HALO Laser Treatment: Meet My New 50-Year-Old Face Thanks to Laser Resurfacing by Belinda Lichty Clarke

When I decided after a big birthday that it was time for a facial pick-me-up, I had one major requirement: zero downtime. My dermatologist’s recommendation? The HALO™ laser, which uses two types of wavelengths to treat both the top and sub-dermal layers of my skin (spoiler alert: see before and after photos in this story).

I had the treatment on February 1, 2019, and hosted a panel for 80 people (with Elisa All Schmitz!) that same evening. My face looked flush, but that could have just as easily been the excitement of the event. The next day, I looked like I had a sunburn (solved with a little makeup). Less than 10 days later, after about a week of what I can only describe as lizard-like skin (again, covered easily with makeup), I literally had a fresh new face. Was I completely transformed? No, but my skin looked better than it had in years.

Photo: Belinda before procedure.

Photo: Belinda after procedure. 

What happened over the next few months was nothing short of amazing. With each passing week, the surface and appearance of my skin just kept getting bouncier and younger looking.

At my final visit, 10 weeks after the procedure, Dr. Quenby Erickson sat down with me for a final consult and explained how it works and, more importantly, why the more significant results take a while to appear. “The HALO laser is a hybrid solution, meaning it works two ways to achieve both immediate and long-term results,” she said. “The ablative lasers removes the top layer of skin and the non-ablative lasers work underneath the surface to produce new collagen over the course of the next several months.”

Photo: Belinda after procedure with no makeup. 

Among the obvious resurfacing benefit, this particular procedure is designed to also address wrinkles, fine lines, sun spots, acne scars, enlarged pores and the various other signs of aging (saggy skin). Of these, the biggest benefit for me definitely was the improved elasticity, followed by a much smoother texture. What it didn’t treat completely was a few of the sunspots. When I asked Dr. Erickson about it, she explained that if you just want to eliminate sun spots and pigmentation, the best procedure is Broadband Light Therapy (BBL), which is an intensive light therapy that costs less and targets the spots exclusively.

So, if you want to take years off your face and you’ve got some mad money in your pocket (one treatment costs about $1,000 or more), the HALO laser is truly the gift that keeps on giving. 

Photo: UV before procedure.

Photo: UV after procedure. 

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