SKINCARE FOR BRIDES-TO-BE

I recently had the honor of speaking to one of our brides, Ursula Diaz, who is a skincare and beauty expert. As the Director of the Skin Care Clinic in Beverly Hills, and founder of beauty blog Honor Beauty, Ursula’s passion is helping people, especially brides, achieve great looking skin. She let me pick her brain to get all of her insider tips and share them with you.
 
First things first… How long before your wedding should you start a skin care regimen?
This really depends on the skincare concerns and how severe they are. Ursula recommends that you start your regimen at least 3-6 months in advance. To enhance healthy skin, you can start one month in advance; however, completing a skincare regimen over time in multiple series always yields the best results.
Treatments

Ursula recommends two treatments to help you achieve that perfect wedding glow:

1. HydraFacial:

-Resurfacing treatment meant to give your skin a nice glow

-Cleanses, exfoliates, and hydrates

-Little-to-no downtime

-Can be tailored to specific skincare needs

2. Illuminize Peel:

*Ursula’s personal favorite*

-Superficial peel that brightens and tightens skin

-Often referred to as “red-carpet” peel

-Little-to-no peeling

-Recommended for 1-3 days before wedding: immediate results that last for a few days

*Pro Tip: Have a trial peel 1-2 months before your wedding to make sure you know how your skin will react. (This is a mild peel, but everyone’s skin is different, and it would be awful to have peeling skin for your wedding day!)

 

What can you do at home?

1. Use an exfoliating scrub 1-3 times a week. This clears your skin, helps with cell turnover, lightens dark spots, and minimizes fine lines/wrinkles.

2. Use an SPF on your skin EVERY DAY. The best way to eliminate dark spots, fine lines, and wrinkles is to prevent them!

3. Use a medical-grade retinol cream. This helps with preventing breakouts, and minimizing fine lines/wrinkles.

4. Use an eye cream in the month leading up to the wedding, as well as day-of. This will help eliminate dark circles in your pictures.

5. Keep your skin moisturized. If you tend to breakout, Ursula recommends a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid. If your skin is acne-prone, make sure your moisturizer is non-comedogenic.

     *Keeping these tips in mind will help with glowing skin and smooth makeup on your big day!*

Now that the face is covered… Let’s talk about the back.

Since we cannot always see our backs, they can oftentimes be overlooked; however, taking care of the skin on your back is just as important as taking care of the skin on your face (ESPECIALLY if you are in a backless gown!!).

 

Treatment

Ursula collaborated with her husband (whose plastic surgery practice she works with) to create a Clear Back HydraFacial. She says many brides-to-be come to her with breakouts on their backs, which can be amplified by an increase in their workout schedules, or just from the stress involved in planning a wedding. The Clear Back HydraFacial contains a mild peel that exfoliates and resurfaces the skin, helps clear up acne, and lightens sun spots – all good things for when you want to show off your back!

 

What can you do at home?

1. Use a salicylic-based cleanser, along with an exfoliating scrub a few times a week.

*Pro Tip: Loofa towels work great for scrubbing your back, and help you reach all areas on your back.

2. Using acne treatment pads also work amazingly for clearing back acne. These are meant for use on clean skin, and exfoliate and medicate the back area.

3. Keep your back moisturized with a non-comedogenic lotion. This is especially important if you plan on getting a spray tan – we know you don’t want any streaks!

4. Use an SPF whenever your back is exposed to the sun. This will prevent weird tan lines and dark spots – two things that you do not want to have if your back is exposed for your wedding.

 

Ursula and her hubby, Dr. John Diaz, on their wedding day.