used 1064 wavelength for darker skin types effectively for over 10 yrs, I also have had great results with a Cutera 770 wavelength on an Opus platform for hair removal on skin types I- IV. The handpiece/filter is very similar to that of an IPL with a stronger wavelength. I have used a Syneron Elos Refirme for tightening and IPL w/ radio frequency for dyschromia, but can't imagine it would do very much for hair reduction.