That Glow is From My Halo, Not the Sun

As a teen, and through my early twenties, I felt unhealthy if my skin wasn’t bronzed. I hate to admit this now, but I visited a tanning booth almost daily, applied an “accelerator”, and sunscreen use was reserved for vacations to tropical destinations only. By my late twenties, I realized that each time I was in the sun, I came away with a new dark spot and suddenly, that sun-kissed look was not worth the damage it was causing, not to mention the associated health risks like skin cancer! I quickly became a sunscreen-wearing, sun hat advocate. Unfortunately, damage was already done and I had become accustomed to concealing that damage with make-up.

I learned about the services available in Artisan Skin and Laser Center and was instantly intrigued by the benefits provided by the Halo. My goal was to feel comfortable leaving the house without the need to cover up with make-up, and this could be part of the solution. However, I was a nursing mother, so I would have to wait. In the meantime, I watched in amazement, as the skin of my friends and co-workers was transformed and I envied their healthy glow.

When the time came to schedule and experience my first Halo, I was beyond ready. I was ready for the results, and therefore, prepared for the healing process which precedes them. To my delight, that process was in many ways enjoyable, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Here’s how I would describe things. An hour prior the procedure, a numbing cream is applied to your face, at which time, you lay comfortably in a peaceful room and are allowed to simply relax – as a mother of a 4 year old and 17 month old, I say, “Yes please!” I opted for PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) as a part of my laser treatment, so during this time, a nurse drew my blood to prepare it. The HALO procedure itself felt a bit like a series of tiny pricks and was over before I knew it. The PRP was used after the laser, and felt much like having a runny aloe applied to my skin. Not only was there something that just felt good about having a serum of your body’s own natural goodness smeared on the treated area, but I felt like it made a difference in the hours immediately following the treatment. My face felt hot for about a half hour, so I misted it with an aerosol water provided by Artisan Skin and Laser Center. The next day I was slightly swollen and starting to MEND, but it did not keep me from going to work – or to COSTCOJ The next few days, my face felt a little tight, looked freckled (the MENDs) and had a sandpaper texture. Not only was I not uncomfortable, but I LOVED that I could see the years of damage, which had been dwelling deep in my skin, coming through the surface. By the 5th day following the procedure, most of the dry skin and MENDs left behind had sloughed off, revealing a soft, dewy complexion with minimized pigmentation.

I understand that caring for your skin and repairing past destruction is a marathon, not a sprint and that the results of one treatment won’t erase the results of years spent exposed to the UV rays. There are other treatment options available to target what I don’t love about my skin, and I look forward to experiencing (and writing about) some of those.

In the meantime, if you happen to see me at the pool, I’ll be the one reapplying sunscreen and chasing my kiddos while wearing a giant sun hat, sunglasses and a glow – not from the sun, but from my Halo.