Planning a wedding can be very stressful and often the main focus is on finding the perfect dress, the perfect venue, flowers, hair stylist and make up and we often forget to take care of our body, our face and skin.
Here are some tips to look after your skin in preparation for your big day to look radiant and flawless.
Protect your skin
The first step in achieving a flawless, glowing, young looking skin is to protect it from the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB with a good sun screen, at least factor 30 for the face, go up to 50, if you are in the Fitzpatrick skin type 1 and 2.
In hot summer days wearing a hat and glasses will offer extra protection to the delicate skin on the face.
Hydrate and eat Nutritious water rich food
Keeping your body hydrated is key to maintain a young looking skin.
Make sure you drink at least 2 litres of water a day. Water doesn’t have to be boring; you can get creative and add some natural flavour to your water by adding some fresh fruit in an infuser, directly placed in your water bottle. Some favourites are lemon, strawberries and melon; they add a great taste to my water and also provide a much healthier alternative to fruit juices, usually too rich in sugar.
Keep a predilection for water rich food; the list is very long and tasty and it includes most fruit and vegetables such as oranges, pineapple, melon, watermelon, apples, berries, peaches, celery, tomatoes, cucumber, spinach, broccoli and zucchini.
You can also spice your meals up by adding anti-inflammatory herbs and spices, so important in keeping the skin healthy, such as turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic.
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Maintain a Healthy Life Style
Our life style plays a big role in the quality of our skin.
Sleeping at least eight hours per night is fundamental to allow the skin to regenerate, by eliminating dead cells on the surface and by producing new collagen and elastin to maintain elasticity.
Minimising exposure to direct toxins for the skin, such as alcohol and tobacco, also helps in keeping the skin young and glowing.
High levels of stress have a very negative impact on the skin by reducing cells’ regeneration and turn over, so it’s very important to keep stress levels down to a minimum; I know that’s easier said than done, especially when planning a wedding!
Meditation, yoga and exercise help in de-stressing, by rising levels of endorphins and minimising stress hormones levels, such as Adrenaline and Cortisol.
Skin Care Routine
Choosing the correct skin care products and routine are essential to maintain a young, healthy and glowing skin.
The below suggested routine is to be followed in the morning, before leaving the house and in the evening, before bedtime.
The first step is always Cleansing
It’s particularly important to cleanse in the evening before going to bed, to remove the pollution we have been exposed to during the day, make up and dead skin.
It’s important to choose a gentle cleanser.
The second step is Tone
Make sure you choose a water based toner as opposed to an alcohol based one.
The third step is a Serum
I like using a combination serum of Vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid and Retinol.
The function of the serum is to repair the skin and restore vitality, elasticity and glow.
The fourth step is Moisturiser
A Moisturiser is fundamental to keep the skin hydrated and nourished. Preferable to choose a light one for the morning, as a base for makeup and a thicker, slightly oily one for the night.
The fifth step is Sunscreen
Advisable to use at least factor 30. Increase to Factor 50 in the summer months and if you are in the Fitzpatrick skin type 1 and 2. This step is only for the morning, for obvious reasons.
Medical Aesthetic Treatments
Adding carefully selected Medical Aesthetic Treatments, performed by a trained professional, can help you achieve a radiant, flawless skin that will make you look great on your wedding day for all the lovely pictures you’ll take on the day.
Before a wedding my preferred combo of Aesthetic treatments will be Microneedling with Platelets Rich Plasma (PRP), LED Phototherapy facial and anti-wrinkles injections with Neuromodulators (Botulinum toxin).
Microneedling
Microneedling is a treatment that uses very fine needles to repeatedly penetrate the skin, creating hundreds of micro channels in the dermis, with the aim of generating a controlled skin injury.
Plasma is the liquid part of blood that provides a vehicle for red cells, white cells and platelets to circulate throughout the body.
Platelets are blood cells responsible for clot formation; they are also essential for the body’s regenerative, healing process. They are very rich in growth factors.
The aim of this treatment is to stimulate your own body’s repair mechanisms to achieve skin rejuvenation and tightening.
LED Phototherapy with Dermalux
LED Phototherapy is a fantastic non-invasive treatment that uses therapeutic light energy to trigger the skin natural rejuvenation and repair processes. It’s completely painless and has no downtime. After phototherapy skin cells can renew up to 200 % faster.
It’s clinically indicated in the treatment of most skin conditions including active acne, melasma, sun damaged skin, pigmentation, rosacea, fine lines and wrinkles, psoriasis and bruises. It also helps in musculoskeletal pain and in wound healing.
Each session lasts for 30 minutes. It can be used as a stand-alone treatment or in combination with other aesthetic treatments such as Microneedling, Chemical peels and Neuromodulators.
Anti Wrinkles injections with Neuromodulators
Botulinum toxin works by blocking the communication between the nerves and the muscles. This results in muscle relaxation, which provides a smoother appearance of existing fine lines and wrinkles and also prevents the formation of new lines and wrinkles, by decreasing muscle movements.
This article has been written by Dr Cristina Golfomitsos, Lead Aesthetic Medicine Doctor for Semper Iuvenis Aesthetics, London.
Do you want more advice before your wedding day? You can book a private Consultation with Dr Golfomitsos who will address all your skin concerns and put together a personalised treatment plan, based on your specific needs, to help you look your best on your wedding day.
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