Written By: Kelsie Matthews, L.E.
If you are not familiar with what the HALO treatment is, check out my recent post “Everything you need to know about HALO”. In short, the HALO is a hybrid fractional laser that is used for resurfacing and rejuvenating the skin. It can help improve pore size, acne scarring, skin texture, and skin tone.
Me personally, I have always struggled with enlarged pores and a few acne scars from my teenage years. Yes, unfortunately like many other people, I was a picker. My cheeks and nose have always been discolored and had uneven texture. And although I have been with L Aesthetics for 2 years now, I have always been too chicken to try one of the lasers on myself. Now that I am getting older, wearing less makeup, and it is getting cooler outside, I figured what better time than now to bite the bullet and give it a shot. For the concerns I have, the HALO seemed to be the best laser option for my needs.
Prior to the treatment, you will numb topically for about 45 minutes with two different types of lidocaine/tetracaine anaesthetic creams―and let me tell you, you will thank us later for this. The numbing cream helps TREMENDOUSLY. Depending on your skin concerns and the settings used for the treatment, the face can typically be treated in under 30 minutes, so it is rather quick.
Once you finish numbing and the skin is cleaned, the treatment is started. The best way to describe the way it feels is “hot” and “prickly”. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the worst), I would rate it around a 5. After each section of the face is completed, the area feels pretty warm like if you’ve had a really bad sunburn. Of course the cold fan used during the treatment definitely helps reduce that heat.
Other than the heat, immediately after the treatment the skin will be red for about 24-72 hours. For me, the redness lasted about 3 days, but was very subtle by day 3. If the ablative laser is used, you can see the specs of skin that were ablated after the treatment is completed (shown in the first picture).
Immediately after HALO 24 hours after HALO
The following day after the HALO, my skin was still slightly red and starting to feel rough/dry. By then, most of the heat had subsided so I was not uncomfortable at all. Over the next few days I continued to feel dry and flaky, but never fully peeled. The MENDs (microscopic epithelial necrotic debris) started to come to the surface during days 2-3 and were pretty much gone by day 5 although the skin was still rough.
Although it has only been a week since the treatment, I can already see an improvement in my skin. Overall, I had a great experience with the HALO, and would definitely say the “pain” is well worth it. I will for sure be planning on doing another one. I would highly recommend this treatment to anyone who has enlarged pores, textural issues, acne scarring, or discoloration.