Halo Laser
Halo puts two laser depths into one pass. Eye shields are worn throughout.
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Dermapedia / CompareProcedures
Halo Laser vs Microneedling
Halo is the one for colour. It is a laser that resurfaces the top of the skin, so sun spots, uneven tone, dullness and fine lines all improve, usually in one or two sessions with about a week of peeling. Microneedling is the one for texture. It has the stronger evidence for acne scars and rough skin, and it uses no light, which makes it the safer starting point on deeper skin tones. No trial has compared the two.
At a glance
| The difference | Halo Laser | Microneedling |
|---|---|---|
| What it is best at | Sun spots, uneven tone, dullness | Acne scars and rough texture |
| How long until it works | About a week, then a few more | Four to six weeks per session |
| Downtime | Redness, then about a week of peeling | One to three days looking sunburnt |
| Cost | Fewer visits, a larger bill each | Less per visit, more visits |
| The recovery is not the same kind of recovery | Halo gives you a peeling week. | Microneedling gives you a few pink days. |
Microneedling
A microneedling pen makes tiny channels in the skin. Needle depth is set for the area being treated.
Side by side
The differences that matter
What touches your skin
Halo Laser
Light, in thousands of tiny columns
Halo is a hybrid laser. In one pass it removes a little surface skin in some columns and heats deeper in others, leaving untreated skin in between to heal the rest.
Microneedling
Steel needles, no light at all
A motorised pen makes thousands of channels into the dermis, the layer where collagen is made. Repairing them builds new collagen.
What it is best at
Halo Laser
Sun spots, uneven tone, dullness
Colour is the main job. Fine lines and the general glossiness of the skin improve alongside it.
Microneedling
Acne scars and rough texture
Rolling and boxcar acne scars, open pores and roughness. Deep, narrow icepick scars improve least.
Conditions treated
Microneedling
Ice Pick Scars
Narrow and deep, like a puncture. A needle passing over the surface cannot reach the bottom of the tract. These need TCA CROSS, punch excision, or a laser.
1 / 10→
Stretch Marks
Fine needles make controlled micro-injuries that prompt new collagen in the scarred layer. Improvement is modest and needs a course of sessions, but it carries a lower risk of leaving dark marks than lasers do, which makes it the more sensible first device on deeper skin tones. It works on both red and white marks.
←2 / 10→
Acne Scarring
Fine needles injure the skin just enough to trigger new collagen. It does most for rolling and shallow boxcar scars, and very little for icepick ones. It is the gentlest of the resurfacing options, which also makes it the slowest — expect four to six sessions and judge it at a year, not at a month.
←3 / 10→
Male Pattern Hair Loss
Fine needles rolled or stamped into the scalp, used alongside minoxidil rather than instead of it. The small trials that exist favor the combination over minoxidil alone. Sessions are spaced weeks apart, and doing it too often or too deeply irritates the scalp without adding anything.
←4 / 10→
Wrinkles and Fine Lines
Fine needles make controlled injuries that prompt the skin to lay down collagen. Improvement in fine lines and texture is modest and builds over three to six sessions. Its advantage here is a lower risk of pigment problems on deeper skin tones than lasers or deep peels carry, which makes it a common first choice.
←5 / 10→
Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation
Fine needles make controlled channels that help topical treatments penetrate and encourage the skin to remodel. It is mainly a scarring treatment, and its effect on pigment alone is small. It is a reasonable choice when true scars and dark marks sit together, but it can inflame reactive skin, so conservative depths are used on deeper skin tones.
←6 / 10→
Melasma
Fine needles make temporary channels that help tranexamic acid or other treatments reach deeper, and that combination is where the evidence sits — not needling on its own. It has to be done gently. Aggressive needling inflames the skin, and inflamed skin with active pigment cells makes more pigment, not less.
←7 / 10→
Dark Circles Under the Eyes
Thickens the skin slightly over a course of sessions, which can make the vessels underneath a little less visible. The evidence around the eye is thin and the change is subtle. It will not fill a hollow, and on deeper skin tones it carries its own risk of leaving marks, so it is not a first choice here.
←8 / 10→
Rolling Scars
←9 / 10→
Boxcar Scars
←10 / 10
What it will not do
Halo Laser
It will not lift loose skin
The energy is concentrated near the surface. A soft jawline is not its job.
Microneedling
It will not even out colour
Needling works on the shape of the skin, not its colour. Brown patches stay where they are.
Related topic illustrations
Microneedling
Fractional CO2 laser
Strong evidence, and the most effective single option for indented acne scars. In exchange it brings a week of real downtime, higher cost, and a genuine risk of lasting pigment change, especially on deeper skin tones.
1 / 4→
RF microneedling
Moderate evidence. Adds heat at depth, which does more for laxity and can do more for scars, at the cost of more discomfort, more downtime, and a higher price. Still safer on deeper skin tones than ablative lasers.
