Laser Skin Resurfacing

The Halo Laser is unique in that it has two lasers, non-ablative that we can we can use to reach deep into the dermis and an ablative laser that can be customized by depth and density. It's a powerful treatment that helps improve on photoaging, deeper wrinkles, texture and tone. 

Halo works well for people that have moderate wrinkles, sun damage or concerns with texture and tone. It also provides a good jump-start for photorejuvenation. We generally apply treatment to the whole face, and can add neck, chest or other body areas if desired.

Halo can be paired with other treatments depending on the severity of the skin concern., with some of the other laser systems we have, customized for the unique needs of each patient. 

MicroLaser Peel is an erbium YAG laser that disrupts the epidermis and can be set exactly to varying depths for treatment or ablate. Express micro laser peels go very superficial, like having two or three microdermabrasions at one time and pairing that with some good products. the other. Alternatively, we use the more intense micro laser peel for deep wrinkles or rhytids, most commonly this is around the mouth area. We use topical anesthesia and also do some nerve blocks for deeper treatment. You are very comfortable during the treatment. Basically what we do is we ablate those levels of skin down to the level of the base of the wrinkle. And that generally takes several passes.

Afterwards when we do the deeper micro laser peels, I tend to see patients back in the office the following
week for a follow up visit. And then the following week after that. So we tend to kind of watch you to make sure that you're healing appropriately. There is typically two or three weeks of downtime when we do an aggressive micro laser peel. But to be frank, there's no two way around it if you want to get down and really improve those wrinkles. After those three weeks, you're healed up and you do have some redness there that can last several months, but you can use makeup. You keep getting improvement for up to a year or more and that in my mind is the gold standard of care for very deep wrinkles.

ProFractional Lasers are ablative lasers that are fractionated meaning they are capable of ablating the skin at various depths. The analogy I like to use is mowing the lawn. At the different depths we're aerating the lawn with small micro beams but not wiping out the entire tissue. This is effective for treating wrinkles and definitely shortens the downtime. And so it is a good option for a lot of patients, especially around the eyes, the upper lip, acne scars, traumatic scars or surgical scars. 

For Halo Treatment, generally we start with one session and reassess at 6 to 12 months see results and discuss if a second treatment if necessary. With Halo, patients are going to have downtime for about a week, or more if we are adding additional treatments in combination with the Halo. You will experience mild redness and irritation with very specific guidelines for you to follow to reduce side effects. Typically patients begin to see their skin improve at about 2 months and better results are realized gradually over a 6-month timeline. 

We typically suggest during consultation that patients take an antiviral pill the day of the treatment to prevent cold sores. We will provide you with a kit that you need to follow through for a full 10 day recovery afterwards.

For MicroLaser Peel express we usually do several treatments a few months apart and you can do maintenance with that. If we're doing a deep micro laser peel treatment, most commonly we'll do one intense treatment and that will be enough.

You'll probably start seeing some really good results in usually about three months after the treatment, and you'll continue to get improvement for up the full year. You'll probably see the maximum improvement at one year's time.

Results should last many years so long as you are using sunscreen, good products, and then oftentimes we suggest other maintenance treatments to keep stimulating collagen elastic tissue growth to maximize the results longevity. 

With a ProFractional Laser we usually do one or two treatments, but it's very common that I combine
this with other treatments. For example, oftentimes when we're doing a full face Halo, people want
extra improvement around their eyes or mouth, so we'll combine Halo with pro fractional laser for better results. 

Generally, you're going to have a good week of downtime and then you will start seeing improvement usually within about two months or so, and then you will continue to see improvement for anywhere from 6 to 12 months. The results usually last several years for the most common treated areas. 

With a ProFractional, you need to be careful in the sun prior and afterwards you need to use the
products that we recommend to get the skin optimized for healing. We also will start antiviral medicine the day of the procedure to prevent cold sores afterwards. We will send you home with a kit containing products that will optimize healing. You will need to be extremely careful about sun during the several week period after that.

Generally, Halo Laser patients begin with a face wash and putting on a headband. We go over the post procedure instructions, double-check patient history and apply a topical numbing medicine.

Patients are relatively comfortable during treatment and will experience a slight warming sensation. Afterwards, we generally apply ice compress which helps take the residual heat away.

During a MicroLaser Peel, initially we use topical numbing cream to prevent any pain or discomfort. The laser works by targeting water and will basically vaporize very precisely how many microns of skin we want to get rid of with each pass. So when we do that, we'll make a pass at selected targets of depths, and then we will wipe away that tissue. And then we closely look to see where we're at. We'll constantly monitor where in the skin and where the base of the wrinkle is for best results.

During Profractional treatment we will numb your face for approximately 60 to 90 minutes. We will
use Zimmer cooler as well as some cool compresses to relieve heat after treatment. And then once. The heat seems to dissipate. we will then apply some products to help aid in the healing. We will also give you a kit to go home with as well as written instructions on how to take care of this to optimize healing.

After treatment you will be red. You will have some pinpoint bleeding for 12 to 24 hours which will also
cause some crusting. You will look like you have a good sunburn and may have some swelling. This will take approximately a week to dissipate. Some of the redness may last for a longer period of time, but generally after one week people can cover this up with makeup.