The Ultimate Wedding Skincare Timeline
Congratulations, you're getting hitched! When it comes to planning your dream wedding, picking the location and photographer can be the least of your worries. Understandably, you want to look as good as possible as you’ll be the main focus of the big day. Looking radiant and picture-perfect is no easy feat, it takes work and planning, often LOTS of work and planning! To help you steer clear of any unforeseen beauty blunders and get wedding season ready we’ve compiled a timeline of what procedure to get and when. Our list will help ensure you look every bit the luminous, stunning, beautiful bride when your special day arrives!
6 Months Out
Botox and injectables: If you’re new to injectables don’t wait until right before your wedding to give it a try. Botox takes a few weeks to kick in and fillers need a few weeks to settle in. Starting these treatments early allows you to get great initial results and gives Dr. Colvin the ongoing opportunity to tailor treatments to your unique facial structure and skin needs.
Get serious about your skincare: If you’ve been slacking on your routine, now’s the time to kick it into overdrive! Incorporating a more strict regimen now can help address any skin challenges you may be experiencing and provides ample time to heal and correct. If you're new to skin care, or just haven’t been on your A-game, start simple and stay committed! Even the basics; cleansing, toning, moisturizing, exfoliating, and protecting will do wonders in getting your skin wedding ready. Remember, the most effective skin care is consistent skin care.
Book a skin consultation: Understandably, most patients aren’t sure what skin treatments they need pre-wedding. At Skin, we offer many procedures, from microneedling with PRP, to medium-depth chemical peels, that address a myriad of skin challenges. We highly recommend booking a consultation so we can address your individual needs and develop a targeted treatment plan to help you achieve your best skin yet.
Start laser hair removal: Laser hair removal, although awesome, isn’t a quick fix for treating hair growth. Most patients need at least 2-6 treatments to effectively remove unwanted hair, depending on the area. Treatment sessions need to be spaced out 4-6 weeks apart and if the skin is tanned (hello, Cabo bachelorette party), you need to wait even longer! Make sure to start these sessions early to get the best result possible.
Begin getting skin treatments: As the saying goes “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and the same goes for building a glowing, gorgeous complexion. Getting your skin flawless for your big day requiries starting early! Although treatments like our highly popular hydrafacial provide an instant effect, procedures such as microneedling with PRP and Isolaz take time to yield lasting results.
Movement and nutrition: Crash dieting isn't only bad for the body, it’s bad for the skin. Losing weight too quickly can cause skin to look loose and has the potential to cause sagging. Additionally, nutrient deficiency caused from crash dieting can lead skin to dryness, irritation, and can inhibit cell turnover. Start a movement and nutrition plan now so you look strong and healthy on your wedding day versus tired and lethargic.
3 Months Out
Schedule all beauty appointments: As your big day approaches you’re to-do list usually gets longer by the day. Schedule everything from hair and nail appointments, to injectables and skin treatments well in advance. Prioritizing and planning these appointments ahead of time will help reduce stress and allow time for much deserved self-care.
Kick your health goals into high gear: If you’ve been staring longingly at that peloton in the corner, now's the time to hop on it! Even just a few workouts a week will help you feel confident and strong while reducing stress and boosting energy.
Target those stubborn spots with Coolsculpting: Don’t let a stubborn lump or bump distract you from feeling picture perfect on your big day! Coolsculpting is an excellent option for those wanting to refine their physique and achieve a more sculpted appearance. It’s non-invasive and requires little to no downtime. Coolsculpting fat reduction isn’t a replacement for a healthy-diet, exercise, or other weight loss/management methods. Most patients opt to use Coolsculpting in conjunction with healthier lifestyle habits to achieve the best result possible.
Exfoliate: Begin exfoliating your body at least three times a week with a combination of physical, and chemical exfoliants. Chemical exfoliation works to loosen and flatten surface skin cells resulting in a softer, more even tone. Physical exfoliation helps to create a smooth, even complexion by sloughing off dead skin cells without stripping your skin of essential moisture. If you have sensitive skin, opt for an enzyme exfoliator to gently loosen and digest dead skin cells.
Get a VI Peel: Hands down our most popular exfoliating treatment, the VI Peel provides remarkable results and is safe and effective for most skin types. We offer five different peel options to address everything from age-spots and freckles, to acne and skin clarity.
This painless, medium-depth peel helps to reveal brighter, renewed skin in just seven days! While just one treatment will create a noticeable result, a series of 2-4 will provide a substantial improvement to overall skin health.
1 Month Out
Up your at-home-skin-treatments: Most skin cells turnover every 28-32 days which gives you plenty of time to get your glow-on before your big day. Even if you haven’t been as diligent about your skin care as you originally intended, you’ve still got time! Focus your attention on gentle exfoliation, at home peels, targeted treatment masks, and skin brightening ingredients. If your skin is on the sensitive side, ease into at-home-treatments to minimize reactivity.
Botox touch-up: A Botox touchup is recommended anywhere from 2 weeks, to 2 months after the initial procedure was performed. The results from Botox generally become visible within 36 hours with the full effect being noticeable within one to two weeks. Touch up treatments enable Dr. Colvin to tailor the injections to specific areas such as neck, jawline, forehead, and around the eyes to help patients achieve their desired treatment goals while looking natural and refreshed.
Get a hydrafacial: Receive a soothing, moisturizing, ultra-indulgent hydrafacial 2-4 weeks before your wedding. Avoid getting any aggressive exfoliation or unfamiliar treatments, as you don’t want your skin to have an adverse reaction. If you’ve never had a professional skin treatment before, schedule it no later than 2 weeks out. It can be difficult to predict how the skin will react to new products so it’s important to have plenty of time before your wedding in case you have an undesirable outcome.
2 Weeks Out
Discontinue some skincare: We love our tretinoin, but using it during the two weeks prior to your wedding has the potential to irritate your skin while also increasing photo-sensitivity. The same can be said for ingredients like hydroquinone, growth-factors, and even high concentrations of Vitamin C. We suggest stopping the regular use of active ingredients and chemical exfoliants unless directly by your dermatologist or medical esthetician. Focus instead on soothing/hydrating ingredients such as green tea, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides.
Beauty Sleep: Now is the time to focus on getting some much needed zzzz’s! Inadequate rest raises your cortisol levels triggering inflammation, which then causes a breakdown in collagen and elastin. Inflammation also makes your skin prone to acne and erythema. Another byproduct of sleep deprivation is that it can cause your blood to circulate less efficiently. The resulting lower blood oxygen content can make your skin appear blotchy, pigmented, and lack-luster.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: Nothing says glowing-bride-to-be quite like hydrated, plump skin! Dehydration is an alarming condition for your skin which leads to transepidermal water loss and imparied barrier function. Barrier damage in turn can cause premature aging, acne, and dryness. From preventing aging to giving you plumper, younger looking skin, water is an amazing tool that can resolve a host of skin issues. Aim for drinking half your bodyweight in ounces as part of your daily health, and pre-wedding routine.
Ready to take your bridal-beauty-goals to the next level? Speak with one of our highly trained medical professionals to help get you to wedding-day ready!
Learn more about our skincare services here or contact our San Francisco office and call us at 415.409.6500.