THE ULTIMATE BRIDAL SKIN PREP GUIDE – A GUEST BLOG FROM DR.LOUISE SMYTH OF KINS SKIN CLINIC.

Hello, Sorcha from The White & Gold Bridal Gallery here! I could not begin to count the amount of times during a bridal fitting that the subject of skin care and wedding skin prep pops up in discussion. Every bride longs for that dewy bridal glow (and every mother of the bride longs to be mistaken for a bridesmaid!) A very good friend of mine, Dr.Louise Smyth, has recently opened KINS, a beautiful skin clinic in Kinsale and Louise has very kindly written the below guest blog for you brides to be. Happy reading!

SKINCARE PRODUCTS:
People often say if you are going to change your skin routine for your wedding day you should do it at least 3 months before the wedding to make sure you don’t have a reaction or a break out. This is certainly true for cosmetic products that you are using.

If you are changing to strong active or medical grade products I would recommend starting as early as possible before your wedding day- not to avoid a reaction or a breakout , but to actually give the products time to let you see significant results and changes in your skin. 

If you have good healthy clear skin then you can start with a very basic routine that maintains that skin and just makes sure you have exfoliated enough before the big day to give you that smooth canvas for your wedding make up and gives you an amazing glow. 

If you have concerns you actually want to treat then you need the correct products to do that. If you have oily skin with large pores that is prone to break outs the last thing you want is to have a breakout on your wedding day. Every spot is caused by a blocked pore of oil and dead cells. You need to use products that decrease oil and remove those trapped dead cells. My personal choice of products to treat these issues are:  the ZO complexion clearing pads, the ZO exfoliating polish and the ZO complexion clearing sulfur mask. The Skinceuticals blemish and age cleanser is also a firm winner for spot prone skin

You could also consider trying to improve the texture of your skin – large pores, scars from old spots, pigmented areas from old spots etc. A good retinol will cover all of these things. The ZO wrinkle and texture repair retinol is specifically designed for oily skin and texture concerns. 

If your skin is primarily dry then you need to make sure your skin barrier is strong and hydrated before your wedding day. This is to ensure your make up doesn’t get patchy over the course of the day. Dry skin can also leave your overall complexion very dull. For this, making sure you are exfoliating dead damaged dry skin and healing the barrier from within is essential. Layering on thick moisturisers alone will not help this, you have to learn how to exfoliate correctly for your skin to stimulate new healthy hydrated cells to be produced. The ZO Daily power defence is essential for people with barrier issues and dry skin and encourages your skin to heal from within. The skinceuticals combination of a Vitamin C and Hyaluronic acid serum also ensures brighter hydrated skin.

If you are looking to tackle issues like lines and wrinkles or stubborn pigmentation then you should certainly get an expert’s opinion and start your treatment regime as soon as possible.

It is also important to take note of what time of year you are getting married. Most women’s skin and their requirements to have healthy looking skin changes a lot from season to season so you will have to adjust your products to suit these needs.

PROCEDURES

When it comes to procedure options for bridal prep, these would be chosen specifically for each person’s skin type and concerns.

My personal favourites to give every woman that wedding day glow would be a course of chemical peels, a course of micro needling or a combination of both!

The treatment course length, the ingredients and strengths used would vary from person to person depending on what needs to be targeted. But everyone’s skin will benefit from either one or both of these procedures at the correct protocols for their skin type. 

For brides I usually do a course of peels ranging from 3-6 peels every 2 wks with approximately a 2wk gap before the last peel and the wedding day. Peels give your skin an amazing even colour and tone and improve texture issues like superficial lines and wrinkles and dullness. They also allow your skincare product ingredients to work even harder for your skin!

Micro-needling actually stimulates collagen production so it should be started at least 6months before your wedding day depending on what you need to treat. Collagen production takes approximately 3 months to show a difference in your skin. It makes everyone’s skin clearer, tighter, smoother and just overall better. If the right amount of sessions are done with enough time given to allow collagen production then micro-needling can also tighten pores, improve scars, improve pigmentation – the results are amazing.

Finally, if you are considering getting anti-wrinkle injections for the big day then I would highly recommend giving it a full trial or 2 over 6-9mts before your wedding. This is to make sure you are happy with the results, that the correct dosage has been found for you and that you can decide when is best to get it done just before your wedding day- do you want the full effect 2 wks after the procedure or do you like it to have worn off a little and would get it done 6 wks before your wedding?

Anti-wrinkle injections relax the muscles that are injected so they can’t move and cause wrinkles. The most common areas done are between the eyebrows for the frown lines, the forehead horizontal lines and the crow’s feet around the eyes.

The most important thing for every bride is to have a tailormade plan for their own skin and their own expectations taking into account the time allowed before the big day. Recovery periods and adjusting to skin routines have to be taken into account.

Most importantly if you are happy with your skin and feel it looks healthy and glowing then do not feel pressure to change your routine just because you are getting married – If you have found something that works for you then stick with it !!!

For more information on guidance re skin products and procedures please contact info@kins.ie or visit our Instagram @kins_clinic or website www.kins.ie

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