In the third and final installment of our series featuring the winners of the 2023 Beauty Awards, LJC’s aesthetic nurse specialist Brittany Haley, known by many as the Queen of Lasers, gives us the lowdown on the winning treatments that we have available at our La Jolla and Carlsbad medical spas.
From improving skin quality to targeting stubborn fat pockets, non-surgical med spa treatments are each designed to treat specific concerns. Brittany talks us through the most important details about the award-winning treatments, including:
- Cost
- How many treatments you need
- What concerns they address
- Best candidates
- When you’ll see results
- Best time of year to get them
Learn about the following New Beauty award-winning treatments from a specialist who uses them everyday at LJC to keep patients looking and feeling their best:
- CoolSculpting
- Morpheus8 radiofrequency microneedling
- Ultherapy
- HALO laser skin resurfacing
- MOXI laser
- HydraFacial
- DiamondGlow
Please request your free consultation online or call La Jolla Cosmetic, San Diego, at (858) 788-7989 for more
Learn more about CoolSculpting Elite at LJC
Learn more about Morpheus8 RF microneedling
Learn more about Ultherapy
Learn more about HALO laser skin resurfacing
Learn more about MOXI laser skin revitalization
Learn more about HydraFacial MD and DiamondGlow
Book your appointment at our La Jolla or Carlsbad med spa
Listen to our previous episode, “Sandra’s Story – How We Reversed Decades of Sun Damage”
Listen to parts 1, 2, and 3 of our series on LJC plastic surgeon Dr. Luke Swistun’s HALO experience
Hear parts 1 and 2 of Corey Dylan’s Ultherapy experience
Transcript
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Speaker 1 (00:07):
You are listening to The La Jolla Cosmetic Podcast.
Monique Ramsey (00:14):
Welcome back to the third and final installment of our series on New Beauty’s, Best of Beauty Award Winners. So we have save the best for last of course. And welcome back to the podcast, please Ms. Brittany Haley, it’s so good to see you again.
Brittany Haley (00:32):
You too. Thanks for having me.
Monique Ramsey (00:34):
So we’re gonna cover six different treatments today, Brittany, and you’re gonna give us the lowdown on all of them and then we’ll close out sort of with the cost of each treatment as well. So, and whether, you know, you can do that at La Jolla or Carlsbad. So we’ll talk about each of these, these winners in the devices category. So how’s that sound?
Brittany Haley (00:55):
That sounds perfect.
Monique Ramsey (00:57):
Good. Okay. So there’s two body treatments that we’re gonna talk about and four face treatments in this group of laser and energy device winners. So let’s start with the body and then we’ll move on to the face. So the first winner in the is in the category of non-invasive fat reduction and it’s the super popular CoolSculpting elite. So tell us Brittany A. Little bit about this really popular treatment and you know, what it is and sort of why it works.
Brittany Haley (01:26):
Absolutely. So CoolSculpting is our completely non-invasive device for fat reduction. Specifically it works by cryo lipolysis. So it’s basically a spot treatment using specialized applicators that we fit onto different pockets of fat on the body and then it uses cooling to freeze the fat cells and then, and you know, they break up and reabsorb. So, uh, one treatment will reduce about 25 to 30% of the fat cells that it can hold in its applicator. And then super important, CoolSculpting has been around for a couple years, but it’s also gone through many, many upgrades. The first machines we had early in 2014, um, they had an upgrade again in 2017. They had one in since then. And then the latest upgrade um, happened recently and it’s called the CoolSculpt Elite. And it is elite for many, many reasons. Not only has the treatment time been reduced to be a lot quicker, they have actually redone the cup of the applicator to make it a little bit more of a gentler C shape rather than a long U shape, which means that the machine doesn’t have to put as much suction on on the area to pull the fat up and it treats actually a bigger surface area quickly and safer.
(02:47)
So we found with these new applicators, they’re more effective, they treat larger areas and they have much, much reduced complications. So very safe treatment.
Monique Ramsey (02:57):
That’s good. So now as far as on the body, like where can you treat on the body?
Brittany Haley (03:05):
Many areas, anywhere that you can pinch or that is a spot treatment you can effectively treat. Most popular areas are definitely abdomen, bra line areas. We have applicators that also can treat flat areas. You can treat outer thighs, inner thighs, and then we even have a small applicator that treats little pockets of fat under the chin in the axillary area and then even on the tops of the knees. So a vast amount of areas. One limitation is that it can’t treat circumferentially so it can’t treat all the way in around in a circle. So if you aren’t sure about that, I’d recommend scheduling a consult or talking with one of our coordinators to see if it is an area that you can treat. But most areas that people are concerned about we can treat.
