Have Your Skin In Its Best Shape For Your Big Day #nofilter
Our team at Pacific Derm often jokes around that thinking about coming in for a cosmetic consultation is as common as eating kale nowadays. I am especially amazed to see the number of men who choose to take care of themselves and book a consultation, whether it be to address something that has bothered them for ages, to maintain a youthful appearance or to get a competitive edge in the workplace or on the dating scene.
And rarely does a milestone motivate us to be our better selves than a wedding. I am going “against the grain” (see what I did there) by making this pre-wedding season blogpost about grooms! Getting married in September myself, I can share the trepidation and try to take away some of the confusion and guesswork out of cosmetic dermatology procedures for men.
Since we men have a tendency to leave things to “last minute”, I’ve put together a timeline to help my fellow grooms get organized, from the tightest deadline to an entire year to get ready for your big day.
1 Week Out – Going for that last-minute glow!
Laser Genesis is a 20-30 minute, no down-time procedure that uses heat delivered from a laser to stimulate collagen production. It is increasingly popular for prejuvenation, which a trend towards starting non-invasive treatments to slow down the aging process, rather than correct it later on. It feels like a hot stone massage during treatment and gently improves background redness and pore size. Any redness dissipates on the same day. Triple Glow treatment is a staff favourite and consists of cleansing, a light chemical peel, extraction if needed followed by Laser Genesis.
T-1 month (Are you a Groomzilla yet?)
The one-month mark can be especially stressful, with various checklists to complete, vendors to contact and guests to manage. Grooms who are especially sensitive to excessive sweating under stress may benefit from having the armpit area treated with Botox injections, a highly effective treatment that “kicks in” within 1-2 weeks and curbs sweating often for up to 6 months. Just think, you can prolong the life of white shirts and avoid embarrassing sweat stains from being immortalized in your wedding photos.
While it’s not too late to use neuromodulators like Botox to treat forehead wrinkles or crows’ feet, the one-month timeline is probably best suited for experienced patients to look their best on their wedding day. We use a light touch to soften lines and always have first-timers return to the office in 2 weeks to confirm that everything is on point.
3 to 4 months to the big day!
Now this timeline gives us plenty to work with! Having this window of time available before your wedding allows us to optimize your skin using a medical-grade skin care routine – and it doesn’t have to be complicated. This will be customized to your personal skin type, needs and any skin condition (such as acne, eczema) that you’re experiencing. My favourite science-based skincare active ingredients include sunscreens, antioxidants and retinol.
If you have ever wondered about Botox or dermal fillers, this may be a good time to have this discussion. My patients who are happiest with Botox treatments have been surprised seeing themselves frowning in a mirror and appearing angry, or are wondering when those deeper crows’ feet on their smiling vacation photos happened? Wrinkle-relaxing injections soften the contraction of muscles that control facial expression, leading to a refreshed appearance. A light touch is key.
Talk of dermal fillers can bring out ideas of overfilled cheeks and lips – don’t worry, I get hives when I see that too. For my male patients, fillers are used to subtly soften some harsh features related to weight loss or athleticism (such as a hollow temple) or to highlight some features associated with masculinity (such as a sharp jawline or strong chin).
Moreover, if you have been thinking about having a mole, growth or skin tags removed, coming in early will allow the area to heal completely (including any residual redness at the area) after an excision or CO2 laser mole removal
5-6 months before saying “I do”
Some skin conditions such as broken capillaries of the face (telangiectasia) or dark sun spots (solar lentigo) may require 1-3 treatments with various light-based devices such as IPL or lasers. Since these treatments may have to be repeated and incur a few days of social downtime, it’s best to come for a consultation to discuss them well ahead of your wedding day.
1 solid year or more
We are very passionate about treating acne in our practice and our primary goal is to prevent acne scarring. When scarring does occur, its treatment is as rewarding as it is challenging. Acne scars require multiple treatments, either in combination or repeated over many sessions. This may include non-ablative and ablative laser resurfacing, TCA CROSS (where potent chemical peeling agents are used at the bottom of acne scars) and subcision (a technique where collagen fibers tethering the scars down are freed with a small blade). Improving acne scars is a journey that is best started early on.
Lastly, if your hair has been thinning on top or getting sparse in the front (a process known as male pattern hair loss or androgenetic alopecia), best to be referred for a medical consultation well ahead of your wedding day to discuss topical, oral and injectable options for hair growth. The latest addition to our treatment options is Platelet-Rich Plasma injections or PRP, a regenerative medicine treatment that uses the growth factors from your own blood to stimulate hair growth.
Regardless of the time counting down to your nuptials, an in-office one-on-one cosmetic consultation is the first step to assessing your goals and putting together a customised treatment plan. We are more than happy to see recently engaged couples together as they embark on their best wedding skin journey. Phone Pacific Derm at 604-682-7546 and book in at your convenience.
Happy Wedding prep!