Halo

Halo is a hybrid fractional laser, which means two different wavelengths delivered in the same pass from the same handpiece. A 1470 nm non-ablative beam travels beneath the surface and heats the deeper layers, so the skin rebuilds collagen from underneath. A 2940 nm erbium beam works at the surface itself — an ablative wavelength that removes microscopic columns of sun-damaged skin so new skin comes up in their place.

Almost every other resurfacing laser does one or the other. Non-ablative buys comfort and very little downtime, but the result arrives slowly. Fully ablative gives a dramatic result and a recovery you have to plan your life around. Doing both at once, each at its own depth, is what produces the finish Halo is known for.

It is also fractional, which is the other half of the trick: only a fraction of the surface is treated, in microscopic columns, with untouched skin left between them to drive the healing. That is what lets it reset tone, texture, pore size and fine lines together without the weeks of recovery that used to be the price of it.

What it treats

• Fine lines, rough texture and enlarged pores
• Discoloration, sun damage and dullness
• Acne scarring and an uneven surface
• Adjustable depth — a light pass before an event, or a deeper reset
• Face, and equally the neck, chest and hands, which age faster and get treated less

The two wavelengths

• 1470 nm, non-ablative — beneath the surface, heating the dermis and driving the collagen rebuild that firms skin and evens tone
• 2940 nm erbium, ablative — at the surface, removing the damaged top layer that reads as texture, roughness and open pores
• Both in a single pass, each set independently, matched to your skin rather than to one fixed setting
• Fractional coverage — treated columns surrounded by untouched skin, which is exactly why healing is measured in days and not weeks

What to expect

• Numbing cream first; the pass itself is warm and prickling rather than sharp
• Days one and two — red, hot and a little swollen, closer to a strong sunburn
• Day three onward — tiny bronzed dots surface as the treated columns work their way out, and the skin feels like fine sandpaper
• Days five to seven — the dots flake away and the glow arrives underneath
• Book it at least three weeks before an event. Never the week of