Pre-Wedding Skincare Prep: Tips and Tricks for Achieving Radiant Bridal Skin

While we are already in the midst of the "wedding season," we hope that you will find applicable information regardless of what stage you are at in your wedding planning.

Your wedding day is a momentous occasion, and every bride wants to look and feel her absolute best. While planning for your dress, venue, catering, and flowers are undoubtedly important aspects of the whole picture, skincare should not be overlooked until the last minute. Achieving radiant, flawless skin requires time and dedication.

Let’s dive into this essential aspect of wedding preparation to ensure your skin looks glowing on your big day.

Skin Care Planning Before Your Special Day

The first and perhaps most crucial step in prepping skin pre-wedding is managing your expectations. While it's completely valid to want to feel and look your best on your wedding day, remember that your skin will always have texture and pores, and that’s beautiful. Accepting this makes it easier to create an effective skincare plan. 

The goal is not to have flawless, "Instagram filter" skin, but healthy, naturally glowing skin.

Find an esthetician to help you reach your goals

If you haven't already found an esthetician, doing so can be a critical part of any skincare routine, especially when preparing for a wedding. Your esthetician can really get to know your skin and, together with you, come up with a treatment plan that will help you achieve the best results.

How far in advance should you begin your wedding skincare prep?

Ideally, you should begin your wedding skincare prep several months in advance. This allows your skin to adjust to new products and treatments, address concerns, and achieve optimal results. We recommend starting at least six months before your big day for clear, smooth, and glowing skin.

Find a skincare salon offering a wide range of modalities that can be tailored to your skin type and condition. 

Know your budget 

This helps you and your esthetician create a plan that fits and provides desired results. Depending on your budget and skin concerns, you can schedule bi-weekly, monthly facials, or occasional treatments every couple of months.

Six months in advance

Planning More Invasive Treatments: This is the time when you should think about microneedling, laser treatments, and deeper chemical peels.

Establishing a Good Home Skincare Routine: Having the correct skincare routine for your skin and being consistent with it will not only complement the benefits of your facial treatments but also preserve your skin’s radiance during and between each session. Here’s a great starting routine:

  • Cleanser: Cleansing the skin creates a clean canvas, helping products absorb better and removing excess oil and dead skin cells that can clog pores. We recommend iS Clinical’s Cleansing Complex.

  • Vitamin C Serum: Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps prevent free radical damage, enhances skin brightness, and promotes collagen production. iS Clinical’s Super Serum Advance is a great option.

  • Moisturizer: Keeps your skin hydrated, maintains its barrier function, controls oil production, and provides anti-aging benefits. Environ offers a 5-step moisturizer, chock full of vitamins, antioxidants, and botanicals. You begin with the AVST Moisturizer 1 and move up based on your skin’s needs.

  • Retinol: Depending on the strength, retinol and tretinoin products can brighten and control acne-prone skin, reverse fine lines and wrinkles, and stimulate skin cell turnover for healthier, brighter skin. 

  • Sunscreen: Daily sunscreen use is essential to protect your skin from UV damage, the number one cause of premature aging.

  • Exfoliator: Regular exfoliation removes dead skin cells, helping to reveal a fresher, brighter complexion. Tri-Active Exfoliating Masque is our go-to!

  • Hydrating Mask: Adding hydrating masks weekly a few months before your wedding helps ensure your skin stays plump, smooth, and radiant for your big day. Dual Hydration Mask and Hydra-Intensive Cooling Mask are two of our favorites.

Start using a retinoid

Begin now to adjust and see benefits by your wedding day. Retinoids are effective but require time to show results. As your skin adjusts, you might experience flaking, dryness, and purging, which is normal. Think of retinoids as a long-term investment in your skin—great results take time. An esthetician can help you refine your routine to minimize side effects. Stick with it, and you’ll enjoy the full benefits of retinoids, ensuring your skin looks its best both for your wedding day and beyond.

Start Working on Your Fitness Goals 

If you have any particular fitness goals for your wedding, now is a good time to start working on them. Just be realistic here and don’t put too much pressure on yourself to “lose weight” or “tone up”. You’re going to look beautiful!

Three months before your wedding

Cut Back on Invasive Treatments: If you have been working with an esthetician or a skincare professional who created a wedding skincare plan for you, you can trust their judgment. But if you have been following a self-plan and are getting laser treatments or more invasive treatments like a series of skin peels, now is the time to start cutting back and enter maintenance mode instead.

Make a Promise to Stop Picking at Your Skin: Breakouts usually last three to seven days but picking can cause red marks that linger for months. We know it’s tempting, but picking worsens your skin by forcing bacteria deeper, leading to longer-lasting marks and more breakouts. Instead, call us or schedule an appointment with your esthetician for professional pore cleaning. Below, we provide tips on dealing with pimples, especially if they appear close to your wedding day.

Start Adding AHAs and BHAs: Acids like AHAs and BHAs can be excellent for addressing hyperpigmentation, dullness, acne, and textural issues. They also enhance product penetration, making your serums more effective. Start incorporating these into your routine now to allow time for your skin to adjust and to see visible improvements. They are especially beneficial if you have post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from previous breakouts. Consistent use can lead to a brighter, more even complexion.

A month in advance

wedding skincare prep

Botox and Fillers: Not that we are advocating for them, but if you’re considering Botox or dermal fillers, now is the ideal time. Botox takes up to two weeks to relax your muscles, and fillers need a few days to settle and for any swelling or bruising to subside. This timing allows for any necessary touch-ups. If you haven't tried them before, avoid doing so right before such an important event. We recommend trying them at least six months prior to the wedding to ensure you like the results.

