I decided to try HALO primarily for fine lines that I didn't want to use Botox/Dysport on (forehead, 11's, crows' feet, "tech neck", etc.). I was not prepared for how painful the procedure was, even with numbing cream and taking a heavy duty prescription painkiller as prescribed by the doctor. I don't know how folks can tolerate doing a series of HALO treatments.The nurse used the laser to go over and over each part of my face/neck/chest, alternating vertical and horizontal passes. The early passes weren't too bad but by the later passes it felt like she was slicing my skin off. After she moved on to the next area, the area just done was throbbing and felt like it was on fire. I'm about two hours post-procedure and the treated areas now feel warm but not burning like they did immediately afterward.
Updated on 1 Mar 2021:
I had my HALO on Friday afternoon and by Saturday morning my face had swollen up so much that I had trouble seeing. My husband was shocked by how horrible I looked. Even icing it and taking an antihistamine didn't help. Sunday morning I was still a bit swollen when I woke up but it went down with icing and an antihistamine. By Sunday afternoon I could definitely see MENDS and some flaking. I did a vinegar soak and that helped a bit. Today (Monday) my skin looked bronzed from all the MENDS. Feels very rough even covered with a thick layer of CeraVe. This morning I had to take my son to preschool so I slathered on some high SPF broad spectrum tinted sunscreen. With the sunscreen on, my face looked presentable enough, especially with a sun hat and mask.
I will be glad once I am able to exfoliate the old, dead skin off and see whether I get any of the "HALO glow"
Updated on 3 Mar 2021:
I'm now 5 days post-procedure and look fairly normal with tinted sunscreen on. My bare skin is very red and flaky. I am also starting to get breakouts on my chest though not my face or neck.
I can see from where my skin is red that the laser didn't get close enough to my eyes to treat the crows' feet. So if that is your biggest concern, HALO may not be the best treatment for you. I'm considering going back to the aesthetician who did plasma pen on my forehead to do the crows' feet and under eye areas.
I don't regret trying HALO as judging from the amount of MENDS I had, there was a lot of sun damage lurking below my skin's surface (especially on my neck & chest). It's way too soon to see any impact of the HALO on collagen building but I am hopeful that it will help with that too.
Updated on 4 Mar 2021:
My face and neck are clear but my chest has a ton of acne. I don't normally have breakouts there so I'm guessing it's "skin purging". I bought some of those acne patches with salicylic acid to see if that helps them go away.
Updated on 10 Mar 2021:
My husband rarely comments on the results of procedures/treatments I have done but the other day he told me that my skin looked really good. I do think my lines are softer and overall I look "refreshed". Still have some lingering breakouts on my chest but otherwise good.