Pre-Wedding Skincare

I got married almost 2 years ago now and my wedding day was truly the most special and beautiful day. I really wish I could relive it over and over! Every bride wants to look like herself, only better on her wedding day! Beautiful skin is a big part of the day given there are so many photos and memories being made! These are my tips for how to take care of your skin now, up until your wedding day!

6+ MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING

Six months is the perfect amount of time to ensure that your skin is clear, smooth and glowing for the big day. Book a facial or consider a couple peels! During your consultation and facial we can come up with a plan for skin care treatments and home care products that works with your budget and will address your skin care concerns for beautiful wedding day photos! If you have more time than 6 months until your wedding, even better.

3 MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING

At this point you will need to make a commitment to not pick at your skin. Acne breakouts usually last just 3-5 days, but when you pick at a blemish, the red mark that lingers can be there for three months! I know it’s tempting, but you can make problem skin much worse by forcing bacteria deeper into the skin, resulting in scarring and further break outs. As said above, the best solution for problem skin is a regular facial schedule, where your pores can be cleaned professionally.

At the 3 month mark we will now begin to cut back on more intense treatments if that has been in the treatment plan for you and focus now on maintaining results. I recommend a facial every 3-4 weeks depending on your skin needs for the remaining 3 months.

1 MONTH BEFORE THE WEDDING

Go easy. Now that you’re on the home stretch, it’s not the time to be experimenting with new products or services. Keep everything gentle.

Avoid dairy products if you’re prone to acne cysts. Many people have heard that greasy foods and chocolate cause breakouts. Breakouts, especially those that are cyst-like in the chin and jaw line area, most often are related to too much ice cream, yogurt, milk and cheese. Try cutting back and watch your skin clear up! If you can avoid gluten and sugar as well, even better!

Get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Sleep is not only important to keep dark circles at bay, but it is also the time when your body is most metabolically active, ridding itself of toxins which would otherwise wreak havoc with your skin. Sleep also reduces stress, the #1 aggravator of acne!

Take a few deep breaths! Stress can be a big trigger for hormonal breakouts so finding ways to reduce stress are very beneficial leading up to the wedding. Take a bath and listen to some relaxing music. Mid-day take some deep breaths and calm your mind. Drink some tea in the evening to wind down.

Chill out! When nerves are at their highest, it can cause increased blood flow to the skin. Use a cold roller (available for $20 at the spa!) or keep a gel mask in the fridge to help cool down the skin and reduce redness.

3-7 DAYS BEFORE THE WEDDING

Get your final facial. The facial will focus on skin smoothing via exfoliation and hydration. We will keep extractions to a minimum to avoid unnecessary redness.

Don’t experiment with any new products. You don’t want to risk having an adverse reaction to anything—stick with tried and true.

Avoid shell fish. Especially for those who have traveled to a tropical island for their wedding, you’ll be tempted with all the wonderful seafood that is there. Many people are allergic to iodine commonly found in shell fish which can result in very serious skin and body reactions, so now is not the time to be eating foods you have not tried before.

Limit your intake of alcohol. Alcohol leads to skin and under eye puffiness, so for every alcoholic drink, follow it with a 4-8 oz glass of water. This will help prevent unnecessary morning puffiness.

Avoid crying (if possible). With all of the celebratory speeches that are given, it’s only normal that a few tears may be shed. If at all possible, try to avoid crying since it causes the eyes to swell resulting in excessive morning under eye puffiness.

WEDDING DAY

Apply a gel mask or use your cold roller. Gel masks like AND's Soothing Masque or Rosaderm Masque are water-based so they won’t add any oil to the skin and interfere with wedding day makeup. They calm the skin from wedding day nerves, and gives your skin a smooth, healthy glow.

Drink a lot of water. To prevent skin from puffiness due to shedding tears or alcohol intake the night before, drink water throughout the day. This will also help prevent your mouth from getting dry due to nerves, and keep you from getting dehydrated. Make sure to eat as well, even if you're nervous!

Practice deep breathing. There is nothing better to calm the nerves than frequent deep breathing. Relax. Enjoy. Take it all in. Your day is here!

HONEYMOONING?

Be sure to read my post-flight skincare tips if you are flying to avoid breakouts on your honeymoon!

Have any questions? Feel free to contact me!