The plastic surgery practice of Dr. Andrew P. Trussler is proud to offer the HALO™ Hybrid Fractional Laser treatment in Austin, TX. When comparing HALO laser treatments to standard laser treatments and chemical peels, it has some obvious advantages, including limited discomfort and limited downtime. By using two wavelengths, HALO does not need to penetrate excessively deeply into the dermis, which helps to limit discomfort. The Halo applies less global energy to the skin, which helps to shorten the recovery when compared with medium-depth peels and ablative lasers.
What Is the HALO Hybrid Laser from Sciton?
The plastic surgery practice of Dr.Andrew P. Trussler offers the HALO Hybrid Fractional Laser, which is the most advanced laser currently available. As the world’s only hybrid fractional laser, HALO delivers both non-ablative and ablative wavelengths to the same treatment areas, basically providing the skin improvements a patient would formerly need two different treatments to achieve. Combining these two wavelengths creates a strong overall effect, resulting in ablative results, but delivered with non-ablative downtime.
Benefits of HALO™ Treatment
- More comfortable than traditional fractional resurfacing
- Fast healing, patients back in makeup within 24 hours
- Minimal downtime, patients are able to go back to work within a couple of days
- Noticeable improvements to patients’ skin within a few weeks
- Minimal post-treatment care needed
- Shown to be effective on all skin types
What Can The HALO Fractional Laser Treat?
The diversity of HALO’s two simultaneous wavelengths makes it quite versatile in what we can treat on our patients’ skin. We are using HALO on all skin types and on areas across the face and body. The most popular treatment areas are the entire face, neck, chest, arms, hands, and legs.
These are the skin issues HALO improves:
- Wrinkles and fine lines
- Sun damage
- Scars (including acne scars)
- Pigmented lesions
- Overly large pores
- Actinic keratoses
What Can You Expect During Your First HALO Appointment?
You can plan on being in our Austin office for usually 1-2 hours. The first hour involves applying topical numbing anesthetic and letting it take full effect. The actual HALO Hybrid treatments take from 30-45 minutes. Aftercare includes 30 minutes for cooling and mineral water mist on the treated skin. These are comfortable treatments that only require topical numbing, and they can be used on all skin types and on areas across the face and body.
What Results Can I Expect From My HALO Laser Treatments?
Our patients see significant improvements in clarity of skin, decreased fine lines and wrinkles, and an overall reduction in discoloration and hyperpigmentation with these HALO sessions in 1 to 2 treatments. To achieve these same levels of change, older non-hybrid technology treatments would require 5 or 6 treatments to achieve similar pigmentation corrections and other changes.
HALO Fractional Laser Treatment Recovery Time
After your HALO session, restorative skin moisturizer is applied to your treated areas. The skin will be red, and there will likely be some swelling. The treated areas will feel warm for 12-24 hours. Cold compresses help calm the skin and reduce any swelling. You will leave the office with an aftercare protocol kit to use for the next seven days.
Your skin will look as if you have a slight sunburn, but after 24 hours, you can apply makeup if you choose. Depending on the depth of treatment, you could have mild to moderate swelling for 1 to 3 days. You can return to normal activities that day, but you may want to limit your social activities or work schedule for 1-2 days.
On the second or third day after your HALO treatment, your skin will have a bronzed look, and there will be tiny dark spots. This is normal and is a sign that the pigmented lesions have been affected by the laser energy. During this time, your skin will be very dry and have a relatively rough texture. It will begin to flake and peel. (It is imperative you do not pick or peel your skin. Allow the skin to shed and peel naturally).On the face, this phase can last from 5 to 7 days. On the neck or other areas, the skin won’t shed as quickly, so this can last for a couple of weeks.
When the peeling process is complete (at around one week), your skin will be pink, but this will resolve. Now your new skin is fully resurfaced, and it will look great. It’s imperative that you protect it with sunscreen or clothing during the entire post-treatment process and moving forward. After these seven days, you may resume your normal skincare routine.
What Are The Risks Associated With HALO Hybrid Treatments?
There is a slight risk of scarring or burns with laser resurfacing treatments, although the hybrid wavelength delivery of HALO decreases this. Plus, this system constantly monitors the patient’s skin temperature for comfort and safety. Hyperpigmentation is a risk, as well, which can be decreased with skin pre-conditioning and proper post-care procedures. If the patient is prone to the development of cold sores, these treatments can exacerbate this. It is important to let us know ahead of time so we can pre-treat you with medication to help prevent an outbreak. You will need multiple treatments to establish desired results.
Schedule Your First Treatment Today
If you are interested in treatment with the HALO™ Hybrid Fractional Laser in Austin, Texas, Dr. Trussler and his staff are here to help. Please fill out our contact form, or call our office at 512-450-1077 today to schedule your first appointment!