Monique Ramsey (03:52):
Does it also do arms?
Brittany Haley (03:54):
Yes, absolutely. And we have a few different sizes. So we do really customize the treatment for arms. I just had one yesterday. Yep. And I did two different sizes on each of her arms ’cause she had a, a couple different areas of fat pockets. But it is an awesome treatment for arms. So very popular area.
Monique Ramsey (04:13):
And is it a procedure that could be helpful for a wide variety of people? Like who’s a good candidate?
Brittany Haley (04:20):
Yes, being a good candidate you do have to have enough fat to pinch an inch. And so if you have less fat than that, you probably aren’t a candidate to have fat reduction in the first place. If you are extremely obese, it may not be the best treatment for you. And other than that, I mean mo most people are a candidate to have the treatment done.
Monique Ramsey (04:41):
And how many treatments would you recommend for one area? Is it like arms, you get two and tummy you get four? Or how do you guys come up with the right number of treatments?
Brittany Haley (04:52):
Great question. And um, it really varies per person and how much fat you have. So that one you do need to schedule a consult for. And during the consultation we actually do, we pinch the fat, we assess it, we determine how many treatments that it will take. In some cases I have patients who see a, do see a good result with one treatment. But I would say on average most people do two treatments to the area.
Monique Ramsey (05:16):
And then how long does it take to see results? Like if you’ve got a plan ahead for you’re trying to get into a little black dress or something Yeah, for an event, like what, how far ahead should you be planning?
Brittany Haley (05:28):
This is another advantage of the Elite system is people do see results faster. I have some patients tell me they see thinning of the fat pad sometimes as soon as two weeks and by six weeks you definitely see a change. But full result can take eight to 12 weeks. So if you have a little beach soriee you’re planning for, I would probably give yourself a good two to three months before.
Monique Ramsey (05:49):
Okay. So get started, and then is that fat removal permanent?
Brittany Haley (05:54):
It is permanent. So once we have destroyed a fat cell, it is permanently gone and it will not come back.
Monique Ramsey (06:01):
I love that. we Yeah,
Brittany Haley (06:02):
That’s a good thing.
Monique Ramsey (06:04):
That’s a really good thing. So for the audience, the cost of a CoolSculpting treatment here at La Jolla cosmetic starts at $750 per area per applicator. So let’s pretend you’re doing your arms, you’ve got two arms and you might have two applicators, you might have four applicators. That’s where the consult comes in with Brittany or any of our other providers. But that is our, that kind of the list price. So if you’re a member of our glam fam, our glam fam members get better pricing all year round. We do package pricing. So sort of if you know, okay I’m gonna do these four areas and I’m, it might take two or three sessions, then we can help you come up with a package price. So that brings that cost way down for you. So one other thing to mention, if you are a member of Alle Rewards, which is part of the Allergan program for their members, you get discounts on Botox and Lattice and SkinMedica and Diamond Glow and the Juvederm products and also CoolSculpting that’s part of that same family. So you earn their sometimes different rewards and you also, when you’re making purchases within that family, then it’s going into your account to give you bonus money back or money towards something else that you might be thinking of having. So that’s a really, really good benefit and another way to sort of double dip your savings. So before we move on to the next body treatment winner, is there anything Brittany, that I might have missed or you might have wanted to add before we head out of CoolSculpting?
Brittany Haley (07:42):
No. What I’m excited about and we’re gonna dive into this with the next question, is other things we can combine with CoolSculpting. So we’ll kind of lead into that with our next subject.
Monique Ramsey (07:51):
I’m excited about this and I think I might know what you’re talking about. So the other body treatment winner, getting the best of beauty award in the category of microneedling treatment for the body is Morpheus8. So first Brittany, tell us a little bit about microneedling and what it’s used for and then how Morpheus8 maybe makes it better than normal or ordinary microneedling.
Brittany Haley (08:16):
Absolutely and I’m, I’m really loving this treatment, I’m really excited about it. So microneedling, really what it means is we’re using physical microneedles, so very tiny needles to put a very controlled little needle prick into the skin. Um, and then our body responds to that by building collagen. It activates the healing response to help with skin quality, skin health, smoothing of fine lines, pores, all of that. But with microneedling radio frequency and Morpheus is the device that we have this not only is it putting in the needles when they go in, it’s submitting a surge of electric energy. So radio frequency. So when you put in that micro injury and submit heat, what happens is the skin contracts more so we get more results with skin tightening. And morpho sate in particular has a body hand tip that goes to a depth of seven millimeters into the skin.
