Say ‘I Do’ to Radiant Skin. An Essential Timeline to Look & Feel Your Best
Wedding season is upon us, and whether you’re walking down the aisle yourself or standing proudly as the Mother-of- the Bride or Groom, there’s no better time to ensure you’re radiating confidence and beauty on the big day. At Charlotte Skin & Laser, Dr. Elizabeth Rostan and her team help their patients achieve their skin and cosmetic goals with safe and effective, non-invasive treatments. You’ll find yourself falling in love all over again – looking and feeling your absolute best.
Say I Do to a Consultation
“I like to think about helping brides get ready for their big day starting with skin. I just think having your best skin is the way to feel the most confident and ready,” Dr. Rostan.
Just like popping the big question is the first step on the road to marriage, being camera-ready starts with a consultation. Ideally you want to do this a minimum of 8-12 months in advance to determine your goals and meet with Dr. Rostan for a personalized pre-wedding treatment plan.
Dr Rostan says “We start by advising our brides on a good skin care plan. Now, that can mean a lot of different things including treating acne. For some brides, treating sun damage can become important. Honestly, I just I love treating sun damaged skin, because when we lighten freckles and remove dark spots, you get brighter skin ~ it’s fresher and just prettier and better to put on makeup.”
Great looking skin is healthier skin, and laser treatments are one way to achieve both the look you want and get the benefits your skin needs.
A year out is a good time to discuss:
Your Anti-Aging skincare plan – it’s time to take stock of the products you’re using to ensure you see results in time for your big day. Typically, this assessment involves discussing products offered in the SkinStore at Charlotte Skin & Laser including:
- Using SPF daily: with brands such as Elta MD, Revision Skincare’s Intellishade, or ColorScience
- Retinols: Skinbetter Science AlphaRet, Obagi, Avene RetrinAL 0.1% & more
- Daily Anti-Oxidant: Skin Ceuticals C + E Ferulic, Skin Ceuticals Phloretin CF, Charlotte Skin & Laser Triple AOX Serum & Cream
- Cleansers: Charlotte Skin & Laser’s Exfoliating Cleanser, Revision Skincare’s Brightening Wash
- Moisturizers: Elta AM/ PM, Charlotte Skin & Laser’s Restorative, Skin Ceuticals Triple Lipid Restore
- Eye cream: Charlotte Skin & Laser’s Brightening eye cream, Neocutis Lumiere/ Lumiere Riche Eye Cream
When Everyone Has Their Eyes on You
Being happy with your lashes has many benefits on your wedding day – including being able to enhance them with makeup – without the worry of some of the challenges that come with ‘false lashes’ which can sometimes create an unintended artificial look, especially in photos.
As Dr. Rostan says “Overdone false eyelashes can lead to a crowded unnatural look, plus some ladies don’t like wearing them. Also, over time, if you keep wearing the eyelash extensions and the false eyelashes, if they’re very heavy, they can weigh down the upper eyelid, causing a condition that we refer to medically as ptosis.”
How do you get longer eyelashes the healthy way?
Dr. Rostan says there are a lot of ways to grow eyelashes, and recommends a lash growth serum which is good for any day of the year, not just your wedding day. Plus, you can leave behind the hassle of maintaining false/ artificial lashes.
Dr. Rostan recommends you use an over-the-counter lash enhancing serum that contains synthetic prostaglandin analog, and in particular Isopropyl Cloprostenate, like ‘Rapid Lash’ which is known to cause less irritation compared to some of the other products on the market.
Another thing you can do is start using a nutritive eyelash enhancer, according to Dr. Rostan, “The one that we recommend is ‘Factor Five’ which is a brow and lash serum. It has growth factors as well as copper and peptides that promote eyelash growth for nice eyelashes, which is great for photos and just looking great all the time!”
Even better, don’t miss out on CS&L’s newest offering: the lash lift with tint, an effortless way to accentuate your natural lashes and make your eyes pop.
Hug Confidently, Dance Boldly
Between strategizing about your seating plan and the best path for the passed hors d’oeuvres, one thing you may not have thought about but is very popular, especially for brides wearing a strapless dress, is how to handle underarm sweat. Though you want to be well hydrated – you don’t want to be a sweaty mess, especially with great aunt Betty coming in hot with the hugs or while you’re busting a well-choregraphed move on the dance floor.
Dr. Rostan says “I think this is actually quite logical. You don’t want to have a sweaty underarm on your dress or one that stains your dress, and there’s a lot of dancing and hugging and catching bouquets with the arm up in the air. I think this is one with a great big reward, and I recommend Botox injections under there.”
