It’s been FOREVER since I talked about a laser treatment and that’s because quarantine happened and estheticians had to close their doors for a few months. I was lucky enough to get a Halo Laser treatment done before quarantine, but then didn’t want to share anything about it since no one could actually see their esthetician about the treatment. But now that life is getting back to a somewhat normal pace and my esthetician Shawn Haviland at Cherry Hills Facial Aesthetics is able to open her doors again, I wanted to share my experience with this FANTASTIC laser. I love this laser so much that I’ll be going back for my second treatment next month! It’s BY FAR my favorite laser treatment to date. I can’t say enough good things about it. But before we get into my own experience, I wanted to answer some FAQs you may have! And if you’re in Denver, you’ll definitely want to read through this because I have an AWESOME deal for you!
What is a Halo Laser treatment for?
The Halo Laser works on all sorts of skin issues and damage – fine lines and wrinkles, sun damage, melasma, skin resurfacing, scars, signs of aging, pigmented lesions, improves the appearance of large pores, and actinic keratoses
How does it work?
The Halo Laser combines ablative and non-ablative wavelengths for maximum results with minimal downtime. The coagulation of the laser stimulates collagen then fractional portion of the laser targets the epidermis to help improve tone and texture of the skin.
Is it painful?
Surprisingly, not really. I’ve done a ton of different treatments such as Profractional Laser, Microneedling, and Venus Viva Laser; and this Halo Laser is BY FAR the most comfortable treatment to sit through and the results are fantastic. Your esthetician will numb you up beforehand then the treatment itself is very tolerable. It may feel mildly uncomfortable around sensitive areas like the lips and under the eyes, but nothing too bad whatsoever. The most uncomfortable part is after the treatment is done – your skin will feel INCREDIBLY hot. Kind of like the worst sunburn you’ve ever had. After I drove home, it felt like my face was on fire, but it continued to get better with each hour. Fire makes it sound intolerable, but it really isn’t. It’s just crazy how hot your face feels.
How long is the recovery time?
The healing is very quick with this treatment. I was able to put on makeup by day 4 (could have on day 3, but I didn’t since I was home anyways) and by then you’re only dealing with slightly rough skin, some dryness, and a slightly puffy face. Within 8 days, my skin was back to normal, without any dryness. But the best part of this treatment is your skin will have noticeable improvement over the next few weeks AND months. It just gets better with time! This would be a great treatment to do on a Thursday or Friday then feel fine to go back to work by Monday!
What are the benefits of the Halo Laser compared to other laser treatments?
The Halo Laser is much more comfortable than traditional fractional laser, the healing time is quick, and the improvement is quite noticeable in a short amount of time. If you want airbrushed look skin, this laser is for you!
Can this treatment be performed on areas other than just the face?
Yes! This treatment can be used for the face, neck, chest, arms, hands, and even legs!
How much does it cost?
It all depends on where you live, the esthetician you see, and the areas of skin you cover. I’ve seen prices from $600 and up to $2400.
Why did you decide to try this treatment?
I have NEVER had good skin. I grew up with acne issues that I’m still trying to get a handle on and my skin itself doesn’t age well – wrinkles, dark spots, melasma, etc. My esthetician has done an amazing job and has really improved my skin over the past 4 or so years (seeing her every 4 weeks), but my smile lines have always bothered me a bit. With just 1 treatment of the Halo Laser, those lines have diminished drastically. And now I can’t wait to try it again next month to see if I can improve them even more!
How do I find an esthetician in my area to perform this treatment?
If you’re in Denver, definitely contact my esthetician Shawn Haviland at Cherry Hill Facial Aesthetics (720-459-7960). She will change you life! She is even offering PaleOMG readers a special deal through 2020 – For the Halo Laser treatment on the face, she’s offering a special deal of $995, marked down from her normal price of $1500. Just let her know I sent you! If you aren’t in Denver, not a problem. The Halo Laser was created by a company called Sciton. And on their website, you can find providers based on your area code! Click here to find one near you!
Now let’s get into my full experience throughout the treatment! I wanted to share day-by-day photos with you so you could see how quickly the skin improves. This photo below was taken within hours of the treatment. The face is somewhat swollen, red, and it’s INSANELY hot. But again, the heat dies down throughout the day.
Day 2 is about the same as day 1, except your face is no longer hot. Day 2 feels how it looks – like your face has been rubbing against some sandpaper. It’s still swollen and rough, but it’s not uncomfortable at all.
As you can see from the photo below, day 3 is when the skin begins to clear somewhat. Some of the roughness and discoloration begins to flake off, revealing more clear skin.
Below is day 5, along with my dead fish eyes. What’s up with that? Day 5 shows you have quickly the skin heals. Almost all the redness is gone, with only a few rough spots left on the skin.
This photo was taken on day 8 and by this point, all the redness is gone and the skin begins to look really clean and almost airbrushed.
Something I do want to worn you about since I experienced it is tiny, whitehead breakouts. Since this is an ablative laser treatment, the laser creates some holes in the skin at first and anything can get into those holes – lotion, dirt, grime, etc. I broke out in tiny little whiteheads about a week after my treatment and my esthetician had to work on them a bit to clean things up. This doesn’t happen to everyone, but I think since I’m acne-prone, I had the issue. Just wanted to give you a heads up in case you experience the same situation.