(09:14)
And in addition to that, this tip on Morpheus, it’s called Morpheus 3 D, it has a larger spot size of needles and it has the ability to put pulses into three different depths and submit energy into each of these pulses with each basically hand stamp. So that means you’re getting treatment and three depths of your skin all at once, which is amazing when it comes to timing of the procedure. So the procedure is very quick. We’re able to hit multiple layers very quickly. It goes deep enough at that level to do some restructuring of the fat cells so you can get a little bit of tightening and reduction of fat. And at the same time what you’re getting is this massive burst of skin tightening. So this device is just really shining on the body. I’ve seen some incredible results, especially in the abdominal area for those who have a little bit of loose skin, especially postpartum or after children or even with age, you know when our skin quality isn’t the same, this is definitely a transformative treatment in that area.
Monique Ramsey (10:22):
And so you kind of alluded to the fact that maybe it could be combined with CoolSculpting Elite and how would that work?
Brittany Haley (10:28):
Absolutely and I had just a phenomenal result just recently with this combination. And so when we’re doing an assessment we’re assessing for pockets of fat and where they are and then also quality of the skin On top of that, if you remove fat and the skin is poor quality it will cause more rippling of the skin and look worse potentially. So when we have an area where we do have some fat pockets and we wanna get rid of those fat pockets, we also are worried about skin quality. The combination of CoolSculpting with Morpheus is really, really powerful. So you can spot treat those areas that need the fat reduction in particular with CoolSculpt and then quickly come in with Morpheus to tighten that skin on top of it. And it really is providing a phenomenal result in this matter. And also maybe patients who weren’t, we weren’t sure about CoolSculpting because they did have some skin laxity, this could help make them a candidate.
Monique Ramsey (11:23):
I’m thinking about inner thighs. Is this something that might be good for the inner thighs? Because I know that a lot of us will have extra fat there, but then if you, like you said, if you took that away, will the skin be able to be tight enough? Would this be a good spot for the Morpheus8?
Brittany Haley (11:41):
Yes. So with Morpheus8 there is no limitation to where we can treat, we can treat anywhere on the body, we don’t have to worry about spot treating, we can treat circumferentially, we can treat all the way around the thigh, all the way around the leg. And so there’s um, no limit to what area of the body you can treat.
Monique Ramsey (12:01):
So in terms of any patient stories that you can think of where you were just talking about one where it was CoolSculpting and the Morpheus8, like what body parts have you seen really good results in that combo?
Brittany Haley (12:17):
I’ll say where I’ve really just seen this as a slam dunk is the abdomen. And I just feel like that’s just such a common issue with women and having this device allows us to treat such a bigger spectrum of patients that have a little bit of that laxity and wanna do a treatment. They wanna avoid a tummy tuck at all costs. And so this is something that is a game changer for that demographic.
Monique Ramsey (12:42):
Yeah, that sounds really cool. Now the Morpheus8, is that something that you could have today and go to the beach in a couple days or what’s the recovery like and and when do you start to see results?
Brittany Haley (12:58):
The recovery with Morpheus is quick but there is a little bit of recovery time with microneedling because we are using tiny little needles right after the treatment place place you will see a reaction in the skin, you’re gonna see some things happening, you’ll see some redness, some swelling, sometimes even some tiny, tiny little bits of pinprick bleeding in some spots. What’s amazing is how fast that resolves in 24 hours. So 24 hours later the majority of the redness clears on the body. Though it is common to have a little bit of a light grid mark where the pulses have gone in for 10 to 14 days on average they pretty much are gone by 10 to 14 days. So you’d want about a two week period before you had to be out in a bathing suit, sun exposure, that kind of thing. Um, and as far as results, I have seen evidence that you could be seeing reduction in like fat pad loss as early as two weeks and then the results with skin tightening do take a little bit of time. Normally by six weeks we’re definitely seeing some changes and best result is at 12 weeks.
Monique Ramsey (14:02):
Oh nice. Okay. And then how long would the results last? Is this something you have to do again in another time or do you do it in like a series or you know give us an idea of what that looks like.
