Sciton Halo and Contour TRL
Halo vs Contour TRL Durango: Which Depth?
A priced depth ladder: Nano $250, Micro $750, Halo from $1,500, Halo Stacked $2,200, Deep Contour TRL $3,000 to $3,500.
Performed by Dr. Brian Rike, DO at R Med+Spa, 679 E 2nd Ave Unit 1, Durango. This page exists so you can compare depth, downtime, and cost in one place instead of piecing it together from two brochure pages.
The short answer
Halo and Contour TRL are not rivals. They are different depths on one ladder.
In plain English: Halo is a hybrid fractional laser that treats columns of skin with 2940 nm ablative and 1470 nm non-ablative energy, trading depth for a faster recovery. Contour TRL is a tunable full-field Er:YAG laser that treats the whole surface at whatever depth Dr. Rike selects, from a 10-micron Nano peel ($250) up a ladder through the 50-micron Micro peel ($750) to deep resurfacing ($3,000 to $3,500), with Halo ($1,500) and the Halo Stacked Package ($2,200) sitting on the middle rungs. Dr. Brian Rike, DO matches the depth to your skin and your calendar at consultation, so you buy the rung you need, not the rung that sounds most impressive.
The Sciton depth ladder, priced
Every rung below is on our published price list. Prices are per treatment for the face unless a package is stated. Settings and healing vary by individual.
| Rung | What it does | Price | Honest downtime | Good fit for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nano Laser Peel (Contour TRL) | Approximately 10 microns. A very light, full-field Er:YAG refresh | $250 | About 1 to 3 days of pinkness and light flaking | Dull, rough, or tired-looking surface. A first peel or a maintenance refresh |
| Micro Laser Peel (Contour TRL) | Approximately 50 microns. A deeper, still full-field Er:YAG peel | $750 | About 3 to 5 days of redness, swelling, and visible peeling | Sun damage, blotchy tone, and texture you can feel more than see |
| Halo Hybrid Fractional | 2940 nm ablative plus 1470 nm non-ablative energy, in a fractional pattern | From $1,500 | Often 1 to 3 days of bronzing and peeling. Sometimes longer, depending on settings | Texture, pores, fine lines, and tone together, with a faster social calendar |
| Halo Stacked Package (face) | Halo plus BBL HERO the same day, with Clear V, Clear Silk, or Erbium only as needed | $2,200 | About 5 to 7 social days, following the Halo clock | Color and texture both on the list, plus the follow-up visits built in |
| Deep Contour TRL | Tunable full-field Er:YAG at resurfacing depth, set by Dr. Rike at treatment | $3,000 to $3,500 | About 7 to 10 days of real healing, planned deliberately | Deeper lines, scars, and severe sun damage that lighter rungs cannot reach |
Halo and Contour TRL, in plain English
Halo is a hybrid fractional laser. Fractional means it treats a pattern of tiny columns rather than the entire surface, which leaves healthy skin between the treated points to heal quickly. Hybrid means each column gets two wavelengths at once: 2940 nm, which is ablative Erbium and does the resurfacing work, and 1470 nm, which is non-ablative and heats more gently to support collagen over the following months. That combination is why Halo can change texture and tone meaningfully while most people are socially presentable in 1 to 3 days.
Contour TRL is a tunable, full-field Er:YAG laser. Full-field means it treats every square millimeter of the area, not a pattern of columns. Tunable means Dr. Rike sets the depth. At the shallow end, that is the Nano Laser Peel: roughly 10 microns, about the depth of a very precise microdermabrasion-grade refresh. One step up is the Micro Laser Peel at roughly 50 microns, which removes more of the sun-damaged surface and asks for a few more days of healing. At the deep end, Contour TRL resurfaces far below where Halo or any fractional laser typically goes, which is why it is the tool for deeper lines and severe cumulative sun damage, and why its recovery is measured in a week and a half, not a weekend.
Neither wavelength list is a mistake and neither laser is a lesser version of the other. Halo gets its speed from fractional spacing. Contour TRL gets its power from treating the full surface, deeper, when the skin needs it.
Where Nano and Micro sit on the ladder
The Nano Laser Peel at $250 is the entry rung. It lifts the outermost layer of dull, rough, sun-faded surface. Downtime is usually 1 to 3 days of pinkness and light flaking. It is a genuine treatment, not a teaser: for many Durango patients whose main complaint is texture and dullness rather than deep lines, a Nano peel, or a short series of them, is all the depth that is useful.
