We’d rather spend our wedding morning topping up champagne over concealer, so this ceremonious season, we’re getting our skin in check with treatments that make you beam from the inside out. If it’s relaxation you’re after, look elsewhere; from microblading to radio frequency, these are the real-deal treatments to make time for ahead of the big day (around twelve weeks, if we’re talking technical), ’cause au naturel at the altar, is our kind of jam.
By Rachel Spedding
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1 Microdermabrasion: if you want a fresh start
We love a good scrub – pass the exfoliant, and give us five minutes in the bathroom to rub away a bad day. But if you really want to get down and dirty with your pores pre-wedding, microdermabrasion is the treatment to try. The non-invasive procedure scrubs the face with tiny crystals to deeply exfoliate and remove dead skin for a boosted complexion. Six sessions is perfect for a real deep-clean (one per month = baby soft bride), and is the ideal choice if you suffer from acne scars, pigmentation, bumpy skin texture, or just want those pores unclogging.
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2 Microneedling: if you’re ready for heavy-duty
Take a deep breath, needle-fearers, this one may hurt a little, but you’ll be looking beaut after. Microneedling punctures the first layer of skin with a bunch of tiny needles, to increase collagen production for major plumping. ‘How?’ (we hear you ask through quivering lips), well, to ‘repair’ itself from the punctures, the skin generates elastin (the bouncy stuff), leaving your face plump and juicy. As well as the glow, microneedling seriously gets to work on fine lines and wrinkles. Sure it can be a little uncomfortable, but three sessions will suffice on the mission radiance. Six weeks post-treatment is when skin will look its best, so factor that into your wedding timeline.
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3 Radiofrequency: if it’s time to tighten up
Sounds hi-tech, and it kind of is. Radiofrequency is a firming treatment that rejuvenates the skin with heat: 38-40 degrees in fact, cosy. A wand passed over the skin, penetrates the epidermis (a fancy word for the outer layer of skin tissue) and dermis (just as fancy, but that’s the inner layer), and tricks cells into producing collagen and elastin, making it the cheekiest of treatments, by far. The cells will work to ‘heal’ from the heat for 6-8 weeks post-facial, meaning you’ll be reaping those mighty tight benefits on the big day and beyond, if you time it right.
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4 Peels: if you’re not smooth enough (you are)
Sometimes we’ve just got to start from scratch, and though the word sounds scary, a peel is famous for freshening up the face. The clue’s in the name – this facial lifts away dead skin cells, and encourages living cells to move to the surface. Et voila – something new, kind of. Post-peel, you should see improvement in tone, texture and pigmentation, and one treatment should be enough. This one is a real glow-booster, best suited to clearer skin.
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5 LED light treatment: if you need a little clean up
We’ll do just about anything for a clearer complexion, so if sitting beneath a panel of beaming lights in a pair of goggles is the answer, then where do I sign?! LED treatments, expose the skin to different spectrums of light (red, white or blue), fuelling skin cells with the energy to produce more collagen and speed up healing. Red is the ‘universal’ light colour, covering skin complaints across the board, from uneven texture, to aging, but if it’s acne you’re dealing with, try all three colours of light to really show those spots who’s boss. Head for one treatment per week (for 8-10 weeks), and you’ll saying ‘I do’ bare-faced and beautiful.
Side note brides-to-be: if it’s a major breakout, you may need a little more help than a fix-up treatment. Acne can be the result of stress on the body, a change in diet, or anxiety, so head to your doctor for advice.