MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE HALO LASER || IS THE PRICE WORTH IT?

April 22, 2018

I am 34 years old and have never had a laser or anything equivalent up until this year. It’s time, the sun has had its way with me and now I have to do whatever I can to reduce the damage done. I have been intrigued by lasers for a while now and after I had a couple of friends try them out, I decided to jump in. I am all for having absolutely nothing done and aging with grace. With that being said, I also am invested in taking care of my skin with as little surgical help as possible. Now, I’m not opposed to it in my future but if I get ahead of it right now I don’t think it’ll come to that. I have had botox before and I’ve had filler in my lips but laser treatment was a different ball game. Before I talk about the treat meant and the results, let’s talk about why.

Why did I do the Halo Laser?

Well I’ve been honest with you guys about my insecurities from the get go. I have a patch of skin on my cheek that I just can’t seem to get rid of. It seems to be a bundle of acne scars, clogged pores and bumps. I thought that this could possibly help. In addition to that, I have skin texture issues from pregnancy, getting older and life. Honestly at this point in my life I’m willing to try anything for my skin short of surgical. I have also been pairing with micro needling treatment but more on that in a separate post.

Reasons to do the Halo Laser

The Halo laser has minimal downtime and is a game changer due to the fact that it is the first laser that combines two types of lasers to give you major results. It is a fractional laser that uses both ablative and non ablative technology. I know, I know…what do those words even mean? Well ablative basically targets pathways in your skin while leaving the are around it unscathed. Nonablative drives small thermal injuries into the skin, triggering collagen and elastin production (minimizing wrinkles). So by targeting both the epidermis and the dermis, this hybrid laser minimizes the appearance of pore sizes, corrects sun damage, aids reduction in brown spots and can even the texture of your skin. It can be used on all types of skin but darker skin will require a little more work. It also has minimum downtime. Chemical peels can make you look like a car accident victim for days while the halo laser for the most part peels slightly and brings out dark spots. Now to share about my experience with it…

My Experience with the Halo Laser.

So I had a couple friends who had the laser done and they really loved the results. My skin is overall pretty good but I have had some issues with texture and acne scarring so when my doctor, Dr. Gilpin, got the laser in his office finally I had to try it out. I must admit I was extremely nervous and almost chickened out because I heard it hurt a lot. I sat down and they applied the numbing cream and while I waited the next 40 minutes, Dr. Gilpin and his nurse answered any questions that I had. One of the main concerns about having the laser is that you have to remain committed to staying out of the sun. #1 Your skin is more susceptible to damage since it’s fresh and #2 Why would you spend the time and money to just reverse the progress?

So did it hurt? I mean yeah it wasn’t pleasant but it just felt like extreme heat and it definitely was bearable. The forehead and above my lip were the worst parts for me. Honestly the worst part was when it was over and the numbing cream wore off. It felt like my face was on fire. I kept alternating the ice packs as often as I could. (I only tell you this to prepare you, not scare you) I promise the little bit of burning sensation is worth it for the results. I’d say it lasted up to an hour.

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: Immediately after the laser.

: About 2 hours post laser.

That night it just felt really hot. I slept upright as much as I could to avoid swelling but the next morning when I woke up I did have some puffiness, especially near my eyes and upper cheeks. I applied more ice packs and the barrier cream they provided.

Two days after the Halo Laser Treatment

My swelling went down a lot but I was still red and patchy. It honestly just looked like a sunburn. I was more self-conscious than anyone but I doubt anyone even noticed. I felt no pain on this day just slightly started to itch.

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Three days after the Halo Laser Treatment

I had a lot of brown spots that looked kind of like crushed coffee grounds (again, no-one else will see this as much as you do) and they would exfoliate with water. I still didn’t use any products on myself except a gentle face cleanser and the barrier cream.

Four days after the Halo Laser Treatment

My skin started to flake a tad but it thankfully looking more even. I had a photo shoot for my blog and was able to put on minimal makeup. I honestly can see a huge difference already in the tone of my skin.

: Without Makeup

: With Makeup.

Five days after the Halo Laser Treatment

Skin is starting to glow! The only thing left is a spot on my nose and around the sides of my eyes. It basically looks like a sunburn on my nose so possibly it took more there. I headed to California about 6 days post laser and loved the way my skin popped. The only regret I felt was not pairing it with a BBL but couldn’t afford the downtime or risk of brown spots with my trip. The best part is it only gradually gets better over the next 6-8 weeks. You can expect deeper collagen stimulation to happen up to 6 months.

HALO LASER experience by popular Nashville beauty blogger, Nashville Wifestyles | I am 34 years old and have never had a laser until this year. It’s time, the sun has had its way with me and now I have to do whatever I can to reduce the damage. I've been intrigued by lasers for a while. After a few friends tried them, I decided to jump in. I am all for having nothing done and aging with grace. Click to read about how I am invested in taking care of my skin and my halo laser experience. We'll also discuss if the price is worth it. #laser #skincare

6 days post laser. Obsessed.

8 days post laser.

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Was it worth it?

In short yes. Is reversing the clock and investing in your skin worth it to you? It is to me.

1 month post laser.

A little Halo Laser Q&A with Dr. Gilpin:

What does the Halo laser actually do?

-The Halo Hybrid laser is actually 2 lasers in one treatment. One is an ablative laser (meaning it is removing tissue), and the other is a non-ablative laser (it doesn’t remove tissue, but heats the skin at a precise depth and temperature).

Starting with the non-ablative side, this laser helps to tighten the skin at a deeper level and also helps to brighten the skin. So it is using heat to help improve the skin you have. This is what helps to improve the fine lines and wrinkles on the face. If we increase the intensity on the ablative side, we can even improve acne scars and other fine scars.

The ablative side removes small channels of skin (and these are very small channels…20 microns in length). The analogy is it is like aerating the lawn. When these channels are removed, the surrounding tissue is stimulated to make new collagen. The ablative side of the laser is what improves texture, gets rid of pores, and helps to remove age spots and redness.

The best part about the Halo treatment is that it’s custom to your needs.

What can you do for aging on eyes?

In particular skin on eyelids, dark circles and wrinkles?

-As the Halo is a laser, we typically won’t use it directly on the eyelids. However, it certainly can help to improve fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes. Dark circles and wrinkles within the eyelids are typically best treated with a small procedure called a blepharoplasty. This procedure is actually one that we do in our office quite often, and doesn’t require much downtime.

If you are not ready for a blepharoplasty we can use fillers to fill in the areas where shadows are causing you to have dark circles.

The main point here is that between the Halo laser, a small procedure, and/or fillers we can achieve significant improvement in the appearance of eyelids.

Dr. Gilpin is offering a sweet deal to my readers for a halo laser 1 for $1250 or two for $2200. Make sure to call the office and mention my blog with scheduling your consultation or appointment.