Once you say “yes,” you’ll start thinking about how you want to look on your wedding day. Aside from choosing the perfect dress and hiring a top-notch hair and makeup artist, there are a number of cosmetic procedures that will help complete your bridal look. We asked the docs at The Peer Group in Florham Park to share their advice and expertise for brides.
3 to 4 weeks before the wedding
This laser has the ability to target both superficial and deeper layers of the skin, and to treat aging and sun damaged skin. These treatments improve skin tone and texture, reduce wrinkles around the eyes, erase unwanted brown spots and more. Healing is quick and downtime is limited.
A few months to a few weeks before the wedding
There’s a reason Botox® is the most popular cosmetic procedure in the country—it’s a simple and fast way to get smooth wrinkle-free skin on your forehead and eliminate crow’s feet and frown lines. Botox® is a muscle-relaxing agent that, when injected in small doses, blocks muscles responsible for the repetitive actions that cause fine lines and wrinkles. “We recommend brides try it at least several months in advance as a trial,” says Colin Failey, MD. “There is no recipe or set dose for every patient—everyone reacts differently so you need to see how your face animates.”
At least 9 months before the wedding
The face (lip, chin and sideburn areas), armpits and bikini lines are the most popular areas for women. Grooms often come in for their backs. “This works best for dark hair—it really focuses on pigment and coloration,” says David Lange, MD, FACS. “And it only works on follicles that aren’t in the dormant stage, so you don’t get everything in one treatment.” Multiple treatments at least a month apart will be needed.
2 to 4 weeks before the wedding
CoolSculpting® is a non-invasive procedure that uses cold to reduce fat without the need for anesthesia, incisions or recovery time. Vacuum suction gently pulls pinchable, fatty tissue between two cooling plates—and the fat cells are frozen by low temperatures. Treatments take about an hour per area, and multiple areas can be addressed in a single session. “The results are not as dramatic as liposuction, but it can contour these areas if a patient is also working out,” says Isaac Starker, MD, FACS.
A few months to a few weeks before the wedding
Whether you want to add facial volume, augment lips or simply maintain a refreshed appearance, a number of fillers can help you achieve your goal. The most popular:
—Juvéderm Voluma® subtly contours cheeks and instantly achieves natural-looking results. And Juvéderm Injectable Gel® can smooth away the lines and folds that gradually develop around the mouth and nose while maintaining your natural features that define who you are.
—Restylane® is designed to match your skin, smoothing wrinkles, sculpting lips and shaping facial contours. The most common areas for treatment are the nasolabial folds (from the root of the nose to the angle of your mouth). Restylane Silk® has been specifically created to plump up lips and treat lip lines.
3 to 6 months before the wedding
Latisse® is a drug originally used to treat glaucoma, but doctors and patients noticed it also had a wonderful side effect: long and lush eyelashes. “It doesn’t make hair grow,” explains Dr. Colon. “Instead, it allows the follicles to hold onto lashes so you won’t shed as much.” It’s best to start months in advance, using it every day. When your lashes achieve their best look, you can switch to three times per week to maintain it. You’ll see fullness and darkness at week 8 and full dramatic results at week 16.
6 months (or more) before the wedding
Breast augmentation is another popular procedure that adds shape and volume through silicone or saline implants placed either under your breast tissue or under your pectoral muscle, with minimal scarring. “Your measurements are going to change, so you want to plan your dress fittings wisely,” says Dr. Starker. “If possible, do it a year to nine months beforehand. If not, keep in mind that swelling is gone within one to two months, and the final shape is reached at three months.”
1 to 2 months before the wedding
Skin care can include everything from moderate chemical peels and microdermabrasion to medical-grade skincare products. Some of the top procedures include:
Microdermabrasion is a non-chemical method of exfoliating (or removing) the outer layers of skin. Performed in a series of treatments, the outer layer of dead skin cells is gently removed, exposing the healthy epidermis skin layer underneath.
Superficial chemical peels are sometimes referred to as “lunchtime peels” because of their convenience. These treatments may employ alpha-hydroxy or beta-hydroxy acids that are gentle, yet effective in softening fine lines, fading dark spots and diminishing enlarged pores and acne scarring.
Dermaplaning is a “manual exfoliation” procedure that utilizes a sterile blade stroked along the skin, just like shaving. It removes the damaged outermost layers of skin cells revealing the smooth, supple and vibrant skin of the dermis below.
There’s also a wide variety of medical-grade skincare products that can give your skin a youthful glow, such as SkinCeuticals®, SkinMedica®, Obagi® and Clarisonic®.