While we’re in this area Dr. Rostan also recommends starting laser treatments for hair reduction approximately 6-12 months prior to when you want to see full results, and like many of the other treatments we’ve discussed in this story – will be beneficial year-round and for years to come.
Dr. Rostan says “It would be great not to worry about stray hairs in your underarm, especially if you’re wearing a dress that’s going to show that. But you can also think about your legs and bikini area, which just makes your maintenance easier.” It’s a lifestyle investment for most people that can have big rewards as a timesaver and
lifechanging for those that have a lot of bumps in their shaving area.
CS&L is the first in Charlotte to offer Brella, an innovative in-office treatment designed to reduce sweat, alongside MiraDry, a solution for achieving long-lasting and significant reduction or elimination of underarm sweat.
6-8 months out is a good time to consider:
- Laser and Energy devices – to reveal brighter, more radiant skin and stimulate collagen
and elastin. Plan for 3-4 treatment series, 4-6 weeks apart for laser treatments
including Fraxel 1927, Vbeam, Tixel. - Body Contouring Treatments to reshape and tighten areas of concern.
- Laser hair reduction: underarms, bikini, chin, etc.
- Injectables – facial balancing / Neuromuscular Relaxers such as Botox – use relaxer in key areas to soften lines, especially important for photos – before and on your wedding day.
If You Don’t Want to Be the Blushing Bride…
Facial flushing is common especially for brides-to-be with fair skin.
“If you just turn beet red and you’re worried about it happening on your big day with all the guests, partying, dining or even just saying your vows, Botox can help,” says Dr. Rostan.
You may be surprised that Botox can be used for this purpose – in general it can be used for much more than its well-known wrinkle control.
You get great looking skin using Botox by doing what’s called ‘micro torques’, which are tiny
little injections of Botox all over the face, a so-called ‘Botox facial’. It tightens pores and reduces oil, making everything look smoother and more even and pretty.
“The micro torques can be used to reduce the redness on your cheeks or forehead or wherever by inhibiting the blood vessels from dilating and creating redness,” says Dr. Rostan.
“We use ‘Botox’ like the word ‘Kleenex’. So, when I say Botox, I’m referring to a neuromuscular relaxer. There’s actually Botox, Dysport, Xeomin and Devereux now Daxxify. These are used in the muscles — between your eyebrows to fix those ‘elevens’ and can soften brow lines. It can also give you a brow lift in the forehead and ‘divorce’ you from lines in the forehead, crow’s feet, and smile lines,” Dr. Rostan.
Last Minute Check Before the Chapel
Whether you’ve got three months or three weeks before wanting to look your best, Dr. Rostan has some recommendations that can make a big difference.
Heading into the final stretch Dr. Rostan recommends keeping things simple. But simple doesn’t mean you still can’t get great results.
CS&L recommends:
- 2-3 Months: Final Injectables/ touch up
- 1 Month: Laser toning treatments to brighten skin- Q- switch, Hollywood Spectra Peel, IPL
- 2 weeks: Hydrafacial, Glo2Facial, Back peel/ body peel for brides wearing low back gowns, etc., Brow shaping (wax/ tint), Lash Lift
- 1 week: dermaplaning to remove dead skin, hair, and other impurities. This will also help your makeup go on smoother and exfoliate the skin to make it brighter.
“Now is the time to touch-up any Botox, consider a Hydrafacial or the Glo2Facial. Focus on the surface of the skin, hydration and eyelashes and brows,” says Dr. Rostan.
No downtime solutions to get glowing skin include Hollywood Spectra Peel, Qswitch Laser for laser toning and IPL, which is short for Intense Pulsed Light (targets the reds and browns in your skin) which can result in tightened, smaller pores and just an overall smoother skin appearance.
“You could honestly do this before a bridal shower and go put your makeup on. You’re ready to go. But if you give yourself a couple of days, you’ll see the full effect from these laser facials with just a little glow and smoother skin,” says Dr. Rostan.
A Marriage + Good Skin to Last You a Lifetime.
By following a good skin plan Dr. Rostan says “You’ll achieve healthier skin for your whole
lifetime. So, while it’s really fun to focus on the big day – we love it too, but it’s nice when we can help you get on a program that leads to a lifetime of healthy skin that you love,” Dr. Rostan.
To unveil your radiant skin, Charlotte Skin & Laser is now offering an exclusive Bridal Ready package, focusing on radiant skin treatments. Available from April 2024 to June 2024.
Charlotte Skin & Laser
130 Providence Road
Charlotte, NC 28207
704-333-9113 | 704.333.9757
