What is the Treatment Like? Halo & BBL Resurfacing Patient Experience!

Written by Susan Vickers, Nurse Injector at CSPS Franklin. Treatment was performed on Susan by Heather Happy, Esthetician at CSPS Brentwood specializing in Resurfacing Laser Treatments.

Every day my patients ask, “What can I do for my skin in addition to injectables?”. Most people are trying to correct pigment and reverse the signs of aging. Different skin conditions require special consideration, and skincare providers will be able to help create a personalized skin treatment plan. Lifestyle and specific skincare goals will be considered when creating a treatment plan. A good medical-grade skincare regimen goes hand in hand with skin treatments and your personal goals.

I have a lot of sun damage from worshiping the sun and using tanning beds when I was young. Now that I am getting older, the damage is coming to the surface of my skin. I have treated pigment issues really well but I have recently developed generalized redness and tiny blood vessels on my cheeks, chin, and chest. I was becoming embarrassed with the way my chest was looking. I constantly looked like I was upset due to the bright red color of my chest. My sweet friend and co-worker, Heather Happy, was more than happy to do my treatments for me. (I think she was created to do her job, she absolutely loves it).

BBL (Broadband Light) is a great way to treat brown spots, redness, and facial vessels.  This is the cardinal laser treatment for Rosacea. It is also used for anti-aging. This treatment does not open the skin. It uses wavelengths of light through filters to treat the skin. Anytime heat is placed in the dermis, it stimulates collagen production. The healing is pretty easy with this treatment. Redness, swelling, and initial darkening of brown spots are to be expected. The amount and duration of swelling vary for everyone. Typically, there is swelling for a few days. The skin will flake off over the next few weeks. The flaking is not noticeable. This treatment cannot be done on tanned skin.  Not everyone is a candidate for this treatment.

The HALO laser is a laser that uses 2 wavelengths of light. It is used to treat sun damage, resurface the skin, and it is great for anti-aging. The HALO laser does open the skin and creates a lot of heat.  As you can see, my face is really red after that treatment. It has some downtime associated with the healing. It feels very hot right after it is done. The heat continues for a few hours but it decreases in intensity. I will have significant redness and swelling for a few days. I have some pinpoint bleeding as well. My skin will get tight, feel like fine sandpaper, and then slough off slowly. Beautiful new skin will be under that. It will be worth it!  Makeup cannot be worn for a few days after this treatment.

The Nano laser is used for collagen stimulation, anti-aging, improving skin tone and texture, and treating sun damage and pigment irregularities. It is an ablative laser, which means that it completely removes the top few layers of skin. Right after the treatment, the skin is red and looks similar to a sunburn. The downtime is approximately 1-2 days. Sunscreen is a must with this treatment also. This treatment is a great compliment to neurotoxins (ie. Botox, Dysport, etc) and dermal filler injections.

These treatments cannot be done over tanned skin. Sun exposure must be avoided after the treatments as well. Since correction and anti-aging are the goals, limited sun exposure is necessary in general. Exposing treated skin to the sun can cause adverse effects and cause major damage to the skin. Sunscreen should be worn daily even when it is cloudy or raining. It is a waste of time and money to continue to be in the sun unprotected.

These treatments can be done separately or in combination. I recommend a consult to determine which treatments are right for your skin. We have several providers at Cool Springs Plastic Surgery who offer laser treatment services and other skincare services.