Let’s get straight to it, is the Halo Pro Laser worth it? The short answer is no. For the price and the downtime, the benefits do not outweigh the cost. I will share why I do not think it is worth it, but I am sharing two other treatments that will give you much better results without the high price tag or downtime below. The alternative treatments are the top two effective skincare treatments on the market today.
Halo Pro Laser Treatment
I tried the Halo Pro laser treatment a few months ago, and I was hopeful, with the price tag, that it would be amazing. It did not live up to expectations. It did not effectively get rid of hyperpigmentation and acne scarring, nor did it give me incredible, glowing, youthful skin a month later.
The Halo treatment was intense from an initial pain perspective, and post-care required quite a bit of downtime. I had to be incredibly cautious with sun-exposure. I spent two months post-treatment staying out of the sun completely, using SPF 50-100 every day, and wearing hats. Over the summer, I was as cautious as possible. I stayed in the shade at the pool, hats on runs, etc., but I did see increase pigmentation a few months after the treatment.
Overall Thoughts on the Halo Pro Laser Treatment
The cost is high, $1500-$2000 for one treatment, and it did help with some surface improvement, but it really only provided a minimal positive change in the texture and tone. I do think everyone’s skin responds differently to different treatments, but for me, based on the cost and changes, I think there are much better options out there. It was not enough of a bump in improvement for my skin.
This is not to say the Halo Laser won’t work for you, but it did not do much for my skin in terms of big, long-term changes as promised. That said, I only did one treatment and they recommend a series of two, 3-6 months apart. At this point, I would not opt to do a second round.
Effective Alternative Skincare Treatments
The most effective skincare treatments that I have found for overall tone and texture, that also help with hyperpigmentation and acne scarring are Clear & Brilliant and the viPeel.
I do not have photos from Clear & Brilliant, but I do from the viPeel (see below). Clear & Brilliant is still a newer laser, it is far less known, and not available everywhere, but it requires zero downtime, and does an incredible job to improve, tone, texture, some fine lines and areas with hyperpigmentation. This laser is designed more for tone and pigmentation. It’s similar to micro-needling but goes deeper. It creates a series of tiny, almost imperceptible abrasions to the skin. The skin appears sun-burned for 24 hrs. post-treatment, and then as your skin heals, you will have little scabs on your face. Do not be alarmed—you cannot even see them unless you are right on top of someone. Literally, on top of them. This laser was designed for people that cannot afford to take a week off from work.
Clear and Brilliant Post-Treatment
Post-treatment, the skin will have a sandpaper texture for a few days and then the new skin is revealed. You cannot tell anything that has been done during the healing process, and it’s a less invasive laser than a lot of what is out there; especially, in terms of pain. I linked it here. I have nothing but great things to say about it. I did three treatments a few years ago and saw an incredible improvement in my skin. The only reason I have not done more is that the laser is not available where I live.
The company recommends a series of six, but you can see a major difference after four. It is currently my favorite laser available. It ends up being about $400/treatment, but the price is 100% worth it. Skin will be glowing and it takes five years off your skin. Friends will notice.
The ViPeel for Hyperpigmentation and Acne Scarring
The other treatment I love and have done multiple times is the ViPeel. For the cost, about $375-$550, and the results, I feel it is one of the best options on the market. If you are looking to target fine lines, texture, acne scarring, hyper-pigmentation, and melasma, which is almost impossible to treat—this is for you. They have several different peels: the ViPeel, ViPeel with Precision Plus for aging skin and Purify for acne. It is safe for all skin types, which most peels are not.
Even being extra careful post-Halo, I saw a tremendous amount of hyper-pigmentation from being outside over the summer. I was becoming very sensitive about it, and I decided to get a ViPeel to help alleviate the sun damage I saw. Having done it before, I know the process and I also know the results are a never-fail for my skin. I chose the ViPeel with Precision Plus since my skin was in serious need of a boost and I needed to clean up the darker pigmentation that was not going anywhere and I wanted to target fine lines.
How It Works
Pre viPeel Treatment Photos
Treatment
Your esthetician will apply a pre-peel solution, which is just acetone. This ensures the skin is completely clean and free. They then apply the peel solution to your skin. It burns for about 5 seconds but has its own neutralizer in it so it only stings for a short period of time. The process takes about 15 minutes in total. Once applied, they then apply sunscreen and you are free to go. Your skin will be very red, and you will look like you have a tan or a sunburn. You will look like this the first and second day.
Post-treatment
Four hours post, you have to apply a post-peel towelette, and then you do the same right before bed that same day. You do not wash these off. The next night, you use your last towelette. The post-peel towelettes are a major component to the success of the peels so make sure you do this portion.
Day 2-3
You will see redness and your skin will start to feel tight. You may begin to peel around your mouth. By Day 3, your skin will appear very tight, wrinkly, and almost aged as if you have spent 25 years straight in the sun. If you have bad hyper-pigmentation, those areas will darken, significantly. Don’t freak out about this and do not pick the skin! Picking can cause severe and additional hyper-pigmentation. The skin will flake off in the shower. And to keep the skin hydrated and itch-free, they provide a hydrocortisone cream. You also need to drink a lot of water, try and avoid alcohol and you cannot exercise for 72 to 96 hrs. Exercise and being in a steam room/sauna can also cause additional pigmentation. You do not want your face to heat up during the peeling and healing process. Very important.
Day 4-7
The entire process of peeling—and where you will likely not want to plan a big event, are Days 3-5. You will be peeling, flaking off, and it’s a little gross (being completely honest), but worth it. By day 6, you will start to look pretty normal again. By Day 7, your skin should feel like a baby’s bum, you should see a serious improvement in the tone and any acne or scars, and severe hyper-pigmentation should be well on its way off your face. My skin is not perfect, but the improvement is incredible given the downtime and cost.
