I’m excited to be a part of the generation that will side step the face lift. With all the preventative care and laser technology available to us these days, we can preserve not only our youthful appearance, but our collagen, elastin, cellular function, and finally undo the damage that has occurred in our skin.
Enter the Sciton Halo , AKA the “air brusher”, “angel- skin- maker”, “the glow machine”. The Halo is a breakthrough laser treatment, and THE FIRST AND ONLY that combines two types of lasers (ablative and non- ablative) to create major results with minimal downtime. The ablative laser equates to cutting a lawn. It removes the layers of the skin superficially. Meanwhile, the nonablative laser is like aerating a lawn, it creates pathways of little thermal injuries into the skin. When these channels are removed, the surrounding tissue is stimulated to make new collagen- the stuff that minimizes pores, wrinkles, improves scar tissue. This combination of two laser forms dinning up perfectly, out performs older technology such as the CO2 laser or the Fraxel, and facilitates in faster healing and outcomes.
But what about RESULTS?!? By targeting the epidermis and dermis, this hybrid laser can minimize the appearance of pore size, helps correct sun damage, cut down on brown spots, and even skin texture and tone. Halo can be done on most skin tones, though treating darker skin requires meticulous skin prep with derm-directed product.
The treatment can resurface about 25 to 30 percent of the skin, whereas a more gentle laser, such as Clear and Brilliant resurfaces a modest 5 percent.
With Halo you will start to see that gorgeous glow as soon as 7 days post procedure, however with the deep collagen remodelling, your skin will continue to improve over the next 2-3 months! The best part about the Halo treatment is that it’s customize it to your concerns and needs.
MY HALO EXPERIENCE
My concerns:
Large pores, uneven texture/slight acne scarring at the bottom corners of my mouth, pigmentation (sun damage), melasma, fine lines and wrinkles, collagen depletion (we loose approx. 1-2% collagen every year after 20), and overall skin tone.
My primary goal:
I wanted to shrink my pores and have an over-all more consistent and youthful appearance.
My Halo Treatment Experience:
We started with numbing my whole face which takes approximately 45 minutes. The actual laser treatment is another 30, and is performed in sections on your face. I personally did not find it to be uncomfortable, it feels like a tickle initially. With several passes and towards the final passes of each section you start to feel the heat build. With each section that was just treated we placed “PRP”-Platlet Rich plasma that was drawn from my own body on the area, and it instantly soothed the warmth in my skin just the way aloe vera does a burn. ( The PRP is an optional addition for the halo treatment).
Your laser professional will always communicate with you through the entire treatment and inform you on the process and what to expect. Pain on a scale of 1-10 is always reviewed for your comfort (0 – nothing, 5 – you’re crying, 10 – you’re dying). The only discomfort that i can truly speak of was the post-treatment heat, which mostly feels like an intense sunburn, which is rather short-lived, lasting approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.
My laser treatment pain scale: 1-2
My one-hour post treatment pain value: 3-4
My post treatment pain: 0
Post Treatment/Same Day:
My face was very red initially but the redness starts to settle down after a couple of hours. Immediately following the treatment, I iced and kept a cool fan on my face which took away most all the heat and discomfort. I experienced a very small amount of pin-point bleeding (very common with the Halo). In the evening I gently cleansed my face with the ZO SkinHealth Hydrating Cream Cleanser and applied a light and breathable yet, super moisturizing cream ZO SkinHealth Revitatrol and relaxed the rest of the evening. No creams with active ingredients allowed in the first 7 days (retinols, gylcolic acid, salicylic acid, ect). Even though a gentle cleanser and cream are used, some heat and tingling was felt with these actions.
Day 1 Post Treatment:
Red and swollen.
Swelling occurred mostly around my eyes and apples of my cheeks and jowl/jawline area.
very light MENDS (microscopic epidermal necrotic debris) started popping up around my forehead and cheeks. these tend to appear day 2 and peak at day 3.
MENDS are part of the healing process, and are often often described as having a coffee grind appearance. This is the treated tissue working its way out of your body as new fresh skin is regenerated.
Tightness was occurring very slightly, but felt normal after applying my moisturizer.
I applied a physical sunblock this day and reapplied twice. I used ZO SkinHealth SPF 50 and I prefer this sunscreen post any treatment as our skin is very susceptible to damage.
Day 2 Post Treatment:
Redness, swelling slightly reduced, however MENDS are peaking.
My MENDS had easily tripled and my skin started to feel like sandpaper.
My facial product changed to a heavy moisturizer- Aquaphor and cleansing routine stayed the same.
During this time, your skin will be very dry and feel like sandpaper before flaking and peeling off. Keep your skin well moisturized to support the healing process.
Day 3 Post Treatment:
Swelling has subsided, skin now looking more pink than red.
Slight flaking started to occur in areas of the MENDS.
DO NOT PICK at your skin. ( i did a little an that is sooo bad!) Picking, prematurely exfoliating or peeling away the skin, will only make your treatment efficacy much less if not very poor. Scarring is always associated with traumatizing already compromised skin, and this is not a cheap procedure!
Let your skin flake naturally.
Skincare routine- remained the same: ZO SkinHealth Hydrating Cream Cleanser , Aquaphor, and ZO SkinHealth SPF 50
Day 4 Post Treatment:
Skin has a slight pink appearance still, MENDS are sloughing off even more, and I am starting to see that HALO GLOW!
When washing my face, I noticed the mends sloughing off easily, and this is what we want to see happening.
Skincare routine- remained the same: Zo hydrating Cleanser, Aquaphor, and ZO SkinHealth SPF 50.
This is the first day that make up is allowed, and a mineral based makeup is preferred and the safest.
Day 5 Post Treatment:
Almost back to normal, some small areas of MENDS remain mid cheek and at my hairline. Otherwise there is no evidence that I had a considerably heavy laser treatment done. It is said the Halo has about a 5 day social down time, which is quite accurate. I even found at day 4 if makeup was applied no one would know anything.
At day 5 I am radiant, my skin is glowing, tone is improved even tough there are some fine MENDS. My pores look significantly tighter, and small, and my skin looks like I have makeup on it, because it appears so smooth and consistent.
I can’t say enough great things about the Halo. I have done this procedure twice. I can tell you that at 2 weeks your skin looks even better and it keeps improving. I constantly get compliments on my skin. Yes I do a lot of great treatments for my skin (as we age in many different ways), however this treatment by far reverses the signs of aging and concerns like no other. All though the natural process of aging is inevitable, with good skin care and sun protection Halo results are permanent, and with each consecutive treatments the results build and continue to create healthier, more youthful skin.
Visit our Halo Laser page to learn more.
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