Brittany Haley (14:17):
Absolutely. So we do typically recommend a series of three treatments. Sometimes I am surprised by the results I see even from one, but we are recommending a series of three, six to eight weeks apart. The results on the skin don’t go away. It’s not a treatment like Botox where the product is out of your skin and gone in three months. What it does is permanently set you back in time. So although we can’t stop our clocks in terms of aging of the skin, it will set you back multiple years in skin quality and then maintenance I recommend generally once a year.
Monique Ramsey (14:51):
Okay. And then would that be another series of three once a year or maybe just a touch up?
Brittany Haley (14:56):
Usually just a touch up. So one treatment.
Monique Ramsey (14:58):
Okay. And even though we’ve been talking today about the Morpheus8 for the body, you do use that in the face as well. And we have um, we have upcoming a live event where we’re gonna be featuring everything you need to know about the Morpheus8. And so I’ll put in the show notes a link so you can register for that. And it’s an on demand event too, so if you can’t make it to the live event, you still register and we send you a link and you can listen at your leisure. So before we move on to the next thing, I just wanna let everybody know that the Morpheus eight treatment at La Jolla Cosmetics starts at $850. We again have that better pricing through the glam so that you know, would come down depending on you know, what areas they’ll let you know at your consult, kind of what you’d be looking at.
(15:52)
And then we use cherry financing and they are great if you wanna spread your treatment payments over time. So that’s something else we have on our website, a financing calculator and pre-approval super easy. So I highly recommend that Now in our Morpheus8, you need to go to our Carlsbad location, which if you haven’t been there yet, it’s absolutely exquisite if you’re gonna have a wonderful treatment in a beautiful surrounding up there, just like at La Jolla. So moving on to the face. So I’m combining the next two winners together and there are two of the best facials you can get anywhere. Absolutely. And so winning the award for the best exfoliating facial is the diamond glow and winning in the category of hydrating facial is the HydraFacial. And we have both of those technologies in our office. So Brittany, I know you’re, you’re not an aesthetician so you’re, you’re working with the lasers and a whole bunch of other things. So have you had either of these facials before?
Brittany Haley (16:57):
I have and I, I personally am a huge fan of the HydraFacial. It’s my very favorite facial treatment and both of these facials are medical grade facials done with a device. And so they’re just going to offer you more in terms of results with your skin than in traditional facial. And our wonderful estheticians also make you feel very relaxed during the treatment, which is another bonus. But the HydraFacial really stands out for its ability to use a device to infuse hyaluronic serum into the skin so that sealing and water to your skin and really um, just giving you that fresh glow. Your skin looks amazing immediately after it looks even better the next day and it is still customized to your individual needs. So our do a great job of this of you know, finding out what bothers you, is it a little bit of acne, hyperpigmentation, that kind of thing. And are there spots where you’re really dry or really or um, need more exfoliation and they customize it complete to your needs? HydraFacial is is definitely my favorite uh, facial treatment that we offer here.
Monique Ramsey (18:04):
And I am also a big fan of HydraFacial but I did have the DiamondGlow and so the DiamondGlow is very similar because it’s extracting and infusing and doing all these great things and it uses a diamond tip so it can help exfoliate and it also will infuse the different serums and you can customize that and that’s part of that Allergan family again. So you can earn some rewards while while you’re busy getting your glow on. And both of those are, you know, in the $225 to $300 range. It depends on which infusions you choose, et cetera. ’cause they can all be customized and, and I think our aestheticians doing a beautiful job of really, you know, we have more than one technology sometimes that might work for somebody. And so you know, if they have to pull from this machine or that machine, they’re gonna make it customized for you and help you get to that skincare goal.
(19:01)
And really they like to have a good consultation with you before you start so they can make sure they’re really addressing all the things that you’re trying to get the goals you have for your skin. And these facials take, you know, less than an hour, it’s very nice. It’s, you know, it’s not a foo foo facial, it’s not like you’re getting a massage , you’re really having a medical grade treatment. And I think Brittany, that’s something that, you know, you see you do a lot of combination treatments right with with the aestheticians and then your laser patients.
Brittany Haley (19:34):
Skincare is a huge part of it and I’ll make treatment plans for patients where we’re alternating, you know, a laser treatment with an exploitating facial and that kind of thing. And I will add too that our master session Cameron Vessey is actually a national trainer for DiamondGlow. So quite a big honor and um, pretty cool that we have her our practice.
