It was never your skin

If you have darker skin or mixed ethnicity, you have probably been told to stay away from lasers. The patient in this video has heard it too. Today she gets Halo for the first time, and Dr. Emer's goals are clear: shrink her pores and scars, even out texture and tone, and turn back the clock.

Here is what he explains on camera. Heat can cause hyperpigmentation when a laser is done incorrectly, and it can burn the skin. Done correctly, he considers this laser very safe on darker skin tones, which is why the deeper ProFractional pass is kept at a lower density. The skin was never the problem. The settings were.

What Halo actually does

Halo makes microscopic holes in the skin. Dr. Emer calls the tiny treated columns epidermal necrotic debris, or MENDs. As they peel, they take pigment with them, which is how texture improves and the skin brightens.

Underneath, a deeper wavelength builds collagen over time. On the pore and ice pick scars, Dr. Emer adds a TCA touch, and you can watch the white frost form on camera.

Eczema and pigmentation are inflammation

This patient has a history of eczema and some pigmentation. Dr. Emer reads both as inflammation, and that changes the plan. The lasers remove inflamed and damaged skin cells, and the skin remodels into healthy skin and collagen.

Before any laser, her skin was primed with a light peel using the practice's own products. Nothing in this plan is improvised.

What it really feels like

Dr. Emer rates Halo a three or four out of ten. She called it a five. Instead of heavy nerve blocks, which make people swell more and add downtime, the team re-applies numbing cream between passes, a technique Dr. Emer says is not taught in textbooks and works better than lidocaine soaked gauze.

For the deeper ProFractional pass, which usually hurts a little more, she chose to add nerve blocks. And Dr. Emer has Halo himself every four months. He admits it hurts. He also says the result is worth it.

Always treat the neck

Dr. Emer always treats the neck, especially on younger patients, for sun damage, wrinkles and tightening. A smooth face above an older looking neck is the giveaway he refuses to leave behind.

After the lasers, a facial and a calming mask start the healing. Settings, sessions and downtime are set for each patient in consultation. What have you been told about your skin? Bring that question to Dr. Emer.