Getting married in June? Renée Rouleau shares skin tips for the bride.

6 MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING

Find a reputable skin care professional. Six months is the perfect amount of time to ensure that your skin is clear, smooth and glowing for the big day. It’s important to find a skin care spa or clinic that offers a wide range of skin care services to give your skin everything it needs.

Schedule a consultation. What may be fabulous for your friend may not be right for you. Be sure to ask a lot of questions; particularly the cost of treatments, side-effects and the results they can guarantee.

Fit it in the budget. Generally, a good skin care plan (both professional and home-care products) can range from $1000-$2000. Tip: If the budget is tight, let your maid of honor know that getting your skin in good condition for your wedding day is a priority and she may plan a shower where everyone pitches in to give your skin care services as a gift. 

Patch test your skin. When starting a new skin care

program, be sure to do a patch test if you’re trying out new skin care

products as allergic reactions can take up to four weeks to heal. Rub a

small amount of product on the side of your neck and wait 24 hours. If

redness or irritation occurs, avoid using the product.

Follow the plan set forth by your skin care professional.

A variety of skin care procedures such as ultrasonic exfoliation,

microdermabrasion, light therapy, facials, oxygen treatments, micro

current and chemical peels will all be beneficial in getting your

bridal glow.

FOR BREAKOUTS:

-Exfoliate well.

This will keep off dry skin cells to lessen clogged pores and

blemishes, and help fade post-breakout scars. Look for products with

exfoliating acids and enzymes.

-Keep the skin clear of bacteria.

Products using ingredients such as Benzoyl Peroxide and Tea Tree help

to eliminate bacteria and prevent the spread of breakouts.

-Be sure to keep the skin hydrated.

If you’re prone to blemishes, your skin needs water-based moisture to

keep cells healthy to discourage dead skin cell buildup. Make sure to

use an oil-free lotion.

FOR DISCOLORATION AND BROWN SPOTS:

-Use a skin lightener.

By combining exfoliation, skin lighteners and daily use of sunscreen,

the pigmented cells will slowly start break down and fade their color.

Exfoliation is beneficial for breaking up the pigmented cells while a

skin-lightening agent like Vitamin C or Kojic Acid will suppress the

melanin cells and accelerate the fading process.

FOR REDNESS AND ROSACEA:

-Avoid washing your skin with hot water. Cooler temperatures will keep reduce redness and keep the skin calm.

-Use soothing ingredients in your products. Chamomile, Azulene and Sea Whip all help to comfort the skin and reduce redness.

-Make sure you get facials that cater to sensitive skin.

Although facials can be extremely calming for red skins, you must make

sure that your esthetician has experience in caring for this very

delicate type of skin. Avoid strong chemical peels as they will only

exacerbate redness.

3 MONTHS BEFORE THE WEDDING

Make a commitment to not pick at your skin. Acne

breakouts usually last just 3-5 days, but when you pick at a blemish,

the red mark that lingers can be there for three months! We know it’s

tempting, but you can make problem skin much worse by forcing bacteria

deeper into the skin, resulting in scarring and further break outs. A

better solution for problem skin is a regular facial schedule, where

your pores can be cleaned professionally.

Cut back on the invasive skin treatments. If you have

been having laser treatments or a series of skin peels, now is the time

to start cutting back on those. You need to start going into

maintenance mode. Hopefully, those aggressive procedures helped to

clear up break outs, post-breakout acne scars and discoloration and now

the focus is on maintaining the results. Get a professional facial

every 3-4 weeks for the remaining three months.

1 MONTH BEFORE THE WEDDING

Go easy. Now that you’re on the home stretch, it’s not

the time to be experimenting with new products or services. Keep

everything gentle by backing off aggressive professional treatments.

Avoid dairy products if you’re prone to acne cysts.

Many people have heard that greasy foods and chocolate cause breakouts.

Breakouts, especially those that are cyst-like in the chin and jaw line

area, most often are related to too much ice cream, yogurt, milk and

cheese. Try cutting back and watch your skin clear up!

Get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Sleep is not

only important to keep dark circles at bay, but it is also the time

when your body is most metabolically active, ridding itself of toxins

which would otherwise wreak havoc with your skin. Sleep also reduces

stress, the #1 aggravator of acne! Keep your skin care products cold.

When nerves are at their highest, it can cause increased blood flow to

the skin. Try keeping your skin care products in the refrigerator.

Cleansing, toning and moisturizing with cool temperature products keep

the skin calm and soothed.

3 DAYS BEFORE THE WEDDING

Get your final facial. The facial should focus on skin

smoothing via exfoliation and hydration. Keep extractions to a minimum

to avoid unnecessary redness.

Don’t experiment with any new products. You don’t want to risk having an adverse reaction to anything–stick with tried and true.

Avoid shell fish. Especially for those who have

travelled to a tropical island for their wedding, you’ll be tempted

with all the wonderful seafood that is there. Many people are allergic

to iodine commonly found in shell fish which can result in very serious

skin and body reactions, so now is not the time to be eating foods you

have not tried before.

Limit your intake of alcohol. Alcohol leads to skin

and under eye puffiness, so for every alcoholic drink, follow it with a

4-8 oz glass of water. This will help prevent unnecessary morning

puffiness.

Avoid crying (if possible). With all of the

celebratory speeches that are given, it’s only normal that a few tears

may be shed. If at all possible, try to avoid crying since it causes

the eyes to swell resulting in excessive morning under eye puffiness.

WEDDING DAY

Apply a gel mask. Gel masks are water-based so they

won’t add any oil to the skin and interfere with wedding day makeup.

They calm the skin from wedding day nerves, and gives your skin a

smooth, healthy glow.

Drink a lot of water. To prevent skin from puffiness

due to shedding tears or alcohol intake the night before, drink cold

ice water throughout the day. This will also help prevent your mouth

from getting dry due to nerves.

Practice deep breathing. There is nothing better to calm the nerves than frequent deep breathing. Relax. Enjoy. Your day is here.