Monique Ramsey (19:54):
Yeah, exactly. Now our next category winner is in the category of nonsurgical skin tightener and this winner is some a technology that we’ve had since we opened, which is called Ultherapy. So Brittany, tell us a little bit about Ultherapy, what does it do and who’s it good for?
Brittany Haley (20:14):
Absolutely. So Ultherapy um, is a skin tightening device non-surgical that uses ultrasound to help us visualize different layers of the skin and then put an ultrasound pulse into the appropriate layer. So we are able to put a little pulse down into the dermal layer and then also into the epidermals layer of the skin. So two layers and it is more of a one or two time treatment treatments results are seen early, you can see ’em sometimes as early as two weeks. And this is also a treatment that is safe to do year round because it does not make you photo sensitive to the sun. So this is a fabulous summertime treatment. My patients are thrilled with this treatment. It really stands out on the neck jawline, upper face as well. You can do some nice things with the brow and there is absolutely no downtime. So that makes it just a really nice option.
Monique Ramsey (21:09):
You did it for me way back when did I know it’s had a lot of, I know it’s had a lot of upgrades since then It has. ’cause this is literally 10 years ago but I went to a meeting, I had a meeting for a committee I was on that night and I felt a little bit puffy and, but nobody there had any clue like of course I opened my mouth, I’m like I had this treatment today . And they’re like what . But yeah and I think one of the best things that we’ve added for treatments like this because it was a little uncomfortable for me . So we now have the pronox and some things where that can really help make it a more comfortable treatment than, you know, it was 10 years ago. So we have some, absolutely there’s been improvements in the technology too, right?
Brittany Haley (21:53):
Technology, handpiece improvement, and then also just methods and and areas that we do. Techniques have evolved since then where we’re really doing a very precise treatment. We’ve learned more about reading the ultrasound on the device and making sure that we’re targeting the energy in the right place. And we do offer the pronox which is definitely a game changer. So we are be able to make the treatment very, very comfortable.
Monique Ramsey (22:19):
And Ultherapy, you know you were talking about face and neck but I think you can do it on the body too, isn’t that right?
Brittany Haley (22:25):
You can, the chest is another area that is popular for those, you know, lines, sleep lines in the middle of the chest. I’ve done small areas on knees and backs, that kind of thing. But the place where it really shines in my opinion definitely is the neck.
Monique Ramsey (22:42):
And then how long does it take to get that the result that you might say okay it, you know, however many weeks or do you feel it right away?
Brittany Haley (22:52):
It’s similar to other, you know, nonsurgical, skin tightening devices where you may see some changes as early as two weeks, but you’re gonna see your best result at 12 weeks.
Monique Ramsey (23:03):
Okay. And then is it okay for all skin types or colors of skin?
Brittany Haley (23:08):
It’s, it’s safe for all skin types all year round
Monique Ramsey (23:12):
And I remember, I know they don’t have her as the face of Ultherapy anymore, but Christie Brinkley is like the best walking advertisement. I mean obviously she has great genes but she really had a beautiful result. And I think what I love about Ultherapy is the fact that first of all there’s no telltale signs you’ve had anything done. So if you wanna keep it on the down low you can. If you’re a man, same thing. You know, you’re not having scars or anything else that’s kind of gonna give away that you had a treatment and it’s natural, it’s building that collagen slowly over time. It’s a natural result And I think a lot of people really like that.
Brittany Haley (23:53):
I think that’s a huge, a huge yeah attractive thing about the treatment is it’s, it’s natural. It’s building your own collagen from just an ultrasound pulse. We’re not injecting anything into your skin. There’s no cutting, no scars. So completely non-invasive and something that you look, you know, you look better and no one can really tell you what you did or, or can tell they just know you look better.
Monique Ramsey (24:16):
Yeah. And is that something that you also combine with other procedures for some people?
Brittany Haley (24:22):
Absolutely. And like I was saying we see great results with Ultherapy on the neck and the jawline and we do have a CoolSculpting applicant that does fit under the chin. So if you do need that fat reduction and skin tightening as well, you can combine those treatments for a great result. And I do sometimes also combine it with the last treatment that we’ll be talking about. So we’ll talk more about that in just a minute.
Monique Ramsey (24:47):
That’s a good segue. And then last, is Ultherapy something, I mean I’m sure just like getting our hair done , I’m gonna say like do you have to do it again? But you know, a lot of times we do think like is this a one and done? Is this a series or do you have it like once every few years? What is kind of the treatment plan I guess?
Brittany Haley (25:07):
The plan is once a year. Our skin is an ever changing organ and so you’ll see nice changes but it’s something that we probably should have done once a year to maintain.