The Micro Laser Peel at $750 sits between Nano and Halo. At roughly 50 microns, it removes enough of the surface to improve blotchy tone, sun damage, and texture you can feel. Expect about 3 to 5 days of redness, swelling, and visible peeling. Compared with Halo at the same visit count, Micro is a full-field peel: it treats the whole surface evenly, while Halo treats a fractional pattern with the added 1470 nm wavelength. Which one is better depends on whether your problem is uniform surface damage (leaning full-field) or deeper texture and pores scattered through the skin (leaning fractional).
Halo, from $1,500, and the Halo Stacked Package, $2,200, occupy the middle of the ladder, and Deep Contour TRL, $3,000 to $3,500, is the top. There is no shame in entering at the bottom. There is also no requirement to climb every rung: many patients are best served by one rung, well chosen, repeated occasionally.
When Halo or the Halo Stack may be enough
Halo is the right single visit when your concerns are texture, pores, fine lines, and tone mixed together, and your calendar cannot absorb a week of healing. It is also the right call when pigment and texture both bother you but neither is severe: Halo's ablative wavelength handles texture while light settings keep recovery short. Halo starts at $1,500, and you can read the full detail on our Halo treatment page.
The Halo Stacked Package at $2,200 for the face is the honest plan when color and texture both need work in one season of care. It includes Halo stacked with BBL HERO on the same day, with Clear V, Clear Silk, or Erbium added only if the skin in front of us needs it that day, plus a follow-up BBL HERO visit at about 1 month and a Glacial Rx visit at about 3 months to calm redness and support the result. Plan about 5 to 7 social days for the stacked visit. If you are weighing Halo against broadband light rather than against Contour TRL, our Halo vs BBL HERO comparison covers that decision on its own page.
What the stack is not is a universal package. If your only complaint is a dull surface, you do not need it. If your main complaint is deeper lines or scarring, it will not go far enough, and that conversation belongs to the next section.
When Deep Contour TRL is the right call
Deep Contour TRL, $3,000 to $3,500, exists for skin that lighter rungs cannot fix: deeper perioral and periorbital lines, acne or surgical scarring, and severe, decades-deep sun damage. Because it is full-field and tunable to real resurfacing depth, it asks for roughly 7 to 10 days of healing, a committed aftercare routine, and a calendar chosen with care. It is also the rung with the most dramatic single-treatment potential for the right candidate, which is why Dr. Rike reserves it for skin that genuinely needs it rather than offering it to everyone who asks.
If Dr. Rike looks at your skin at consultation and says a Micro peel, Halo, or the stack will serve you better, that is the answer we will give you. Deep treatment is a decision about your skin, not your budget ceiling. The full device detail lives on the Contour TRL treatment page.
A series of light peels, or one deeper visit?
This is the question behind the question on this page. A series of Nano peels at $250 each, spaced several weeks apart, spreads cost and downtime across a season and keeps you near your normal schedule. A series of Micro peels at $750 goes deeper per visit and still avoids a full week of recovery. For surface-level complaints, that approach is often the smartest money on this page.
What a series generally cannot do is reach what one deeper treatment reaches. Energy that stops at 10 or 50 microns does not remodel the dermis the way aggressive Halo settings or deep Contour TRL can. So the honest framing is not “which laser is best” but “which depth matches my problem, and how do I want to pay for it: in visits and small amounts, or in one recovery window.” Dr. Rike will show you both calendars at consultation with the prices attached, and you decide with your life in view.
For a broader look at how all of our laser options relate to each other, see our laser skin treatment overview. And if you are weighing these laser peels against acid peels, see laser peel vs chemical peel in Durango.
Durango altitude, UV, and aftercare that actually matters
We sit over a mile above sea level, and our UV is unforgiving in every season. Freshly lasered skin is new skin. If it meets strong sun without protection in the weeks after any rung on this ladder, pigment can return faster than the treatment removed it. Daily SPF is not optional aftercare here; it is part of the treatment. So are wide-brimmed hats, shade on trails and slopes, and a simple, boring barrier routine: gentle cleanser, HealingSalve or the ointment we send you home with, and nothing active until Dr. Rike clears you.
Dry mountain air also matters. Heated indoor air in winter and low humidity year-round pull moisture from healing skin, so hydration inside and out supports your result as much as any single product. These habits matter most after Micro, Halo Stacked, and Deep Contour treatments, but they protect the result of a $250 Nano peel just the same.
Fall and winter are the easiest seasons to schedule deeper rungs. Shorter days and less unprotected outdoor time make the 5-to-10-day windows far simpler to protect. That said, we treat patients in every season, and summer is workable if you are honest with yourself about shade, hats, and SPF. The full prep checklist, including what to stop and when, is in our Halo + BBL HERO preparation guide.