←2 / 4→
Subcision
Strong evidence for one specific job. It cuts the fibrous bands tethering rolling scars downward, which needling cannot reach. Often done alongside microneedling rather than instead of it.
←3 / 4→
Chemical peel
Strong evidence for pores and brown marks, none for indented scars. Superficial peels work on the surface and cannot lift a scar floor.
←4 / 4
What you will see
Halo Laser
Brighter, more even skin
Sun spots darken, come to the surface and flake away. What is left looks more even and reflects light better.
Microneedling
Smoother texture, shallower indents
Change builds over months as new collagen forms under the scar.
How many sessions
Halo Laser
Usually one or two
The treatment itself takes about half an hour, after numbing.
Microneedling
Usually three to six, a month apart
It is a course. One session is a taster.
How long until it works
Halo Laser
About a week, then a few more
The skin looks better once the peeling finishes, and colour keeps improving for several weeks afterwards.
Microneedling
Four to six weeks per session
Results keep building for a few months after the last visit.
How it works, illustrated
Microneedling
How long it lasts
Halo Laser
Often a year or more
Sun exposure is what undoes it. New spots arrive if you stop wearing sunscreen.
Microneedling
Several months to a year
New collagen stays. Your skin keeps ageing around it.
Downtime
Halo Laser
Redness, then about a week of peeling
The face is red and hot for two to three days, then goes rough and flakes for a few more. This is the part people underestimate.
Microneedling
One to three days looking sunburnt
Redness, then light flaking. Make-up is usually fine after a day.
Skin tone
Halo Laser
Tone is part of the plan
Halo is light-based, so it interacts with pigment. On deeper skin tones there is more risk of a patch healing darker, and settings have to be dialled back.
Microneedling
There is no pigment target
No light is involved, so the mechanism behind laser burns is absent. This is why needling is often chosen first for deeper skin.
Cost
Halo Laser
Fewer visits, a larger bill each
One or two sessions, so the total is easier to pin down.
Microneedling
Less per visit, more visits
Ask for the price of the whole course.
The at-home or drugstore version
Halo Laser
Creams do part of the colour job
No home device makes fractional laser columns. Home light wands put a fraction of the power into the surface and work by a different mechanism. A retinoid, vitamin C and daily sunscreen fade sun spots slowly and genuinely.
Microneedling
A roller is not a smaller version
A roller drags sideways as it turns, so it tears the skin instead of puncturing it. Home needles are short and blunt quickly, and a blunt needle does more damage than a sharp one.
Who each suits
Halo Laser
- Best for — Sun damage, patchy colour and dullness.
- The trade — A week that is hard to hide, for a big change in tone.
Microneedling
- Best for — Acne scars, rough texture and large pores.
- The trade — Small steps, spread across several visits.
Colour or texture is the whole decision
Halo Laser
Halo is a colour treatment first. The columns it makes carry damaged pigment up to the surface, where it flakes off over the following days. That is why the result people notice is a brighter, more even face.
Microneedling
Microneedling is a texture treatment first. The punctures reach the dermis, and repairing them lays down collagen that can lift the floor of a shallow scar. Colour is not part of what it does.
The recovery is not the same kind of recovery
Halo Laser
Halo gives you a peeling week. The face is red and hot for two to three days, then turns rough and sheds. Make-up sits badly on it, and most people want the week clear.
Microneedling
Microneedling gives you a few pink days. You look sunburnt for one to three days and then flake lightly. Make-up is usually fine after a day.
Skin tone changes the safer answer
Halo Laser
Halo is light-based, so your skin tone is part of the plan. Any device that puts light into skin can leave a patch that heals darker or lighter, and that risk is higher on deeper skin tones. Heat can also aggravate melasma.
Microneedling
Microneedling has no pigment target. There is no light, so the main laser risk does not apply. Skin of any tone can still darken after inflammation, which is why settings and aftercare matter either way.
Common questions
Questions Patients Ask
Is Halo or microneedling better for acne scars?
Microneedling has the stronger published evidence for shallow rolling and boxcar scars. Halo softens texture as a side effect, but its main job is colour.
Which one has more downtime?
Halo. Expect two to three days of redness and heat, then several more days of rough, flaking skin — roughly a week before you look normal. Microneedling is one to three days of looking sunburnt.
Can Halo be used on darker skin?
It is used across skin tones, with lower settings and careful aftercare, but it is light-based and so it interacts with pigment. Microneedling carries no such risk, which is why it is often the safer place to start.
How many Halo sessions will I need?
Usually one or two. Microneedling is a course of three to six sessions about a month apart, so the total commitment is very different.
Can I have both?
Yes, months apart. A common plan is a course of microneedling for texture, then Halo later for colour. They are not done in the same visit.
How long do the results last?
Halo's improvement in colour often holds for a year or more, and sun exposure is what undoes it. Microneedling's collagen change lasts several months to a year, and most people repeat a session or two each year.