Monique Ramsey (25:19):
Okay. Lastly, is there anybody who is not a good candidate for Ultherapy? Are there any medical conditions or anything that would keep someone from being a good candidate?
Brittany Haley (25:30):
There are uh, just a few that um, would make someone not a good candidate and that would be just, you know, so much excess skin that they really are a surgical candidate where they’re not gonna see a, you know, a huge improvement from Ultherapy. And that’s something we can definitely tell you at a consultation and then some autoimmune conditions and you know, if you have a lot of major health issues, this treatment does rely on your healing response to give you those results. So if you’re taking something to suppress your immune system, it may not be the best treatment for you.
Monique Ramsey (26:03):
Ah, interesting. Now two things I wanna tell everybody is kind of the cost is starts around $1,100, $1,150. Again we have financing available. It does depend on which areas you’re having treated. If you’re just doing your face or face and neck or face, neck, chest, you know all of that’s gonna change your treatment cost. And of course that’s glam FAMs gonna give you a better price because you’re gonna get that special 15% off automatically and sometimes up to 20% depending on how many areas that you might be putting together. And then again, financing is a great way to, you know, make this like a reality next week because again, like Brittany said, it’s an all year long treatment. You know, you could have it during the middle of summer and still be healing and then enjoying your results as you get closer to the fall and the holidays.
(26:59)
So the other thing I wanted to say is we’ll put a link in the show notes. We did a live event which is now on demand last summer, all about Ultherapy. So it’s like soup to nuts, everything you need to know, lots of before and after pictures, lots of great information. So we’ll put a link to that as well. And we had Corey Dillon who’s on a big 100 fm, she had it done last year and so we have some of her treatment in that on demand session. You’ll see some of her treatment. We have a video, she also posted about it and we also had her on the podcast talking about it. So she was a really big fan because you know, even though she’s in radio, her face is all over social media and she does her live casts and so, you know, she wants to kind of do something to keep age away and she chose all therapy and she really liked it. So the last winner for the new beauty awards is a total multitasking laser and that’s what it won for. It’s the HALO laser, which you may remember from our annual Mother’s Day contest. Give your mom a HALO. So let’s talk Brittany about HALO and why this is like the winner in the multitasking laser category.
Brittany Haley (28:20):
This is my, one of my favorite treatments and um, definitely agree with the the category of wet winning multitasking because HALO is a laser that can do so many things. It is a wonderful treatment for hyperpigmentation wrinkles, pores scars, surgical scars. There’s just such a wide variety of things that can be helped with HALO. Most of the time it’s used for hyperpigmentation of the skin, fine lines, wrinkles, that kind of thing. But I’ve used it as well on things like stretch marks, wide variety of scars and seeing, you know, wonderful results with this laser.
Monique Ramsey (29:01):
And you are the laser queen , you’re a national trainer for Sciton, am I right?
Brittany Haley (29:07):
Yes. And this is one of ton’s devices so it is one of my favorite of course.
Monique Ramsey (29:13):
. And we did do an episode on the podcast entitled Sandra’s Story, how We Reverse Decades of Sun damage. And I highly recommend to the audience that you listen if you’re thinking about doing a HALO because she has a great story and I think you’ll find that really helpful to hear it from somebody who’s, who’s gone through it and is sort of a, an advocate for how it has helped her over the years. And we’ll put that link in the show notes. So we were talking about summertime treatment. So is HALO, is HALO something you could do in the summer or something you’d rather wait till another part of the year?
Brittany Haley (29:50):
So HALO is a laser resurfacing device that does make you more photo sensitive and so summertime may not be the right time for everyone. Something where you do wanna be very careful in the sun for you know, two weeks prior and about six weeks after your treatment. However, I do see many teachers who have summers off and that kind of thing who do do this treatment in the summer. So it can be done as long as you’re compliant. So hat and sunscreen, which we all should do anyways, you could do this treatment anytime. But typically most patients plan to do this treatment in the cooler months. This treatment is one of the best ones that I know of to help reverse sun damage. So it will treat actinic keratosis so precancerous and benign sunspots. And so we definitely don’t wanna be out there reversing any progress we’ve made from the laser while we’re in that laser interim process.
Monique Ramsey (30:47):
And what would be the downside? Like if, is it just ’cause you’re much more sensitive so that if you get some sun would you be more likely to have a reaction or get a brown spot or what would happen?
