You’ve booked the reception centre, coordinated bridesmaid’s dresses, made sure your partner’s parents know where to sit. But what about your skin? A little planning will ensure that you’re looking radiant on the day.
9 months out – serious about skincare
It’s time to up the ante in terms of your skincare; your makeup will only look flawless on the big day if your skin is in good shape. You may want to discuss your skin’s needs with an expert and switch up the gears to cosmeceutical skincare with active ingredients. This is also a good time to start regular light therapy treatments, such as LED therapy, to kickstart the cellular turnover of your skin and reach ultimate skin fitness.
6 months out – lose the muffin top
More than 70 percent of brides-to-be want to lose weight before their wedding day, according to a study from Cornell University. We all know the best way to lose fat is through sheer hard work of willpower and exercise. But there’s also a cheat’s way to lose fat. Non-surgical body contouring has become big business in the world of cosmetic enhancement. It offers a measurable reduction in body fat and increase in muscle definition with no surgery, no downtime and minimal (if any) discomfort. There is an array of brands and technologies offering non-surgical fat reduction and muscle contouring. Results are seen gradually after six to 12 weeks, as the body naturally metabolises the destroyed fat.
5 months out – laser away sun damage
If your skin needs a good dose of intensive care, fractionated laser skin resurfacing can improve a wide range of skin concerns, such as lines and wrinkles, pigmentation, acne scarring and moderate to severe sun damage.
Rather than removing the top layer of skin (with significant downtime) like traditional ablative laser resurfacing of the past, fractionated laser treats a fraction of skin at a time, creating thousands of tiny microscopic sites of thermal impact, known as microthermal zones. These microscopic laser columns penetrate deep into the dermis to create tiny wounds, triggering the body’s natural response system to heal those wounds. This process expedites the body’s remodelling of collagen and elastin, resulting in tighter, fresher, more youthful-looking skin. It operates on the concept of damaging small amounts of tissue to stimulate collagen and elastin, activating new cells.
4 months out – tighten & lift
If the skin on your face and neck is starting to head south and you notice your décolletage is looking sun-damaged and crepey, living in 2021 means we’re lucky to have a range of non-surgical modalities that can lift and tighten modern skin laxity on the face and body using cutting edge technologies.
Another increasingly popular option for skin lifting and toning is thread lifting, in which biodegradable sutures are positioned under the skin to elevate the soft tissues and build new collagen in its place upon dissolving.
Results from non-surgical face lifting modalities are tyically gradual as new collagen production begins to lift and tighten the skin, with the final outcome usually evident around two to three months after treatment and lasting up to 12 months and beyond.
2 months out – cosmetic injectables
Muscle relaxants to relax frown lines and crow’s feet, and fillers to pump out lips and lines and add facial definition and contour – require only a little recovery time but it’s best to give yourself enough time to wait for the final “settled” results after an aesthetic treatment. Remember, less is more when it come to injectables. You still want to look like “you”, and you don’t want to look frozen in candid happy snaps. Always ensure you visit a credentialled and experienced practitioner and heed their advice.
