About
Skin care can often be a stressful subject for brides. Peels? Love them. Masks? Yes, please. But introduce the words “I do,” and the whole idea of a skincare regimen becomes intimidating and confusing. Suddenly you’re under a lot more pressure to be using the “right stuff” so that your skin looks its absolute best on your special day.
Here at Sadick Dermatology, our expert dermatologists love to design custom, personalized skincare routines for each patient to look their absolute best on their wedding day (and for every day of happily ever after). With that in mind, we’ve broken things down into a basic bridal skincare guideline below.
At 12 Months Out: Map the Road Ahead
Schedule your first appointment with a board-certified dermatologist:
- Tell them you are looking for the right skincare plan leading up to your wedding day
- During your first visit, come prepared! Narrow down exactly what your goals are—glowing skin? Reduce redness? Soften scars? Reduce shine? Tattoo removal? Have it ready!
- Ask for a routine that you can start at home. Make sure to work with your dermatologist to choose products that fit your lifestyle and budget.
- Mention the time of year you are getting married (including your honeymoon plans). Extreme heat or cold, sun exposure, dry weather, and wind chill can all affect your skin when receiving certain treatments, such as lasers, peels, or microneedling treatments. Your dermatologist should take this timing into account when designing
your plan!
At 9 Months: Start Procedures that Require Downtime
At this stage, it is time to start procedures that require downtime, including:
- A deep chemical peel: This treatment helps the exfoliation process and expedites cell turnover—leading to blemish-free, glowing skin.
- Microneedling with Platelet Rich Plasma (“PRP”): This procedure promotes overall rejuvenation of the skin, reduces fine lines and scarring, clears up blemishes, evens skin tone, and promotes cell growth for glowing, healthy skin.
- Fraxel Laser Treatment: This laser uses two different wavelengths to treat deeper acne scars, wrinkles, and laxity while also treating sun damage and brown spots. The result for brides is smoother, tighter, rejuvenated, softer skin.
- CoolSculpting and other body contouring: Time to start melting away any unwanted fat! These procedures take weeks to show their results, and come with some downtime to the treated areas, so starting early is best. The great news is that they
are noninvasive, so you don’t have to worry about surgical scars. - Laser Hair Removal: If you want to make sure you are not showing any unwanted hair on your wedding day, now is the time to start laser hair removal. It usually takes 6 treatments spaced 4-6 weeks apart, so starting around 9-12 months is the right timing.
- Tattoo Removal: If you’ve found the perfect wedding dress, but don’t love that it will highlight the random symbol you got on your back during spring break (no judgment here) we can help remove it with some of the most advanced lasers in the industry. Picosure, for example, is an excellent option for targeted, effective tattoo removal.
At 6 Months:
Missed out on any of the above? You still have time at this point to have the above
procedures done before your wedding. If you and your doctor decided the above
treatments were not right for you, now is the time to introduce lighter peels and lasers, as
well as injectable treatments.
- At this point, you should continue a series of any of the treatments you started above, while focusing on regeneration and skin healing from these treatments.
- Clear and Brilliant Laser: This laser is perfect for reducing very fine lines, softening skin texture, and clearing any uneven skin tone or blemishes. The laser has almost no downtime, and gives your skin a glowing boost. We recommend a series of 3 – 6 treatments over the 6 months prior to your wedding date.
- Botox: If you are interested in having Botox for your wedding, now is the time to test it out. Botox only lasts about 3 months, so this gives you time to have a trial and see if you like it, while also allowing time for it to wear off before the big day. Our dermatologists are exceptionally trained in achieving a natural look with Botox. We don’t want you to look “frozen,” we want you to be able to show all your emotions on your wedding day!
- Fillers: Fillers are used to help replenish areas where volume has been lost, achieving goals such as reducing lines around the mouth, bringing a nice lift of the cheekbones, reducing under-eye hallows, among other benefits. Fillers composed of
hyaluronic acid also help in collagen regeneration and overall skin rejuvenation! - Facials: Now is the time to start regular facials with an aesthetician. At Sadick Dermatology, our aestheticians are exceptionally trained at keeping your skin in tip-top shape, especially if you are undergoing laser treatments with our dermatologists. We are a comprehensive team, meeting all of your skincare needs in one place!
- Six months gives your body plenty of time to see results from these treatments and regenerate fresh, lustrous skin.
At 3 months: Almost there!
- At this point, do not introduce any new products or lotions into your regimen.
- Botox: Now is the time to have your Botox redone, so that it lasts throughout your wedding day. This allows for you to also be able to have a touch-up after 2 weeks of treatment, without worrying about an unnatural look!
- Lasers and light peels: continue with your series of Clear and Brilliant laser and light chemical peels treatments up until 1 month before the big day.
- With a few month’s lead time, three months is ideal for the last of your longer-downtime procedures.
At 1 Month:
Only a few more weeks! Not the time to introduce anything new!
Have your last professional treatment (for example, Clear and Brilliant with PRP) to really help deliver that bridal flow to your face.
- Avoid anything with significant downtime, such as Fraxel or microneedling.
- Focus on exfoliating products at home, and antioxidant serums that nourish and enrich your skin.
- Have your last Botox or filler touch-up, (only if needed)! We tend to be more cautious at this point. If you are generally happy with your results at this stage, we’d recommend going with them. Trying to get every last wrinkle, crease or blemish is a slippery slope. You look great, so own it and feel great!
- Ask your dermatologist for specific tips to prep your skin the week before your big day, and how they would recommend managing stress-induced acne, rashes, or anything else that pops up on the day of your wedding.
Your wedding day:
- Relax, enjoy, and congratulations! You made it!
While this timeline represents a good, general schedule for brides, remember that everybody is different and your skin is unique. What works for some may not work for others, so it’s vital that you find an experienced, board-certified dermatologist to work with you on a customized plan.
At Sadick Dermatology, we have some of the best dermatologists for brides in NYC. If you’d like to learn more about personalized bridal skincare, contact us at info@saddickprod1.wpengine.com
