When Jacqueline Darling got married last November, her wedding was small, but she went big with her wedding skincare regimen. “About six months before my wedding, I started interchanging IPL [Intense Pulsed Light] sessions and chemical peels every month,” says Darling. “It really whipped my skin into shape.” Darling says that her quest for glowing skin was inspired by both her wedding day and her honeymoon: “We took a ski holiday in Alberta and British Columbia and I wanted to go makeup-free for that. Working on my skin tone and texture was very important to me.”

That’s something that dermatologist Dr. Lisa Kellett, the owner of DLK On Avenue,  hears a lot. Kellett says the number 1 request from pre-wedding patients is for skin that looks bright, vibrant and fresh. In fact, it even has a name: prejuvenation. “With wedding prejuvenation treatments, my clients aren’t looking to drastically alter their appearance,” she explains. Instead, they want to look like the best version of themselves.  

What does “prejuvenation” mean?

Dr. Kellett defines it as the preventative treatment of issues including fine lines, uneven skin tone, under-eye darkness and hollowness. Prejuvenation includes everything from skin treatments to injectables, and the focus is on preserving your natural appearance. “We’re seeing younger patients—female and male—coming in who want to slow down the aging process,” says Kellett. “The great thing is there is a constant evolution in treatments and multiple options to treat a wide variety of concerns.”

What are the most popular prejuvenation treatments?

Kellett says that at DLK On Avenue, there are a few fan favourite wedding skincare treatments that provide great results fast and require no downtime. For facial lines, neuromodulators like Botox and Dysport are used to treat lines on the forehead, crow’s feet and around the mouth. The effects can last four to five months.

To treat dark under-eye circles—and the aging under-eye hollows—derms use injectable fillers containing hyaluronic acid. “We’ve found this has an incredibly positive effect on a patient’s overall appearance by making them look less fatigued,” says Kellett. Injectable fillers can stay fresh for up to 12 months depending on the treatment area. 

Lip enhancements, using fillers like Restylane and Juvéderm, remain massively popular, which Kellett attributes to a lingering Kylie Jenner effect: “We don’t see this trend changing anytime soon.”

What wedding skincare treatments should I get?

Kellett says she always recommends a session with the Etherea MX Laser, a multi-modality laser that treats multiple concerns in one session. “Brown and red spots, sun damage, fine lines, acne and acne scars can all be treated effectively with this one laser—it’s pretty incredible.”

Dema Najjar, founder of D Luxe Lab in Toronto agrees that lasers, IPL and a treatment like microneedling—a minimally invasive treatment in which fine, short, sterilized needles are inserted into the skin to rejuvenate and help stimulate collagen production—are the gold standard for achieving smooth, glowing skin. She also recommends thread lifting, a relatively new cosmetic treatment. 

“A thread lift is known as a non-surgical face lift,” says Najjar. “If you’re noticing a softness around the jawline, it provides a wonderful lifting effect.” The procedure takes around 45-minutes and consists of inserting a medical-grade thread into the face, then “lifting” your skin up by tightening a thread. Since it can create light swelling and bruising, book it several months in advance of your wedding day. The results can last up to three years. 

When do I need to start?

Kellett says that it’s ideal to create a cosmetic treatment plan a year in advance of the wedding day: “Since some skin issues, such as acne, need more time to be properly treated, the more time we have, the better.”

How much do I need to budget?

The intensity of cosmetic treatments will differ per person, but Najjar says that a healthy wedding skincare budget would range from $400 to $3,000, with non-invasive injectables starting at $800. (Botox costs $10 to $12 per unit; $300 is a good approximate Botox budget).

If you decide to go this route, just build these beauty costs into your wedding budget. In this COVID age, when we’re all not feeling our freshest (hello, Zoom fatigue and wedding rebooking stress), planning to spend a little extra on your pre-wedding self-care is money well spent.

 

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