Be Gentle: With your wedding day just around the corner, now is not the time to experiment with new products or services. Keep everything gentle and stick to the skincare routine that has been working for you. Avoid overdoing it with professional treatments or home-care routines, especially over-exfoliating your skin.

Limit Dairy if You’re Prone to Cystic Acne: It's commonly believed that oily food and chocolate can trigger breakouts. However, if you experience cystic acne, particularly around the chin and jawline, dairy products like ice cream, yogurt, milk, and cheese might be the culprits. This might not apply to everyone, but sugar and eggs have also been linked to acne flare-ups and inflammation. Consider reducing your intake of these foods to give yourself the best chance of having acne-free skin on your big day.

Establish a Good Sleep Schedule: Sleep is essential not only for preventing dark circles but also for allowing your body to be metabolically active, eliminating toxins that could otherwise damage your skin. Quality sleep promotes cell regeneration and collagen production, which are key to maintaining a youthful complexion. It also reduces stress, the number one aggravator of acne. Additionally, maintaining a good circadian rhythm enhances the effectiveness of nighttime skincare products, allowing them to work better while you rest.

Add a Cold Roller to Your Routine: When nerves run high, extra blood flow can cause redness and puffiness. Use a cold roller, jade roller, or chilled spoons to combat this. Gently roll them over your skin before or after applying products to calm and soothe it. Cold rolling stimulates the lymphatic system, reduces puffiness, boosts blood flow, and eases muscle tension. It also helps decrease inflammation and the appearance of broken capillaries. For extra refreshment, keep your vitamin C serum, sheet masks, and gel masks in the fridge.

A week out from your wedding day

Get Your Final Facial: Your final facial before the wedding should focus on nourishing your skin with gentle exfoliation and hydration. Ensure your esthetician minimizes extractions to avoid redness. Consider adding dermaplaning to your last facial for an extra smooth finish.

Dermaplaning: The Perfect Pre-Wedding Treatment: Dermaplaning is a fantastic treatment year-round, but it's especially popular for pre-wedding skincare. This treatment exfoliates the skin and removes vellus hair (peach fuzz) with a sterile surgical blade, resulting in a smoother, brighter complexion perfect for wedding photos and makeup application. It’s a favorite among clients and makeup artists alike, as makeup glides on seamlessly post-treatment. Plus, your skin will look flawless without peach fuzz in the sunlight on your wedding day. If you've never tried dermaplaning, we recommend doing it about a month in advance to see how your skin reacts. If that's not possible, aim for 5-7 days before your wedding. Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin, those familiar with dermaplaning can schedule it just a day or two before the big day.

Don’t Experiment with New Products: You don’t want to risk an adverse reaction to a new skincare product in the final days before your wedding, so stick with the tried-and-true products in your regimen.

Limit Your Alcohol Intake: Alcohol leads to puffiness, so for every alcoholic drink you consume, follow it up with a four to eight-ounce glass of water, which will prevent unnecessary puffiness. Or, simply avoid it altogether.

Aside from hydration, there are some skincare products to watch so close to the big day. We recommend reducing the frequency of the use of retinol or acid-based skincare products as they cause increased sensitivity and may not be ideal for your wedding day. This can ensure we avoid any redness, dryness, or flaking. If you want to be on the safe side you can stop using your retinol a week before your wedding, you ensure that your skin is at its most vibrant and ready to shine on your special day.

The day before your wedding

Focus on Hydration and Moisturizing Your Skin: Use hydrating and moisturizing products to ensure your skin is plump and radiant for your big day. Avoid retinol or acid-based products that might cause sensitivity.

Avoid Salty Foods: Salt can cause your body to retain water, leading to puffiness, especially around your eyes.

Get a Good Night's Sleep: Aim for at least 7-8 hours of sleep to ensure you wake up feeling refreshed and to minimize dark circles and puffiness. You can sleep with your head elevated on two pillows to promote drainage of fluids around the eyes.

Apply a Gel Mask: A gel mask can calm the skin and give it a smooth, healthy, and hydrated glow without adding oil, which might interfere with your wedding day makeup.

A day-of wedding skincare checklist

Do your regular routine: You should stick to your regular skincare routine on the day of your wedding to avoid any potential adverse reactions or surprises from new products.

Drink Plenty of Water: To prevent puffiness and keep your skin hydrated, drink ice water throughout the day.

Practice Deep Breathing: Calm your nerves with frequent and intentional deep breathing. Just enjoy the moment and your special day.

What to Do if You Get a Pimple Before Your Wedding Day

  1. Apply Ice: Ice can help reduce inflammation, redness, and swelling. Apply a wrapped ice for ten minutes at a time and repeat every few hours.

  2. Apply a Non-drying Spot Treatment: Use an anti-inflammatory spot treatment or even a cortisone cream to reduce the appearance of the blemish without drying out the skin.

  3. Don’t Pick at the Blemish: Avoid picking at the blemish to prevent it from becoming more noticeable and harder to conceal.

  4. Don’t Worry: Your makeup artist will be able to cover it.

Contact JE’DERM skin atelier to reach your skincare goals

Contact JE’DERM skin atelier to reach your skincare goals: Whether to recommend a home-care routine, professional treatments, or both, we would love to be part of your wedding skincare journey. Our treatments are designed with you and your skin in mind. Don’t hesitate to contact us so we can get you the skin you deserve.

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