A few months ago, a friend of mine got engaged and sent me a text shortly after telling me that she needed to do everything she could to get her skin in tip-top shape before her big day. Lucky for her, her friend (me) is an esthetician, so I happily responded with a psychotically long message telling her what she needed to do. However, this is a common question that I get a lot, so I thought I’d write a post about it, in hopes that it helps all of you brides-to-be who are looking for perfect skin on your perfect day.
1 year out:
Whether you’re wanting to change something about your skin or you’re just wanting an overall glow-up, ideally you should start enjoying monthly facials a year before your wedding. Have a consultation with an esthetician to talk with them about your skincare goals and come up with a plan of action. It takes time to change your skin, and your skin can go through, what we like to call, a “purging phase.” This means that you may experience breakouts at first. Facials deeply cleanse the skin and can bring anything lingering underneath to the surface. Scary thought, but this is actually a good thing, and we want to avoid a breakout fiasco close to the wedding day.
This is also the perfect time to start up a high quality skincare routine. An analogy that we like to say is, “You wouldn’t go to the dentist for a cleaning and then go home and not brush your teeth until your next appointment.” The same goes for your daily skincare when you’re in between facial appointments. A good skincare regime is essential in order to make changes to your skin and to maintain the results of the facial treatments that you’re investing in. If you’re wanting to keep it simple, the perfect routine to start should include: a cleanser, vitamin C, moisturizer, broad spectrum SPF, and a retinol. If you’re new to skincare, these are the “must-haves.”
If you’re planning to do any type of injectables, a year out is the time to experiment with that. Because Botox lasts normally up to four months, and filler even longer, you’ll need to start that asap in order to get a good idea whether you like the results or not.
Six months before the wedding:
Texture and tone are two of the main things people want to work on before their wedding, so start introducing your skin to some more advanced treatments like chemical peels and nano-needling. Peels are amazing to help speed up your natural cell turnover process. By doing this, dry dead skin exfoliates, and new healthy skin will come to the surface revealing a healthier glow, lessen unwanted pigment, and calm acne. Nano-needling is a non-invasive transdermal delivery treatment that helps serums penetrate deeper into the skin. It also stimulates collagen, reduces fine lines and wrinkles, helps lessen scarring and hyperpigmentation, and can tighten pore size. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? We offer both treatments at SkinQ, and we recommend doing at least six treatments before your big day.
If you haven’t already, this is also the time to ramp up your homecare routine, by introducing new serums that include alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs). Active Serum by iS Clinical is a great serum for almost any skin type. It has botanically derived salicylic, glycolic and lactic acids that gently exfoliate, brighten, and help to clear congested pores - all while fighting fine lines and wrinkles.
Three months to go:
While continuing the monthly skincare treatments with your esthetician, this is a great time to ask them about incorporating different serums into your homecare regime, focusing on hydration. A product like Hyaluronic Acid Boosting Serum by PCA Skin would be a great addition. This serum builds moisture at the surface of the skin both internally and externally. The product also has ingredients in it that stimulate your body to produce its own natural hyaluronic acid.
This would also be the time to start honing in on what treatment you plan to do right before your wedding. This will allow enough time for you to really pay attention to the results that you are getting, if you’re having any reactions, and how long the results from the treatment are lasting.
One month before:
Go in for your final injectables. Botox takes some time to start working and fillers take around two weeks to settle. You could also experience bruising and swelling, which is clearly a no-no on your wedding day.
Don’t start using any new products, just stay on course with your homecare and facials.
One week to go:
Go in for your final facial. This treatment should focus on hydration and brighten the skin. You’ll want to avoid any type of acids or extractions, as this could leave your face red and irritated.
Ditch the acids and retinol a week before the wedding too. Basically anything that could potentially make your skin peel or become red. Like your facial treatment, you’ll want to focus on hydrating and brightening products.
And finally, the day of:
Splash your face with water, use your hyaluronic acid (HA) serum, put on your SPF, and then sit back and let your make up artist work their magic on your perfectly prepped skin. You’re going to look gorg!
Peace & Love,
Emily
Other tips:
Start using a high quality probiotic, especially if you have problems with acne or other skin conditions like eczema. Of course, consult with your doctor before taking it.
Start taking a vitamin specifically for your skin like Fig.1 Skin Radiance Complex. This helps to support your skin barrier, evens tone and helps with dullness.
Pay attention to your diet early on. A lot of times, whatever is happening on your skin is a reflection of what is happening inside your body. They say that 80% of our health starts in our gut, so if you’re experiencing any issues there, do a food elimination diet, cutting one thing at a time for two weeks and then adding it back in. If your skin improves and then worsens, you could be on the road to figuring out a food allergy. Also keep in mind that sugar, milk, and gluten cause inflammation. Acne, eczema, etc. are inflammatory skin conditions. I know, life is unfair. ;-)
Speaking of food, make sure a week before that you’re hydrating like crazy and limiting your salt and sugar intake. These foods cause bloating and puffiness.
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