November 7, 2017 In Beauty, Fitness & Health

Halo Procedure

The bane of my existence has been these marks of discoloration all over my face. I wake every morning seeing the mask of MELASMA that also affects 5 million Americans, most who are women. Having worked in the beauty industry for over 15 years and owning my own skincare brand, I have always taken care of my skin. Look, I’m not anal about it with a layer of white sunscreen all over my body or head-to-toe SPF clothing. I do jump on my paddle-board with a baseball cap and a layer of sunscreen where you can still recognize me. But this amount of skin damage seems pretty unfair for the amount of dedication I have put into preventing it.

 

 

With a newborn, I was already feeling a little, okay A LOT older, and this mask on my face wasn’t helping. I tried to treat it naturally with the kick-ass Vitamin C found in Kayo’s Vitamin Boost. This did fade the marks and it prevented any more pigmentation while on vacation, but the base of the mask was still there. I had used lasers like the IPL on it a few years ago, but found out most laser used to treat regular pigment don’t work on melasma and even make it worse (which they did)! I tried peels and micro current machines – nothing worked to the extent I desired.

 

 

Enough was enough, I was tired of waking to this aged looking face so I turned to the best plastic surgeon in town, Dr. Sheila Nazarian. I love her first and foremost, because she’s a woman who experiments with all the procedures herself and understands what women need. With that knowledge, she has loaded her arsenal with many innovative non-surgical treatments to prevent and reverse the aging process WITHOUT surgery. After a having the Visia Complexion Analysis in Dr. Nazarian’s office read the age of my skin based on discoloration, pore size, wrinkles, etc it kindly decided I was 7 years older than my age. Ugh. But this is what I was feeling. Basically the Visia was kind of like a good friend, just being honest.

Visia Facial Assessment Before

Visia Facial Assessment Before

Dr. Nazarian calls “melasma the gift that keeps on giving. So many things can set it off such as sun, stress, and dehydration.” I’ve also heard heat can affect it, so the many years of heated yoga may have exasperated the pigmentation, which is why I always promote balance in workouts.

 

Dr. Nazarian says, “Melasma is caused by over active pigment producing cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes are stimulated by melanocyte stimulating hormone, nicknamed MSH. MSH can be produced directly with sunlight on the face, or” (wait for it) “indirectly with sunlight anywhere on your body through the pituitary glad”. The fact that sun anywhere on my body was affecting my face, blew my mind. I guess it’s common sense, but I loved to tan my body, thinking if I covered my face it would be okay. WRONG. Dr. N., “Sun anywhere on your body can cause facial melasma to worsen” – mic drop. I’d like to add a casual promotion for Kayo Better Body Care and the need for full body skincare, especially in our changing environment.

 

Now the Halo Laser begins! Dr. Nazarian sets the features for my specific skincare needs. Again, I emphasize that the surgeon is customizing the laser to my needs, not an employee. Dr. Nazarian also performed the entire treatment. I was already pretty numb from the numbing creme. She started with half my face and warned me to tell her if anything was painful. I preface my feedback by telling you I have a verrrrry high pain tolerance. I felt little pricks like a gum band hitting my face, but I could barely even feel this. My skin began to heat up after a few minutes of treatment. The total treatment lasted around 20 minutes I’m estimating.

Afterward they treated the fragile and compromised skin with the Regenerating Skin Nectar from Alastin Skincare as a barrier to environmental factors. Dr. Nazarian has added this to every single intense treatment she performs after she experimented with a plethora of skincare post-laser treatment and found most were causing more pain and not treating the “wound” effectively.
Screen Shot 2017-11-02 at 11.31.33 AM
I took home the entire box of Alastin Skincare complete with the Gentle Cleanser that I still love to use, theUltra Nourishing Moisturizer, the Regenerating Skin Nectar and the Broad Spectrum SPF 30+ Sunscreen.
They informed me the feeling of heat on my skin could last 1-4 hours after the laser. They were kind enough to give me an ice roller which saved me on my one hour drive home in Los Angeles rush hour traffic. The heat really started to increase while driving and I was rolling away while rolling down the 405 highway. This was the worst part of the entire treatment. When I got home, I started rotating fresh ice packs and frozen peas for the rest of the evening. But the heat diminished by the time I went to bed.
Day 1

Day 1

I slept well and then woke up to quite a shock in the mirror. I had researched the laser so I knew I would be red and the texture would look a bit scabby or flaky. However, I was more red than I had expected and swollen. As mentioned, I have never done this intense of a treatment so I wasn’t used to looking like this. I was a little scared of scaring Remi, my 5 month old, and honestly she was a little unsure when she looked at me for the first few days. 
Day 3

Day 3

You can see from my daily progress photos, the top surface of my skin began to heal and shed very quickly.
By day 3 my cheeks were 75% fresh skin.
Day 5

Day 5

By day 5 they were completely clear of the old skin. My forehead took a little longer to heal. The Alastin serum definitely quickened the healing process.
Day 9

Day 9

At one week I had shed the aged skin and had brighter, softer more even skin tone. I was still pink, but that is because there is so much new blood flow to the skin working its magic.
 
I returned to Dr. Nazarian’s 2-3 weeks after the treatment and re-took my Visia Complexion Analysis. Drum roll —
Visia Facial Assessment After

Visia Facial Assessment After

 

it now said my skin was 8 years younger than pre-Halo Laser and a year younger than my age. I lost 8 years of aging based on the skin factors above with one single treatment! Success!

 

I am so impressed with my results. My husband was a skeptic, especially when he saw my face directly post-treatment. But now he has complimented my skin over a dozen times and told me he really sees the difference. My skin is 100% better in my opinion. It’s not perfect, but I don’t have to focus on it any longer. I can go makeup free with confidence.

Halo Procedure Before and After

Halo Procedure Before and After

Halo Procedure Before and After

Halo Procedure Before and After

Halo Procedure Before and After

Halo Procedure Before and After

Halo Procedure Before and After

Halo Procedure Before and After

Halo Procedure Before and After

Halo Procedure Before and After

I am continuing to follow-up with less-aggressive facials with Dr. Nazarian and my other go-to skin specialist Mia Belle Skin to prevent any more aging. I wear a layer of sunscreen that I typically apply twice a day since I take Remi outdoors so much. Even with the best care and protection Dr. Nazarian has warned me I will have to do a Halo Laser yearly because Melasma will most likely return. However, I had such great results under her care, I would gladly repeat this laser or anything else she recommends. Thank you to Dr. Nazarian and her entire team!
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