Injectables and Fillers Before the Wedding

Whether Botox or facial fillers, many a bride-to-be is looking to get rid of frown lines or other wrinkles before her big day. This is especially true for brides in their late 20s, 30s or early 40s who are not candidates for more invasive facelifts just yet.

We generally recommend that Botox be performed no later than two weeks before the big day, because sometimes you need to do a touch-up, and most people don't see the full effects of Botox, for example, for at least a week. It may take two weeks for swelling and bruises to heal, should they occur.

The bottom line? Give yourself a couple of weeks, in case you need to get re-injected and/or for swelling and bruising to go away.

More Invasive Facial Cosmetic Surgery Before the Wedding

Some older brides may undergo a full facelift or eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), which removes excess skin, fat or muscle from the upper and lower eyelids, improving baggy skin under the eyes or sinking upper eyelids.

These are more invasive procedures that will require a couple of months for recovery prior to the wedding.

Liposuction Before the Wedding

Whether low-carb, no-carb or even liquid fasts, pre-wedding diets seem to be mainstays for brides and grooms who are anxious to shed extra weight for their big day. But sometimes even with great willpower, pockets of excess fat remain — especially where you don't want them. Think abdomen, hips, buttocks, back, thighs, knees, calves, ankles, upper arms, jowls, cheeks and neck.

It's liposuction to the rescue in these cases. Many prospective brides — and grooms — get liposuction so they can look good in their gown and on their honeymoon.

If you are planning to undergo liposuction before your wedding, do it about a month before to look great in your wedding gown.

If you want to put on your bikini and show off your new figure, you need a month for bruising to go away, to be totally safe.

Body Contouring Before the Wedding

You have dropped more than 100 pounds as the result of gastric bypass, Lap Band or another form of bariatric surgery, and your whole world opened up. Your self-esteem improved, you began dating for the first time in years, and lo and behold, you are getting married!

 The problem? Excess flab and skin that will prevent you from looking your best in your wedding gown. The solution? Body contouring procedures such as tummy tucks , body lifts and panniculectomy (which removes hanging fat and skin). Plastic surgeons can also perform brachioplasty (arm lifts) to get rid of excess hanging fat on the arms. That sleeveless wedding dress of your dreams may actually be within your reach!

Right now the consensus is that body contouring procedures should be staged, for safety reasons. Instead of one long operation, an individual may need two or three separate operations, with at least a few months in between, so that involves months of planning.

Breast implants are also popular among brides. For the most part, these are women who have always wanted breast enhancement, and something pushes them to do it, like wedding pictures and how they will look in their wedding gown. Give yourself at least a month between the surgery and the big day, for optimal results.

Skin Care Before the Wedding

Certain things like facials or microdermabrasion are great for rejuvenating the skin, but make sure they are done a few weeks in advance as they can exacerbate acne in the short term. 

Laser therapy with intense pulse light photorejuvenation done a month or three weeks before the wedding is another option that can really help a bride's skin glow on her big day.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your big day, because it goes by very quickly . . . but the benefits of your wedding makeover may last for many years, or even a lifetime.

http://www.yourplasticsurgeryguide.com/trends/wedding-makeovers.htm

Visit www.looknatural.com to learn more about pre-wedding treatments and to schedule a special pre-wedding consultation with one of our highly skilled Plastic Surgeons.

Matthew R. Kaufman, MD, FACS

www. looknatural.com

The Plastic Surgery Center

535 Sycamore Ave.

Shrewsbury, NJ 07702