Has my skin been burned by HALO laser? 1 wk post op. (photos)

Thanks for your question - if you haven't already, please be sure to keep your treating office in the loop - they know your settings and can see you in person.What you have actually looks not like a burn, but more like a contact dermatitis or reaction to some product. For several weeks after a laser, your skin is very sensitive - particularly to acids like lactic, glycolic and salicyclic and any products with retin-A or retinol. Try going to a very neutral skin care routine with a good physical sunscreen and use a few days of antihistamines (allegra in the morning, benadryl at night) and it is likely that things will improve.

Your skin looks uncomfortable and not at all what would be expected 6 days after Halo laser.  You definitely should contact the treating physician.  My treatment would be holding any products you are currently using and washing with mild cleanser like Cetaphil cleanser, then applying 2.5% hydrocortisone ointment twice a day for a week or so.

Back to your dermatologist or plastics, as this maybe due to many causes including 1. Normal reaction - passes, density and intensity controlled by your specialist who performed the HALO procedure 2. Irritant dermatitis, 3. Contact dermatitis, 4. Early focal infection  5. Overtly sensitive skin . Now if it FEEL awful, this needs further investigation - if there is PAIN, its usually an infection. More information needed. Your specialist will go through points 1-5 , take swabs and go from there. HALO itself is a great lasers, so flexible in the parameters it can deliver. This many be a bespoke treatment with high passes, only your specialist will know the answer, as we do not have the treatment protocol he or she used on you. Dr Davin S. Lim. Brisbane. Australia.