Looking Your Best on the Big Day

The wedding date has been set and the venue secured. The next steps involve selecting the caterer, music and so on. No need to worry about beauty appointments until a few weeks before the wedding, right? Wrong!

One thing that brides, mothers of brides, and members of the bridal party have in common is that they all want to look their best on the big day.

What many don’t realize is the significant role that the skin plays in overall appearance. Skin that is in poor condition will add years to your appearance.

In general, there is a tendency to pay more attention to the condition of the hair than the skin. Dry skin, fine lines and wrinkles are attributed to the loss of elasticity (which comes with aging) but are also the result of accumulated sun exposure. Stress also plays a role in the health of your skin. Certain skin conditions may develop with the increased stress of planning a wedding. The skin’s condition and appearance can be improved. Yet, getting your skin in shape requires more time than a couple hours that might be spent at a hair salon – so plan ahead.

We recommend that you make an appointment to be seen as soon as possible with a dermatologist, cosmetic nurse or esthetician for a skin care evaluation to discuss skin care and anti-aging or cosmetic treatments.

Here are several skin care tips and treatment options that you may want to consider:

Protect, moisturize and nourish the skin. Take care of your skin by protecting it from UVA/UVB exposure every day with a sunscreen that has an SPF of 30+. Dry skin can increase the appearance of lines, so be sure to moisturize every day. Vitamin C applied topically every day will also nourish and improve the skin’s appearance.

Consider Retin-A or Avage. Used at night over time, Retin-A or Avage can help reverse sun damage and decrease future sun damage.

An Illuminize Peel tightens skin. Consider an Illuminize Peel to enhance the skin’s appearance, clarity, color and texture.  It tightens skin for a more youthful appearance and minimizes the damaging effects from sun, aging and certain skin conditions. 

Microdermabrasion unveils new skin. Microdermabrasion rejuvenates the top layers of the skin to create a brighter, smoother appearance. Treatments may be done every six to eight weeks.

Smooth lines with Botox. Botox may be used to treat lines around the eyes, frown lines between the eyes, and lines on the forehead that often appear with age. Botox works by relaxing the muscles that contract to form these lines. The effects last up to five months.

Wrinkle Fillers can reduce the appearance of deep lines. Fillers such as Restylane and Sculptra will last three to 12 months and help to “plump” areas and reduce the appearance of deep lines and facial folds.

Fraxel re:pair and Fraxel re:store lasers for long-term wrinkle reduction. Fraxel re:pair is designed to target aging and damaged skin, stimulating the body’s natural production of new collagen and skin cells. It is ideal for resurfacing soft tissues; improving pigmentation; eliminating redness and broken blood vessels and smoothing wrinkles or (“crow’s feet) around the eyes. Fraxel re:store effectively treats a number of skin conditions and also reduces the appearance of acne scarring and surgical scars. Fraxel should be done at least three to six months prior to the wedding and it will last several years.

Innovative lasers can solve a variety of “trouble spots”. Lasers such as Thermage and IPL will effectively treat acne, acne scarring, brown and age spots and broken blood vessels that appear on the face, neck, hands and body. These lasers are also used to remove tattoos and eliminate spider veins.

Taking care of your skin every day is the key to maintaining skin health. Talk to your dermatologist and learn more about how to get and keep your skin healthy to look your best for the wedding day and beyond.