It’s Peak Wedding Season—Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Bridal Beauty Treatments, According to Pros
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The months preceding your wedding day are undoubtedly stressful for a laundry list of reasons. You’ve found your dress, triple-confirmed your guest list, secured your catering and cake situation, and double-checked with your venue that they’re ready to host you on the big day—and the list goes on.
Now that the essential to-do list items are (hopefully) out of the way, you get to deal with planning your wedding day beauty look. Aside from locking in a makeup and hair team (and I suggest doing a test run with your team a month or two before the date so that everyone’s on the same page), you may be thinking about how to get your complexion as glowing, smooth, and photo-ready as possible by tapping the in-office aesthetic treatments and targeted skincare.
In addition to a strategically timed skincare routine (e.g., discontinuing using your retinol and harsh peels a couple of weeks before the big day to avoid flaking), there is a slew of in-office beauty treatments that many brides (and grooms!) may choose to consider.
Of course, whether it be Botox, filler, chemical peels, or anything in between, it’s crucial to get your timing right to avoid any added stress in the event that you end up with less-than-desirable results. To help you create your bridal beauty plans (and hopefully alleviate some of that anxiety!), we spoke with three beauty industry experts to get the best pre-wedding beauty treatment advice to ensure you’re nothing short of thrilled on your special day.
Sarah Mack, Aesthetic Nurse Injector. BSN, RN
Sarah Mack, an Aesthetic Nurse Injector BSN, RN at SkinSpirit, is all about ensuring her clients feel heard. This allows her to craft ultra-personalized results that prioritize symmetry and balance—especially for future brides and anyone with an event, vacation, or milestone on the calendar.
Now that it’s peak wedding season, Sarah says her brides-to-be (along with grooms, mother of the brides, and other wedding party members) most commonly request neurotoxin to help with fine lines, but she’s also noticed an uptick in requests for Diamond Glow facials and Aquagold, a microneedling treatment that infuses the skin with small amount of neurotoxin and filler. For facials, peels, and microneedling, Sarah suggests booking your appointment about eight weeks before the big day, but it’s important to speak with your injector as everyone’s skin is different. And while she says no treatments are necessarily off-limits for brides-to-be, she does emphasize the importance of following a timeline. “I do think that planning and timeframe is super important. As long as we can meet you a few months before your wedding, your provider will be able to give you a perfect timeline for what treatment should be done according to the wedding date,” she says.
Of course, committing and sticking to a medical-grade skincare routine is also important for ensuring a healthy glow on your big day. “Every patient benefits from [following] a medical grade skincare routine. This helps soften fine lines and will help maintain results of neurotoxin and filler treatments.”
Alastin Inhance Post-Injection Serum
There are also skincare products specifically formulated for post-injection skin to help expedite healing and amplify the results, including Alastin’s InHance Post-Injection Serum, which SkinSpirit recommends for all skin types.
Buy Alastin Inhance Post-Injection Serum at LovelySkin, $62
Nare Terteryan, MSN, FNP-C
Nare Terteryan, MSN, FNP-C, and her sister, Tatevik Terteryan, MSN, FNP-C opened their gorgeous Los Angeles medical spa (it’s seriously the chicest med spa I have ever seen—think if Kim Kardashian opened her own contemporary art gallery kind of vibes), Artonomi Aesthetics to blend their passion for contemporary art and medical aesthetics. Contrary to my previous understanding, Nare and Tatevik actually recommend aesthetic wedding prep a year in advance to ensure the best results.
“We recommend all brides to prepare at least one year prior. Allowing them time to have a proper consultation with a treatment plan ahead,” the sisters tell me. Aside from neuromodulators like Botox and Dysport to temporarily paralyze line-causing muscles in the face, Nare and Tatevik say that the most popular post-wedding treatments for brides and grooms in their practice are micro-infusion facials for a healthy glow and Morpheus 8, a micro-needling treatment that harnesses the skin-tightening benefits of radiofrequency for a lifted, more snatched effect. “Typically, any kind of treatment such as the Morpheus 8 should be performed at least four months in advance. Chemical peels [should also] be performed at least four months prior, with a series of three treatments one month apart.”
Of course, while in-office procedures may offer the most immediate results, Nare and Tatevik also stress the importance of protecting your investment with the right skincare.
Skinceuticals 2:4:2 Triple Lipid Restore Cream
They swear by Augustinus Bader’s range of stem-cell-infused formulas to protect the skin barrier and Skinceutical’s clinical-forward range.
Buy Skinceuticals 2:4:2 Triple Lipid Restore Cream at Skinceuticals, $136
Buy Skinceuticals 2:4:2 Triple Lipid Restore Cream at Dermstore, $136
Lo Jones-Alicea, BSN, RN
Austin-based nurse injector Lo Jones Alicea, BSN, RN at SkinSpirit, likes to take a multifaceted approach to preparing brides and grooms-to-be for their big day. This includes using clinical skincare, injectables, and targeted treatments to help enhance their glow—and starting up to a year out before the date, depending on the patient’s goals and treatment plan.
