8 Month Pre-Wedding Skincare Timeline & Troubleshooting Guide
Life in the time of Coronavirus is hard and I feel for the couples that have had to postpone or cancel their big day. I've gotten a lot of questions on the topic of a pre-wedding skincare regimen, and while we wait for the day we can all gather and celebrate, this is a good time to start planning and prepping your skin for the maximal glow.
Planning a wedding can be overwhelming (spreadsheets were my best friend), so my goal is to simplify the skincare piece so you can check it off your list and feel confident.
Scroll to the bottom of the post to access:
a full troubleshooting guide to last-minute disasters
a complete pre-wedding skincare checklist and easy-to-reference infographic
⌛ 6-8 Months Before Your Wedding
1. Have a consult with a dermatologist.
You’ve heard me say this a million times, but everybody has different skin. Your skin is different from your friend Jenny’s skin, so the regimen she used before her big day might not be the best one for you. I personally love doing consults for brides (my dream alternate job would be wedding planning, no joke) and having a consistent, working relationship with a dermatologist as the day comes closer will be a lifesaver for any last minute skin disasters that may come up (more on that later).
2. Start a retinoid.
It takes at least 8-12 weeks for your skin to get used to a topical retinoid and for most people, this is the most powerful ingredient in improving skin texture and complexion. It will also help keep that stress-related acne under control as the big day gets closer. You want to give yourself plenty of time to peel and get into a groove that works for you.
3. Start a weekly chemical peel regimen.
Chemical peels are the best way to exfoliate your skin and get that glow, as well as helping with acne, mild hyperpigmentation, and improving skin texture. You will want to have plenty of time to get into a set routine and get used to your recovery times. Start with once weekly treatments with a 10 or 20% glycolic acid and bump up to twice weekly if you need to and can tolerate it.
4. Try out any in-office treatments.
Now is the time to try out any treatments you are interested in, like medium depth chemical peels, micro-needling, laser, Botox, or filler. Many of these treatments require multiple sessions to get the best results. There is also time to troubleshoot if something goes wrong.
Botox will start to wear off after 3 months. Getting it at least 6 months before will give you the chance to see how you look as it wears off. I personally love my look about a month after my Botox injections - I have a little movement that looks a bit more natural than a completely frozen upper forehead.
Why 6 months? The more time, the better!
It takes at least 3 months to see the full effect of regimen, like for acne or hyperpigmentation. You also want to give yourself plenty of time for trial and error of various glow-maximizing treatments. I don’t recommend trying anything new once you are 3 months from your wedding.
⌛ 1-3 Months Before Your Wedding
About 1- 3 months from the big day! By now, all the big decisions have been made: the venue, photographer, caterer, and florists. This is now the time to start thinking about and finalizing all the little details that make a wedding so special, like programs, miscellaneous signage, guest book, etc.
When it comes to thinking about pre-wedding skin care, you should also have tried out anything new and be jamming with your home routine.
You should have your retinoid use down to a science, as well as any at home chemical peels you are doing. At this point, I would be careful about starting any new products, especially if they contain active ingredients.
Remember that your skin changes with the seasons, so if you notice increasing dryness and irritation (especially in winter), you may need to adjust your at home routine accordingly. If you’re entering into the fall and winter, a humidifier in your bedroom is a great way to boost skin hydration.
If you are being treated for any specific condition, you should be seeing an improvement. For example, if you have acne and started on a treatment plan 3 months ago, you should be noticing a decrease in your acne lesions and lightening of any acne scars you have. If you are not getting better, follow up with your dermatologist so you can work together on getting you blemish-free for the big day. The same goes for treatment for melasma and hyperpigmentation.
Where should you be with in-office procedures?
Ideally, you should be in the maintenance/improvement phase and really not trying anything too invasive or drastic at this point.
Botox — If you tried it out a few months ago, you should start to see it wear off by now. Now is the time to decide when you want to get your next and last treatment before the big day. I usually recommend getting it about 3-4 weeks before, so you have plenty of time for touch-ups and the neurotoxin has time to fully set in.
Filler — You should be getting minor adjustments or touch ups at this point, no more than 4 weeks out from go time. Remember, any bruising can take up to 2 weeks to resolve.
Chemical Peels/Microneedling — Your last medium-depth in-office chemical peel and/or microneedling session should be done no later than 6 weeks prior to the wedding. It takes at least 7-10 days to fully peel and heal.
Laser Treatments — How you should space out your laser treatments really depends on what kind of laser treatment you are getting, so it’s important to plan out your treatments with your provider. In general, you should have more time to heal with heavy-duty resurfacing treatments (approx. 6-8 weeks). Intense pulse light treatments for pigmentation/redness and less invasive resurfacing, like Clear & Brilliant, can be a great way to get a last minute skin refresh up to 2 weeks out.