Brittany Haley (31:02):
One of the risks with laser treatments in general is something called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. And so this is when you’ve done a treatment, whether it’s a laser or other device treatments as well and you go out in the sun and it could trigger your skin to hyper pigment. So to make more pigment. So we definitely wouldn’t wanna be doing laser at a time when we know you’re gonna have planned sun exposure in that first six week timing.
Monique Ramsey (31:29):
Yeah, and I remember Cameron talking about, she was talking about the perfect derma peel and she was talking about melasma and I remember her saying something that I had never known which had to do with heat and that at really hot times of year your body can be stimulated from a pigment point of view. Did I get that right?
Brittany Haley (31:49):
No, it is right. So melasma, so hormonal hyperpigmentation, it can be triggered by heat as well as sun. And so, you know, do you wanna be careful keeping your skin cool especially immediately post-treatment avoiding, you know, saunas and steam rooms and sources of excessive heat for a short time period.
Monique Ramsey (32:11):
And then sort of is the recovery like give us a kind of a timeline of, and actually we, and I’m asking the question and I’m already thinking about some answer of it, but Dr. Swiston had the HALO last year. Yes. And he posted his, he posted every single day what he looked like.
Brittany Haley (32:29):
I love that.
Monique Ramsey (32:29):
So yeah and I, he was really swollen and sort of red the next morning. I mean really he goes on, I didn’t prop myself up, I probably should have done that when I was sleeping. Mm. But you know, he had it I think on a Thursday maybe and on Monday he’s back to work and he looked great. So it was like a five day. Is that for most people about a
Brittany Haley (32:48):
That’s very typical. I tell, I tell most patients, you know, if you do the treatment on a Thursday, you’re gonna be comfortable going back to normal routine probably on Monday it’s really the first three days where you do have some swelling, I’m gonna be a little red, your skin actually feels like very light sandpaperish texture and you see it pull up the sunspot. So it’s very rewarding. But it’s a couple days where you may wanna be indoors and away from public eye for a, a little bit Swelling varies a lot per person, so it’s not something we can always predict. But what we do know is that on day three it’s really a turnaround point. So usually by day three the swelling subsiding, we do allow you to wear some clean makeup on day three. So returning back to normal schedule is pretty doable for most people.
Monique Ramsey (33:36):
Oh that’s good. That’s good. How long do you start to see a result after the treatment?
Brittany Haley (33:44):
At the week point you already see vast improvements with pigmentation. So that’s like your immediate reward like oh my gosh all these spots have come off at a week. It looks my, you know, the color’s beautiful. And then over the next 12 weeks you’ll see results with improvement of texture of skin. So it’s smoothing of pores and fine lines and tightening of skin. Those results take a little bit more time to see, you’ll see some nice signs of them by four to six weeks and you’ll see best result at 12 weeks.
Monique Ramsey (34:13):
And then I remember Cameron talking about something like the post hydration facial or post laser hydration. What, what do you have your patients do after their treatment?
Brittany Haley (34:28):
Yes, absolutely. And this is where, I mean working with our aestheticians and and device treatments, they come so close in hand and we really have nailed down just a wonderful system for our patients here where we take you from consultation to your 12 week point post laser. Typically after treatment I follow up with patients very closely, emailing pictures, that kind of thing. And then they come in for their first in-person follow up at two weeks and at that appointment we get a first set of progress photos, we can see nice results with pigment at that point already. And then they have an appointment with our aesthetician to hydrate their skin and to get on skincare. So I highly encourage patients to bring in their own skincare products or we’ll customize a system especially for their concerns to get them on good skincare and protect their investment. So we make that super easy, Cameron writes down the regimen for you and then helps incorporate your own skincare products and then we wanna see you back ideally for a medical grade facial, you know, around the six week mark so we can get another set of progress photos. And then we’ve given you the tools that you need to keep your skin in shape to maintain these results long term.
Monique Ramsey (35:41):
Yeah, that’s really your, your phrase about protecting your investment. That’s a huge one because there are, you know, these things are an investment but using good skincare products, having a good regimen is gonna make that la your, your results really last. And is this something that again, is that a one and done or is it, you know, a series or how often do people typically get them done?
Brittany Haley (36:07):
So HALO’s such a customized treatment. Um, I do also combine it with many other things depending on particular needs. I will do specific treatments to add on treatment for broken capillaries or sebaceous hyperplasia or things on the skin. And so it’s something where you really need to have a customized consult. Typically for pigmentation one treatment may be enough for those who need a big improvement with texture and acne scarring. I usually do recommend two treatments and then a maintenance treatment once a year.
