HALO Laser Treatment: Targeting Multiple Skin Issues in One Device with Minimal Downtime
You don’t have to choose between a procedure that will offer really great results but requires a lengthy recovery anymore. HALO’s dual-wavelength technology means it treats a range of issues – hyperpigmentation, skin tone, texture, lines and wrinkles, as well as large pores – in as little as one treatment. Here’s how.
Brown spots are never in. Neither are enlarged pores. Or fine lines. Or poor texture. But something we all do seem to covet? A single device that can target all the above skin issues – and in as little as one session, to boot. We’re talking about HALO hybrid fractional laser treatment. Considered the Rolls-Royce of lasers, it’s the world’s first and only laser with dual-wavelengths (hence the term “hybrid”), essentially allowing aestheticians to tackle multiple issues related to the skin at once. Here, Rossli Delorey, an advanced practice registered nurse and something of AW Plastic Surgery’s resident HALO expert (she does as many as two to three HALO treatments a week, sometimes daily), breaks down how this technology accomplishes what others cannot: effective laser skin resurfacing with shorter downtime.
How HALO Works
The first of its kind, HALO is a hybrid fractional laser that offers dual wavelengths, meaning the energy from one wavelength precisely removes damage in the skin’s upper layers (a treatment known as ablative, or intentionally harming the skin’s surface), while the other wavelength penetrates deeper (known as non-ablative, or targeting deeper without causing damage to the surface) to selectively break up vessels, deep dermal pigment, and stimulate collagen production.
As for the treatment itself, after a topical numbing cream is applied to the treatment area, the device’s handpiece is rolled uniformly over the skin in sections, releasing the dual-laser energy in short bursts to each section (in the face, that typically includes the left cheek, right cheek, forehead, chin, as well as areas around the nose and lips). Not including the time spent numbing the face, a single treatment can range anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes in length.
What Separates it from Other Lasers
“The way this laser allows us to achieve phenomenal results is because it’s so versatile,” says Delorey. “Usually, lasers are either ablative are non-ablative, but this laser is both, meaning it achieves more than one target: everything from surface blemishes and acne scars to deeper collagen stimulation in the dermal layer. It really is the best of both worlds.” On top of that, it has tunable settings, enabling her to customize the depths the laser goes in order to effectively target a patient’s varying degree of skin conditions and whatever their skin type.
Issues & Areas it Targets
Again, the beauty of HALO is that it targets so many skin problems and imperfections, everything from hyperpigmentation (including sun damage, age spots, freckles, and melasma), fine lines and wrinkles, dull or uneven skin tone, large pores and rough texture, and even acne scars. “People talk about experiencing the ‘HALO glow,’ post-treatment, which is a very real thing,” says Delorey. “When you address all these issues – hyperpigmentation, fine lines, roughness, while also tightening the skin – your skin reflects light better, gives the appearance that you are actually glowing from the inside out.”
While it’s primarily used on the face, HALO can target other areas – particularly those with discoloration or crepey skin, like on the chest, arms, and above the knees.
The Perfect Patient for HALO
“Really, a patient of any age can benefit from HALO,” says Delorey. “For someone in their 20s and 30s, it’s great for upkeep and preventative measures and the settings can be really light. For someone in their 40s, we can use it to target some specific aging issues they’re starting to see, such as fine lines and wrinkles. Then for patients in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, that’s where we can tackle deeper, more extreme skin conditions and literally reverse it.”
It also makes a great companion treatment to patients who are undergoing IPL (intense pulsed light) for more extreme discoloration and hyperpigmentation. “IPL uses light energy to target unwanted pigment,” explains Delorey. “It works by going into the cells, targeting pigment, and causing it to rise to the surface to be ‘purged.’ So when you use HALO in conjunction with IPL, it’s helping to create pathways for pigment to rise out of the skin to speed that purging process up.”
When You’ll See Results
Patients see initial results between two and five days after their treatment, but the skin will continue to improve over time – in fact, most see the greatest pigmentary improvement in the first two to three weeks, which is then followed by a dermal regeneration phase that continues to improve for months.
As for how many sessions you should do, that depends on the severity of your skin issues. For example, if you have severe hyperpigmentation, you should expect to do at least three sessions (spaced roughly four to six weeks apart). And the downtime is minimal comparatively: Patients leave the treatment feeling a bit like there’s a mild sunburn; the next day is when the max swelling will occur or you’ll get that “sandpaper”-skin feeling; then, as soon as the third day, you start to see the results.
And that’s yet another big reason that HALO is so popular: It gives you ablative results with non-ablative downtime. “You don’t have to choose between a procedure that will offer really great results but requires a lengthy recovery – HALO’s ability to give deep dermal rejuvenation with epidermal renewal is the best of both worlds,” says Delorey.