Grooming the bride
By Erin Morris | posted on September 19, 2011 at 12:01pm
Pre-wedding pampering that goes beyond the day-of readying ritual
Almost every bride’s pre-wedding preparation is a whirlwind day of manicures, pedicures, makeup application and hair styling.
But now many brides are starting earlier than ever to revitalize their skin and body with newer, longer lasting treatments that bring longer-term results.
“If brides are planning their wedding for 12-plus months, why not plan for their skin for that long too?” suggests Jenna Goldsmith, Nurse Practitioner at Advanced Aesthetics Medical Spa in East Amherst (www.lookgood90210.com).
Spas and salons offer a wide range of treatments that can help brides to treat skin and body imperfections long before the walk down the aisle.
“I think in today’s world, women just don’t take enough time for themselves,” says Tammie Riolo, Aesthetician at Salon Le Beau in Snyder (www.salon-lebeau.com). “Taking that time can help to relax your mind for a major event such as a wedding.”
Riolo sees brides undergoing more ‘non-traditional’ pre-wedding treatments, such as eyelash replacements and back facials.
Xtreme Lashes, for instance, are longer-lasting alternatives to strips or tab extensions.
“They’re synthetic lashes that are applied to each of your individual lashes,” Riolo explained. The lashes “are adhered with a medical grade glue. There are different colors [and] they last as long as your natural lashes last, so they’ll fall out when your lashes fall out.”
That means your lash extensions will carry you straight through your honeymoon, too.
Another growing pre-wedding trend is the back facial. “Many people are prone to having acne and other blemishes on the skin of their back,” says Riolo. With more brides going strapless, they “want their back skin to look as radiant as their facial skin.”
“A back facial follows the same principles of a traditional facial, but uses products that are appropriate for your back,” says Riolo. “Every time you exfoliate your skin it gives you a nice brightness, a glow.”
More advanced medical grade skin treatments are also a growing trend among brides-to-be. “In most cases, we are treating things that have bothered patients for some time,” Goldsmith said. “We can help brides at all stages in life look their best.”
Unwanted hair is something everyone struggles with, at Advanced Aesthetics laser treatments can remove hair permanently. “Underarms are big, the bikini area because no one likes to get waxed, and definitely the face,” are some of the most popular areas that brides get treated according to Goldsmith.
For many brides, however, skin is the big issue. “Acne is one of the problems we deal with the most,” says Goldsmith. “We have lasers for that, chemical peels for that, so [brides] really have their choice of what they feel most comfortable with.”
Wrinkles, blemishes and uneven pigmentation are other big skin issues. Along with reducing hyperpigmentation, age spots and sun-damaged skin, treatments with a fractional laser will tighten and firm the skin, says Goldsmith. “Whether brides need a normal correction or more of a deep correction, treatments offer total skin rejuvenation.”
Deeper wrinkles can also be treated with Botox and dermal fillers. “Botox works mainly on the wrinkles that are created by muscle movement—on the forehead and between the eyebrows,” explains Goldsmith. “We use Radiesse to treat the nasal labial folds and the marionette lines on the face. It can also be used on the cheekbones and by the mouth and chin to restore volume that has been lost over time.
“Brides still want to look like themselves and with Botox and Radiesse, they do,” says Goldsmith. “You don’t want to be walking around and have it be obvious that you’ve had plastic surgery. These provide more of a natural look.”
From eyelash enhancements to hair removal and full body rejuvenation, treatments can help brides feel more confident.
“Brides want to look perfect on their wedding day,” says Goldsmith. “Everyone wants to look fresh faced and relaxed. If they have their makeup caked on their face to cover imperfections, they may look back at the pictures and say ‘gosh, you know I wish I would have done something about that,’ and now they can.”
Erin Morris is a copywriter in the Marketing Department of The Buffalo News and a frequent contributor to Buffalo Brides Magazine.
Image courtesy of Xtreme Lashes