Monique Ramsey (36:40):
Okay. And then the cost of that is starts at $1,800. Again, that’s the list price, not the glam fam price. And again, this is where that cherry financing comes in because you really can take, you know, get all the areas done that you wanna do and heal one time rather than doing your face. And then I’ll do my neck in a couple months like no , get it all done together and um, you’ll have a nice blended result. And then by using financing, if that’s something you want, you can pay over time. And I think that’s a really nice way to kind of take these procedures that end up being a tiny bit more costly and being, making them really cost effective and budget friendly. And this is something that, you know, we don’t have every device at both locations, but certainly many of the ones we talked about we do have in both locations and, and HALO is one of those that we have in La Jolla or Carlsbad, right? Brittany?
Brittany Haley (37:35):
It is. I can add on that. So just in terms of location, no HALO is one that we have at both locations as is CoolSculpting. Ultherapy is available at our La Jolla location. And Morpheus8 is located at our Carlsbad location.
Monique Ramsey (37:50):
Yeah. And that, that makes it kind of fun ’cause we get around, we get up and down the freeway. Oh yeah. I wanted to ask you about MOXI because isn’t, and MOXI wasn’t an award winner, but tell me about HALO by MOXI or MOXI by HALO or whatever it’s a combo or something.
Brittany Haley (38:08):
Definitely. You know what, um, so MOXI is a newer laser and I, I kind of call it sometimes a baby HALO. You know, if you’re not quite there, you’re not ready to do something that has, you know, a few days of puffiness and swelling. MOXI’s a great one for you to kind of start with. And it’s wonderful for pigmentation. It’s a little bit easier to do in summer months. It’s wonderful for melasma, it’s safe for all skin types. It’s a quicker treatment. It’s very comfortable with just some numbing cream. It’s a great treatment for rejuvenation. So for those younger patients as well who want some polishing and some pigment off, really don’t need, um, something like the HALO yet. That’s a great way to do, you know, a, a nice treatment that’s a little bit less intense.
Monique Ramsey (38:53):
Mm-hmm . And do we have the MOXI at both, both locations as well?
Brittany Haley (38:58):
We have MOXI at our La Jolla location.
Monique Ramsey (38:59):
At La Jolla. Okay. Now Brittany, you go work at Carlsbad and La Jolla, is that right?
Brittany Haley (39:05):
I do, I do. Yeah.
Monique Ramsey (39:06):
You do. , We share the wealth you get go everywhere.
Brittany Haley (39:09):
I love our Carlsbad location. Um, I am there every Wednesday and so I still am in La Jolla Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. Um, but I love my Carlsbad Wednesdays, you know, it’s a beautiful neighborhood LaCosta, so it’s so nice and a lovely building, very easy to park, very quick in and out and just very spacious and just beautiful inside. I mean that patient lounge is so pretty. Yes.
Monique Ramsey (39:35):
It really is pretty. We have a special place for you know, people to have their numbing cream and just prep in a lovely little relaxing spot. So I think we covered everything and thanks everybody for listening and thank you Brittany, for sharing your wealth of knowledge. I just love talking to you about all these devices because you have so much experience with them and obviously being a national trainer for Sciton that you know, people are getting to have your knowledge shared all around the country, but you know, we get the benefit of you treating our patients. So that’s a really wonderful thing. Yeah, thanks for coming my, I know you’re always so busy, it’s hard to get you on the podcast. So , thank you for giving us the time today.
Brittany Haley (40:20):
Of course.
Monique Ramsey (40:21):
And for the audience out there, don’t miss our first two episodes where we’re talking about the other new beauty award winners. Check your show notes for links to everything we talked about today. We did talk about a lot of things, but there’s a lot of good things in there. And again, thanks Brittany, it’s always such a treat to have you. Thank you. Alright everybody, we’ll talk to you later.
Speaker 2 (40:46):
Take a screenshot of this podcast episode with your phone and show it at your consultation or appointment or mention the promo code PODCAST to receive $25 off any service or product of $50 or more at La Jolla Cosmetic. La Jolla Cosmetic is located just off the I-5 San Diego Freeway in the XiMed building on the Scripps Memorial Hospital campus. To learn more, go to lj csc.com or follow the team on Instagram @ljcsc. The La Jolla Cosmetic Podcast is a production of The Axis, t h e a x i s. io.