⌛1 Week & The Night Before The Wedding
The week before, my wedding seemed like a hectic blur, filled with spreadsheets, late nights, and last minute hustling. The last thing you need is to be stressing about what to do about your skin.
The best thing you can do for your skin at this point is keep it simple and be gentle with it. Ideally, you have already done all the leg work prepping your skin in the past 6 months, so there’s not much you can do at this point that will make much of a difference. Again, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and gorgeous skin takes time and dedication.
DO THIS 👍
Reduce the frequency of your retinoid use. I would not use any 3 to 4 days prior to avoid any dry patches or irritation.
Do your last at-home AHA peel 1 week before to allow for any peeling completely resolve well-before the big day.
If you are using a light peel product that is <10%, it is probably okay to use it 3 days before to get that last bit of exfoliation and maximize your goal.
Sleep with a humidifier. That moisture will ensure that your face is adequately hydrated, which is key to happy skin and a glow-y complexion
Remember to use a hydrating moisturizer.
DON’T DO THIS 👎
Put anything on your skin you have not already tried. I have seen too many brides right before their wedding with rashes from various products. This includes sheet masks, clay masks, exfoliants, products from last minute facials, etc. Just don’t do it.
Pick your acne. Keep your hands off your face! If it is a small lesion, a little spot treatment with benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or even a “zit sticker” will help it shrink faster. If it is larger and more cystic, consult with your dermatologist. A steroid injection may be indicated.
The only thing I recommend doing the night before is to make sure you have a humidifier going (get a small USB powered bedside one if you are not going to be in your home) and stick to a gentle, simple routine with a plain wash and hydrating moisturizer. A light powder exfoliant (like Dermalogica Microfoliant) can help gently remove any dead skin stragglers the night before.
That’s it! The most important thing is to be present and enjoy. I hope these tips will help take some of the stress off of thinking about your skin, so you have more bandwidth to partake in the festivities. No matter what shape or form your nuptials are taking during this time of coronavirus, I wish you a beautiful and joyous celebration with your loved ones!
🤯 Troubleshooting
Even with the best planning, unexpected disasters can spring up. This is especially true with the skin, since it is a living, dynamic organ. Here is my rundown of the most common pre-wedding skin mishaps and how to manage them. The first rule for all of these scenarios is DO NOT PANIC.
SCENARIO 1
You wake up the morning before your wedding and have a mini-Mt. Vesuvius brewing on your nose!
If it’s a superficial pimple with a white head, do not squeeze it. Squeezing it will only make it worse. Apply a medicated zit patch or a bit of topical spot treatment on it and leave it alone. That should bring it down enough that it can be covered with make up on your big day. It’s much harder to cover a zit that has crusted blood and serum over it from all your squeezing.
If it’s a deep-seated, cystic lesion, no spot treatment in the universe will make it better in 24 hours. Take a deep breath and call your dermatologist ASAP. The sooner you can get an injection of cortisone (steroid) into the thing, the sooner it will calm down. It takes about 12 to 24 hours for the cortisone to reduce the inflammation.
SCENARIO 2
Your sister convinced you to use a new Korean sheet mask the night before (despite your dermatologist’s advice to avoid any new products the month before) and you wake up with an itchy, red rash all over your face 🚨
You probably had an irritant contact dermatitis reaction to something in the mask. The best thing you can do is apply topical hydrocortisone cream on it, which will bring down the redness and the inflammation. Avoid anything harsh, like scrubbing, applying alcohol or toner. This will only make it worse. Stick to a gentle cleanser and moisturizer.
If it’s pretty severe (i.e. all over your face with significant symptoms), you will probably need something stronger than over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream. Your dermatologist can help you help bring down the inflammation with stronger prescription medications.
SCENARIO 3
You accidentally used your tretinoin the night before and have dry flaky patches around the side of your mouth and on your cheeks.
Putting makeup on dry skin flakes is not a cute look, especially not on your wedding day. The name of the game is to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Use a moisturizer that is on the thicker side.
If you’re pretty dry, you may want to try a thin layer of petrolatum (Vaseline, Aquaphor) after patting on a bit of water. This will help your skin repair itself. If you have to put on makeup, the best way to remove the excess flakes is in the shower, with your fingers, after about 5-10 minutes of letting the skin soften. Moisturize immediately after.
…and there you have it!
Those are probably the most frequently encountered, panic-inducing skin issues the few days before your wedding. All of them can be effectively managed either at home or with the help of your dermatologist. I recommend coming up with a contingency plan with your derm the month before your wedding in case something like this comes up.
Although it sounds cliché, my wedding was definitely one of the best days of my life. Whether or not things are as “perfect” as you’ve planned them to be, I guarantee you will have an amazing day surrounded by the love of friends and family. I hope this guide will has helped you with prepping your skincare routine, taking out some of the stress and guesswork.