A second treatment might be necessary and it might be something you want to do, but typically one, twice a year, is a great way to keep your skin looking youthful and fresh. The biggest win on this peel is that it targets fine lines, and is safe around the eyes. I see a noticeable change in the micro-fine lines that you start to see on the cheeks as you age. If you are looking for a cost-effective peel that works and will show immediate results, this is a win: win. You can get it done by most estheticians, plastic surgeons, etc. I would trust almost any reputable place to administer this because, it’s frankly, difficult to screw up. That’s important to think about when you are doing any kind of a peel on your face.
The entire goal of this peel is to help people feel like they do not need to wear make-up and it really does help. And to note, this is safe for darker skin tones.
Which Treatment is the Best for Treating Hyperpigmentation and Acne Scarring
Both are incredible. If you have active acne, and cystic acne, and are more worried about acne scarring, have severe hyperpigmentation and want something that will give you more immediate results and lift a lot of the darker skin off, the ViPeel is super effective. The only downside to this is that you have a few days of downtime. Clear & Brilliant has no downtime but requires more than one treatment and I would not suggest using it with active acne. The ViPeel will kill bacteria, and Clear & Brilliant can truly change your skin from the inside out. If you can do both, I would suggest layering treatments. Do a ViPeel first to see where you skin lands, and if you deeper discoloration under the skin, add in the Clear & Brilliant laser to help get rid of that and improve your overall tone. Either way, these are my top picks, and by far, the most effective skincare treatments for hyperpigmentation and acne scarring I have found to date.
Note: I am not an esthetician so please talk to your skincare provider. I would always recommend a consultation first so you can determine the best treatment path.
Questions? Comment below or email: georgia@glossandharbour.com
Love to hear from you.
Wow! Excellent article. I’m going to look into the peel. Xoxo
Author
Thanks, Molly! I am so glad you found it helpful. It’s a great treatment.
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Thanks, Molly! So glad you liked it. Xoxo
So happy that you look so beautiful for your skin care treatments.
Author
Thank you so much. I wish you all were closer and I could come in for treatments. Looks like an awesome clinic!
I’ve gotten halo and it has been the best money I have ever spent if I am being honest. There are way more benefits to halo that what you have posted and perhaps the technician who performed yours did not give you a strong enough treatment to get the results you were desiring in your single treatment. It is also important to note, halo works deep down in the skin where as BBL and Vipeel go a lot more shallow then halo. So you will get different results because one is something you need to do 3-5 times a year, since it does not go deep and treats things a lot less aggressively then halo. Halo you need 1-4 treatments the first year depending on how bad off your skin is and then 1 time a year to maintain youth and health (not to mention it is known to help kill any precancerous skin cells). If you noticed pigmentation after your halo, it’s because you were outside in the sun more then you should have been or because you have a lot more sun damage then you realized that halo pushed to the surface, your skin pushing that deep sun damage out. It’s a very strict rule that for two months post op you remain out of high sun exposure as much as possible and if you are outside for only short periods even if you are wereing high spf, which is why it’s encouraged to only do halo during the winter months where you are inside more so then anything.
Author
Hi Cassie,
The treatment was strong, but regardless, there are many other treatments that I have found that provided much more significant changes and benefits to my skin without the steep price tag. The cost is high for the results it yields/does not yield.
I had this treatment done during winter. In Wisconsin, spring starts in June.:) Everyone’s skin is different and different treatments work for different people. I just do not think this one warrants the price tag.
On the Forever Young BBL Photofacial, that actually gets down to the cellular level. While it targets surface sun damage, age spots, and dark spots, one of the biggest proven benefits that Standford found in their long-term study, is that it actually “reverse ages” the skin since it gets rid of unhealthy cells, and forces the skin to produce new, healthy cells leading to an increase in collagen production.
ViPeels are designed to penetrate deep into the skin, but without a ton of downtime like a Halo treatment. The difference is that a ViPeel, unlike a laser, may not be as “evenly” targeted since it’s a peel and not a laser. There are certain things it cannot do, but as an overall treatment to help with melasma, hyperpigmentation, skin tone, acne scarring, significant active cystic acne, and pore size, for the cost and downtime, it is a winner in my book!
There are a lot of treatments out there. I have just seen more effective treatment with much lower price tags than Halo, for me! Scarlet RF and Microneedling are two additionals that are great, lower-priced, less painful and have almost 0 downtime.
Warm regards,
Georgia
From your halo photos it looks like you didn’t have a very aggressive treatment? I’ve had halo for acne scars and large pores. Unbelievable results. But 53 and also needed the anti-aging benefits
Author
Hi Sherna,
It was actually a very aggressive treatment. I have just found other treatments where the benefits far outweigh the cost of Halo overall.
I did not see significant changes and with the price tag, it was not worth it.
Warm regards,
Georgia
I agree with some other commenters – Halo is by far the best laser I’ve ever had. I swell easily and it’s a good weeks worth of downtime for me, but it’s still 100% worth it! I’ve had three and plan to have one each year for maintenance.
One of my old client’s was Solta Medical. I used to receive Clear + Brilliant sessions for free. Be careful with that laser – it gave me melasma despite staying out of the sun for nearly a year after my treatments.
Thankfully I was able to get the melasma under control (it took me years!) and Halo is the only melasma safe laser on the market.
Author
Hi Meg, I have to say after a few more years, Sylfirm X RF Microneedling is now my go-to. No downtime and it lifts, tightens, treats melasma & pigmentation and more. xx