“Brides, grooms, and members of their respective wedding parties love being radiant and feeling like their best, most confident selves for the big day! This can be achieved through several ways, and I’ve found the most common and beneficial treatments before the wedding include DiamondGlow facials, microneedling, Botox/Dysport, Sculptra, lasers, and facial balancing with fillers,” she tells us. “Everyone’s wedding prep journey is customized to their needs and goals, so it’s important to consult your provider about the journey and timeline that's best for you. If possible, [I like] to get started a year out, to hone in on your results and to fully commit to a medical-grade skincare routine.”
She advises starting Sculptra and dermal filler (Juvederm, Radiesse) a year from the wedding date, allowing for the product to settle and allowing for adjustments and tune-ups if necessary. As for neuromodulators, lasers, and microneedling, she recommends doing your last “round” six to eight weeks prior. As for targeted skincare, Lo loves clinical-level brands, including Sente and SkinBetter, because they yield transformative results without causing irritation or compromising the skin barrier when used as directed.
Sente Dermal Repair Cream
This multi-tasking cream not only repairs the barrier from irritation and damage, but it also quells redness and softens the skin without feeling overly greasy. Nurse Lo recommended this product to me the last time I saw her as my skin was dry, peeling, and compromised from retinoid overuse, and it healed my skin in just four days.
Buy Sente Dermal Repair Cream at Dermstore, $164
Deanne Mraz Robinson, MD, FAAD
Ideal Image offers direct-to-consumer medical aesthetic treatments at numerous locations around North America. Perfect for brides and grooms (or anyone with a special event on the horizon), Ideal Image also offers free private in-person or virtual consultations through its national tele-aesthetics platform. How cool is that? We spoke with Ideal Image’s CMO, Dr. Deanne Mraz Robinson, MD, FAAD, who gave us the scoop on some of the top pre-wedding treatment requests and the best practices for each.
“I love working with brides (and grooms!) before their wedding. The most commonly requested treatments are Botox, Filler, and lasers like IPL, Clear + Brilliant, Vbeam, and Fraxel. Pre-wedding tattoo removal and laser hair removal are also quite popular, and non-surgical body sculpting treatments are gaining traction as well,” Dr. Robinson says. While Dr. Robinson does the patients closer to their wedding date, she prefers to consult with them six months prior to optimize the results and get them on a strategic skincare routine.
“To me, it comes down to two things: 1.) timing—be sure everything is scheduled strategically for both impact and ample recovery time, and 2.) expectations—work with a provider you trust will not only do great, safe work, but also counsel you on what’s realistic and what’s not. The goal shouldn’t be to show up at the altar looking like a different person, just a refreshed and enhanced version of you,” she says. She recommends fillers and neuromodulators be done four to five weeks prior to allow for potential bruising and swelling to diminish, while peels and microcurrent treatments should be done at least two weeks in advance. As Dr. Robinson, told me, committing to a solid skincare regimen is equally as important for looking and feeling your best on your wedding day.
Alastin Ultra Nourishing Moisturizer
Ideal Image uses the clinical-backed, medical-grade skincare brand Alastin on its clients and recommends the physician-backed line for maintaining the results of in-office treatments as well.
Buy Alastin Ultra Nourishing Moisturizer at Alastin, $72
Buy Alastin Ultra Nourishing Moisturizer at Amazon, $55
Brian Nourian, Co-Founder of Le Jolie Medi Spa
Los Angeles-based medical spa Le Jolie has been an A-list-studded destination for countless celebrity patients, including Emma Roberts, Else Hook, Lisa Rinna, and Delilah Belle Hamlin. Le Joli Med Spa offers a slew of different treatments, from injectables to body-slimming procedures, and the beloved Forma treatment, a non-surgical face lift that instantly lifts and contours (by the way, I tried the Forma treatment at Le Jolie last year, and yes, it really does work!). We chatted with co-founder Brian Nourian to get the lowdown on the spa’s top bridal beauty treatments.
“One of the most popular services before the big day is our Forma treatment because it is non-invasive and has quick and noticeable results. Emsculpt Neo is also a popular treatment for people wanting to get their body tight and toned before [the wedding]. The Diamond Glow Dermal-infusion Facial is also a great option for those who want a quick dewy look,” he says. Like most medical spas, neurotoxins and fillers are the most requested pre-wedding treatments for both brides and grooms, and Nourian suggests booking these services four to six weeks before your wedding day to ensure that it settles in (usually takes about two weeks) and there is extra time to make any desired tweaks.
Given Le Jolie's rep as one of the most Instagrammable medical spas on the planet, we figured we’d also rack his brain for his top photo-ready treatment suggestions. “Diamond Glow Dermal-infusion, Hyperbaric Oxygen Facial, and our CBD Facial are among the most popular treatments when people are looking to be photo-ready. However, for more ‘WOW’ results, we still recommend our Forma Non-Surgical Facelift.”
IS Clinical Active Serum
Le Jolie Med Spa suggests maintaining in-office results with skincare formulated by their favorite brands, including iS Clinical, Skinceuticals, and PCA Skin.
Buy IS Clinical Active Serum at Dermstore, $142
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