Preparing for a wedding? Your guide to glowing bridal skin
25 April 2022
By Dr Sophie Shotter
When it comes to your wedding, there’s no denying that there are many logistics and planning to be done ahead of time. And while it may not be the first thing that springs to mind, your pre-wedding beauty prep definitely requires a little foresight and attention. A smooth, radiant complexion is high up on any bride’s wish list, and whether you’d like to rejuvenate the face with expertly placed injectables or elevate your skincare regime to enhance your complexion, the sooner you can get a jump on things, the better.
This is particularly true for injectables, such as Botox and fillers. When it comes to weddings, a lot is planned in advance – from the venue and the dress to food and entertainment – but frequently, many brides leave tweakments until the last minute. They should be one of the first things you plan, particularly if you’re a first-timer. Start by finding an experienced medical practitioner and get used to how the results look as soon as possible. Then, you can have some final ‘tweak’ appointments as the big day approaches.
To help you get started, I’m sharing my ultimate beauty countdown designed to ensure beaming radiance and sky-high confidence when you walk down the aisle.
Twelve months before
As soon as you can, book in for a comprehensive consultation where we will discuss everything from injectables and skin boosters to nutrition and body treatments, depending on your concerns and goals. We will also look at your skincare regime and areas that we can optimise to ensure you’re using products that will enhance your treatment results, support your goals, and give your complexion a beautiful glow in time for your big day.
Nine months before
The focus turns to the body, with CoolSculpting to target stubborn pockets of fat and streamline the silhouette in areas such as the arms, flanks, abdomen, back, thighs and chin. We may also consider fat-dissolving injections to ensure a beautifully refined jawline or Sofwave to tighten the skin.
Six months before
Now is the time to work on your skin quality. Profhilo, designed to intensely hydrate the tissues of the face, neck and decolletage, is perfect if you’re considering a low neckline. Some face tightening Sofwave, or skin-resurfacing Profound RF, or complexion brightening peels might also come into play, alongside an active skincare regime, to ensure you look radiant when the big day arrives.
I frequently see brides enquiring about treatments such as lip filler, non-surgical nose jobs and chin and jawline contouring ahead of their wedding. If you’re interested in having injectable treatments, now is the time to get booked in for this. Planning this far ahead allows you time to trial treatments to ensure that you’re happy with the changes to your appearance. Hyaluronic acid filler can be dissolved if you are unhappy, although this is the last resort.
Three months before
A course of HydraFacial combines deep cleansing and exfoliating with lymphatic drainage and radiance-boosting skin solutions, revealing a plump and clear complexion.
This is by far my favourite facial to recommend to brides. The HydraFacial is designed to maximise skin health, delivering a relaxing resurfacing of the skin to address issues such as acne, rosacea, and pigmentation whilst maximising skin glow. When your complexion is healthy and radiant, your makeup will sit better, and you will feel more confident in front of the camera.
6-8 weeks before
Book in for your final anti-wrinkle appointment to smooth lines around the eyes, minimise frown lines or correct a gummy smile. We may tweak and refine your fillers to balance and harmonise the face, and a final dose of Profhilo will keep the skin in peak condition.
2-7 days before
A final HydraFacial (ask for a few extra minutes of LED light therapy) will hydrate, plump, and refresh the skin and eliminate any dead skin cells sitting on the surface. This ensures a healthy glow and leaves your skin in the best condition as a canvas for your wedding makeup.
The day before
You have put in a lot of work to get to this point. Avoid the temptation to try new pampering skincare products or face masks as you cannot be sure how your skin may react. Drink plenty of water, enjoy lots of relaxation and get a very good night’s sleep to ensure you feel refreshed on your big day.
If you’d like to find out more about treatments or to book a consultation with an expert practitioner, click here.
I’m speaking at Beauty Uncovered Live, an event that uncovers all things aesthetics, and I am talking all about this topic. If you’d like to come along, they are offering all of my followers an exclusive discount with the code Sophie241. Please click here to register.