Who performs these treatments
Dr. Brian Rike, DO performs Halo, the Halo Stacked Package, and Contour TRL at every depth on this ladder: Nano, Micro, and Deep. He is board-certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine, trained on the Sciton platform at each of these depths, and co-founded R Med+Spa in 2022 with Andrea Rike. Every depth decision on this page is made by the same physician who will hold the handpiece, not by a sales plan or a spa menu.
Read our physician-led laser page to see exactly who performs each laser in the building, including Andrea's treatments. New patients start with an aesthetics consultation, where Dr. Rike examines your skin, reviews your history and calendar, and recommends a specific rung with its price and downtime before anything is booked.
Questions we hear on this comparison
What is the real difference between Halo and Contour TRL?
Both are Sciton lasers, but they do different jobs. Halo is a hybrid fractional laser: a 2940 nm ablative wavelength and a 1470 nm non-ablative wavelength delivered together in a fractional pattern, so treated columns of skin are surrounded by untouched skin that heals quickly. Contour TRL is a tunable, full-field Er:YAG laser: it treats the entire treated surface at a depth Dr. Rike selects, from a 10-micron Nano peel to a 50-micron Micro peel to deep resurfacing. In plain terms, Halo gets its speed from spacing its energy out; Contour TRL gets its power from treating every square millimeter, deeper.
Is a Nano or Micro Laser Peel enough, or do I need Halo?
It depends on what is bothering you and how deep it goes. If your main complaint is a dull, rough, sun-tired surface, a Nano peel at $250 or a Micro peel at $750 may be the honest answer, and a short series often does the work without a longer recovery. If your concerns include pores, fine lines, and texture that a shallow peel will not reach, Halo from $1,500 is usually the better single visit. Dr. Rike makes that call with your skin in front of him, not from a photo.
How much downtime is honest for each rung?
Nano Laser Peel: about 1 to 3 days of pinkness and light flaking. Micro Laser Peel: about 3 to 5 days of redness, swelling, and visible peeling. Halo: often 1 to 3 days of bronzing and peeling, sometimes longer with more aggressive settings. Halo Stacked Package: plan about 5 to 7 social days. Deep Contour TRL: about 7 to 10 days of genuine healing. These are planning ranges, not promises. Settings, your skin, and your healing all move the number.
Why is Deep Contour TRL $3,000 to $3,500?
Deep resurfacing is a longer procedure, requires more involved numbing and aftercare, and consumes more of the day and the follow-up schedule than a lighter peel. The price reflects the depth of treatment and the recovery support around it, not a marketing tier. Dr. Rike will tell you at consultation whether your goals actually need that depth, or whether a Micro peel, Halo, or the Halo Stacked Package gets you there with less downtime and less cost.
Can I do a series of Nano or Micro peels instead of one deeper treatment?
Often, yes. For surface-level concerns, a series of lighter peels spaced several weeks apart can achieve meaningful improvement while letting you stay close to your normal schedule. It costs more in visits and less in recovery days. What a series generally cannot do is match what one deep Contour TRL treatment does for deeper lines and severe sun damage, because the energy simply does not reach as far. Dr. Rike will lay out both calendars at consultation and tell you where he thinks the honest line sits for your skin.
When is the best time in Durango to schedule a deeper treatment?
Fall and winter. Durango sits over 6,500 feet, and our UV is strong even on cold, bluebird days. Deeper treatments leave fresh, vulnerable skin that must be protected from sun while it heals. Shorter days and less outdoor time from roughly October through March make that easier. That said, any season works if you are committed to strict sun protection: daily SPF, wide-brimmed hats, shade, and a gentle barrier-repair routine while you heal.
Who performs Halo and Contour TRL at R Med+Spa?
Dr. Brian Rike, DO performs both Halo and Contour TRL, including the Nano and Micro Laser Peel rungs on the Contour platform. New patients start with an aesthetics consultation, where depth, downtime, and calendar are matched to your skin before anything is booked.
Does the Halo Stacked Package include neck and chest?
The published Halo Stacked Package price of $2,200 is for the face. We do not publish a neck and chest package price on this page, because those areas are quoted individually depending on size and what Dr. Rike recommends at consultation. Ask at your visit and you will get a straight number before anything is scheduled.
Match the depth to your skin, then book.
R Med+Spa, 679 E 2nd Ave Unit 1, Durango. Call (970) 501-0610 or book a consultation with Dr. Rike. Bring this page and ask which rung of the ladder your skin actually needs. We will answer with a depth, a downtime window, and a price, not a slogan.