My Experience with Halo
Here it is…. I am 43 and My skin is freaking glowing.
It’s never looked like this before. Ever.
Background: I have acne and pigment from acne and picking (if I am confessing, I may as well confess it all!)
You want to know what changed everything? I have had 2 morpheus8 treatments to tighten my skin, but the treatment that sealed the deal was the Halo Laser Treatment on my face.
I was a little unsightly for about 2 days before my precious Alastin Hydratint could cover up the healing. But a few sideways glances for a few days was worth it!
Getting older sucks. I'm so over aging with grace - if there's a quick pick-me-up, I'm here for It.
Cue my amazing team of advanced practice providers at NurturHer Aesthetics
When we started researching which laser we wanted to bring to NH this "state of the art, anti-aging, non invasive Halo treatment" immediately piqued the interest of the staff. And when we heard phrases like "less down time", "break-through treatment", "one-of-a-kind" we were sold - SIGN ME UP!
So what's all this hype about? To get super nerdy - the Halo Laser Treatment uses a hybrid technology of a non-ablative laser and an ablative laser. Non-ablative lasers heat up the underlying skin tissue without harming the surface of your skin, while ablative lasers remove that top layer of your skin. So basically, HALO does both. Depending on your skin type and what you've chosen, the "zones of coagulation" that the treatment reaches will stimulate new collagen, and essentially evens out the overall tone and texture of your skin.
A lot of big words, we know. Here was what caught our attention the most:
This type of laser treatment offers less downtime than others (five days for most)
customizable based on goal and desired downtime
Topical anesthesia only
FAST treatment- we are talking 20 min here. I can do anything for 20 min!
for the best results this is easily combined with Morpheus8 and BBL (pigment correcting laser)
We knew I wanted to invest in 2 things: Something our clients need and something that we don’t currently offer. That’s Halo and BBL!
Back to my story… I knew I wanted to target overall tone and acne pigment and sun spots, plus this annoying moustache I got during pregnancy, but honestly I had no idea what to fully expect. Leading up to the treatment we advise using plenty of sunscreen (even avoid the sun if possible) and moisturize my skin twice a day to prep for an entire month.
What to expect the Day of treatment
Here’s what you will want to do… google Halo treatment images. They will likely make you both terrified and excited about the results to come. So Google with caution!
When you arrive our team will welcome you and first things first, take some before pictures. You will be brought back to the treatment room and lathered up with numbing cream for about 45 min. Then it’s GO time!
Your provider will review the procedure and after treatment care. Since this was my first treatment as the patient I was told that the discomfort would be manageable pain and that cold air would be applied to my skin to help as well as I could use Pronox (nitrous, aka “laughing gas”).
I was also told that redness is normal and expected. Redness and heat like a sunburn generally increases in intensity the first few days after treatment with day 2-4 being most intense depending on the intensity of the treatment. Pinpoint marks will occur and swelling is common and expected. Use of a cold compress or ice packs will help to relieve the swelling. And I was also told to avoid strenuous exercise and sweating until after skin has healed. No big, all things I can handle.
After numbing for about 45 min, I was pretty numb and the entire treatment was done in like fifteen minutes. It felt like when you hold a sparkler and it gets down near your hand or like little snapping my face. All in all, not too bad. If you have ever had a morpheus8, this is way easier! And I LOVE morpheus8 and recommend it all day long, but definitely encourage nerve blocks for that one. Halo? Not bad.
Immediately following the treatment my face felt hot and looked red like a bad burn, but the after treatment serum and lotion from Alastin helped a lot. It was pretty hot sleeping that night and perhaps questioned my decision as my husband slept the night away and I was having a hot flash LOL
But the next morning that was gone, thank goodness and I was a little swollen and my face was red and a bit dry, but not painful at all. It felt like a sunburn and my skin felt really tight. Applied all my serum and lotions (SPF like crazy) and headed out into the world. I worked a full day the next day and obviously looked like I had some kind of treatment, but I knew the results would be worth the odd looks at Target 🤣
Day 2
The second day after treatment, I noticed tiny dark spots on the treated areas of my face. This is called the MENDS (microscopic epidermal necrotic debris). In individuals with heavily pigmented skin, or in areas where sun damage has produced pigmented lesions, these microscopic wounds, contain large amounts of melanin. Because there are so many MENDS, they can make the skin look bronzed and small areas appear crusted. This is part of the healing process where treated tissue is working its way out of your body as new fresh skin is regenerated. So basically this is a great sign. Fair warning - DO NOT SCRATCH THESE OFF!
Also I am terrified to let the sun tough my face. I am full on SPF and Hat lady now.
Day 3-5
Day 3 I was dry, a little itchy and covered in MENDS. My skin is a bit darker, redness Is mostly gone. The next few days the MENDS lessened each day. I can use tinted sunscreen to cover it up. Definitely my skin is pretty dry and flaky so the Ultra Light from Alastin is my new Bestie and I carry it with me.
By day 5 tho I can start to see the end of my healing, phew! But still scared to be in the sun and ruin all this hard work. I lather SPF and don’t go outside without my hat. Ever. I have officially turned in to my mother at this point 😂
By one week… Ok, dang girl! I see you! The HALO glow popped through and the texture of my skin felt so soft and amazing. I was told that after the peeling process is complete, your skin will have a rosy, pink glow that will gradually resolve and it did not disappoint. Typically after the peeling process is complete, makeup can be worn. But I barely need it. Hot d@mn!
My skin only got better and I have noticed a dramatic difference in the overall texture of my skin, my moustache spot on my lip was lighter (Hallalujah!) and people were commenting on how good my skin looked (constantly!). After getting acne at 35 years old, the last years have been some of my worst skin ever. One month later I continue to moisturize my face often, still using my Alastin of course and not even think about leaving the house without applying a good amount of sunscreen.
I will 100% do this again!! That first night and next day were the most uncomfortable, but worth it!