I also wanted to show you what it looks like to wear makeup after the treatment. This photo below was taken on day 4 with makeup on. As you can see, the skin looks like bumpy and a bit dry, but you can easily wear makeup and most people aren’t going to notice the difference.
This photo below was taken about 20 days after the treatment. I obviously have makeup on and it’s in good lighting, but it’s a great example of how airbrushed the skin will look with this treatment. The Halo Laser plumps the skin and reduces pore size, leaving the skin looking younger and healthier.
And this photo below is BY FAR my favorite example of what improvements can be experienced with the Halo Laser! This is exactly what I was hoping to see. The photo on the left was taken back in December and the photo on the right was taken yesterday! My parentheses smile lines have DRASTICALLY improved, in my opinion. When I look in the mirror, I feel younger and I feel like it’s the face that should be looking back at me, if that makes sense.
I hope this post gives you a little more insight into the Halo Laser and eases any nervousness you might feel beforehand. I truly can’t recommend this treatment enough! Not only is it incredibly tolerable and almost pain-free, but it gives massive results! If you have any other questions that I haven’t answered here, feel free to leave them in the comments section below! And don’t forget, if you’re in Denver – Shawn Haviland at Cherry Hill Facial Aesthetics (720-459-7960) is so sweet to offer PaleOMG readers the $995 special deal for the Halo Laser treatment on the face through 2020! Just tell them I sent you!
4 Month UPDATE!
It’s been 4 months since my first Halo Laser treatment and my skin continues to improve, which is one of the best parts about the Halo Laser. I’ve seen such amazing improvement around my smile lines and plumpness in my skin! Fine lines have faded along with the deeper lines, as well! I’ll be going in for another treatment soon and I absolutely cannot wait! Highly recommend this laser treatment!!
Looks beautiful – I like your hair in both pics too 🙂
Does it help with spider veins?
no, but my esthetician does use a laser called ClearV that I will soon be trying out for my own spider veins (and i’ll share a post about it!)
How many treatments are recommended for this, since it’s pricy?
1-2 per year!
Thinking about getting this done mainly due to dark spots left over from acne scars. I’m just wondering why do you have to keep getting this every year? Do the spots/things it treats at the beginning come back over time? Thank you so much!
because i’m constantly working on different signs of aging, not just acne scars. and not all scars improve in just one session. you’re constantly aging, being in the sun, and your skin is always putting to the test with different toxins in the air. so the laser at least once of year helps balance out all those issues!
Does this laser make melasma worse due to the heat? You mentioned your face felt hot afterwards. I am scheduled to have the Halo in August with PRP but I am concerned about worsening the melasma.
surprisingly no, it actually improves melasma!
Would you have been able to drive 1 hour right after procedure? (to get home)
yes. your face is insanely hot so you may just want to blast the air conditioning
How many days after the treatment can you work out and sweat?
My after-care procedure paper says no working out for 3 days and no hot workouts like hot yoga for 2 weeks. But my laser specialist verbally told me to not workout for 5 days. Basically you should avoid heat/your body heating up as much as possible for as long as possible. I was also instructed to try to only take lukewarm showers at most for the first 5 days.
More then anything i would want to do this because of melasma. Is there a different laser treatment that your attestation might have share specifically for that? I appreciate you sharing this ❤
this treatment helps with melasma. but melasma is something that always comes back so you’ll have to continue treating it forever
Look into a BroadBand Light or BBL Facial – I have significant melasma and my esthetician recommended BBL tretments as a first-line treatment for melasma before a more invasive laser. I’ve had one session and my dark spots are already significantly lighter. I’ll be ding a Halo laser treatment later this year for fine lines and texture.
I’ve had profractional twice for acne scaring about 10 years ago, I have some new scaring and breakouts and also want the antiaging benefits of doing a laser again (turning 35 this year), but I’m up in the air on whether to do Venus, Pixel or Halo (which has the largest price tag where I live) any thoughts on which is best for scaring and if the halo would be worth it for the price tag? (Pixel in my area is about $400)
you really need to get a recommendation from your esthetician, not someone who has never met you in person or seen your scaring (or doesn’t have professional training). i don’t fully know the differences between all the lasers or know your skin type so i really can’t make a recommendation for you, just share my own experience.
Unrelated to laser, but do you have a havenly code?? I was inspired by your havenly designs, and I’m ready to commit to upgrading my space!
i’m not sure if it’s still active, but try PALEOMG, it may still work!!
I’m trying to decide between Halo or Microneedling, which do you recommend based on your results? My reasons for wanting the treatments are similar to yours – acne damage and fine lines (especially around my mouth).
i think both have definitely helped! I prefer the halo treatment at the moment because it has improved my fine lines around my mouth a ton. And it’s only 1-2 treatments per year instead of a treatment 4 weeks for 6 treatments
How long after Botox/Fillers did you have to wait to get the Halo treatment. Moving to Denver in 6 weeks – will definitely give Shawn a call
i’m honestly not sure, you’ll have to ask Shawn/her office about that!