The Bridal Affair | Signed, sealed, botoxed

In the beginning, it was the dress. When the wedding bells rang in the heads of dreamy children, silhouettes, color nuances, types of lace and perhaps one or two accessories were defined, most often including a glittering crown. Then the wedding planning was finalized: once you had chosen the dress, you had everything you could wish for. Right? Wrong. Few dare to deny the cultural importance that a wedding dress still holds, but at a time when new generations are being born with a camera in their hands, not even they are too naïve to realize that planning a wedding look goes far beyond finding a mere piece of fabric. I still remember, at the height of my adolescence, going into a state of shock when my mum told me that she hardly wore any makeup on her wedding day. "If it hadn't been for my cousin from the US who brought some products, I wouldn't have even thought about it," she said as if it were nothing. But we're talking about a wedding - the day that is immortalized in the only album I'll ever create, in the only photo I'll ever frame, in the video, carousel and endless stories I'll surely post on Instagram. Perhaps this is (yet another) symptom of being a narcissistic Gen Z, but isn't this the perfect opportunity to invest in self-care?

I know I'm not alone in this adventure after a brief search on a search engine. Specialists waste no time in drawing up a long list of treatments that can meet the needs of brides who want to look their best on what many consider to be the most important day of their lives. However, for Dr. Augusto Guerreiro, clinical director of Clínica LHR, aesthetic medicine is not a one-size-fits-all service. Any procedure must begin with a professional diagnosis. "The first consultation is very important to understand the patient's complaints, what they want to improve and what their expectations are," says the aesthetic medicine specialist. "We can give generic advice, but not everything fits everyone. There are cases in which lip fillers can be essential and others in which they are insignificant. And it's the same with all other treatments." At first glance it may seem like an insignificant detail, but what contributes most to the success of an aesthetic treatment - after obtaining a specialized diagnosis - is the time between the first appointment and the big day. The closer you get to the occasion, the fewer the procedures that can be carried out. As Augusto Guerreiro explains, "as much as a procedure has an almost immediate effect, it needs some time to adapt, it needs a few touch-ups." Following this logic, the director of the clinic located in Avenida da Liberdade clinic divides aesthetic treatments into two large groups: those that need several sessions before they have an effect and should therefore be planned further in advance, and those that have practically instant results and can be carried out closer to the date of the ceremony.

Let's follow the timeline, starting by listing the beauty procedures that require greater anticipation. Before we even talk about dermoaesthetics, Augusto Guerreiro points out how often brides and grooms come to his office in the hope of having a hair transplant before the wedding. However, they make a big mistake: they arrive too late. "A hair transplant takes 12 to 18 months to have a consolidated result. Most of the grooms who come to Clínica LHR come early, yes, but between 6 and 8 months, which isn't enough. In these cases, I recommend a medical treatment to try to gain some hair mass, which has results from the third or fourth month onwards." For the aesthetic medicine specialist, this is the treatment that should be planned the furthest in advance - "at least a year [before the wedding]".

Now we come to the skin: the villain responsible for many brides' sleepless nights. What if a pimple appears the day before the wedding? Will the dark circles be too visible in the photographs? Like the mystery of the creation of the universe, these are questions to which science still has no answers. Nevertheless, there are ways to prevent similar mishaps, using aesthetic procedures suited to the needs of each skin. Augusto Guerreiro begins by recommending the application of biostimulators to those who are concerned about sagging skin, particularly from the age of 30. "These have to be planned well in advance, giving the doctor time to suggest several sessions to the patient," explains the specialist, noting that the first appointment should be booked around nine months before the procedure. Another facial procedure that requires several sessions is laser treatment. "Lasers aim to treat small wrinkles, scars and acne marks. They also homogenize the grain of the skin in cases of hyperpigmentation and melasma. Basically, they give the skin a brighter appearance," explains the director of Clínica LHR. "It's one of the most popular treatments and it should also be done early. As a rule, we recommend three sessions, one month apart, and there's also a recovery process. So, the ideal is to start six months [before the wedding]."

If you're discovering these recommendations shortly before the big event, or if you think you're a bride who will leave beauty treatments to the eleventh hour, there's no point in getting discouraged. There are effective beauty treatments that can be started just two or three months before the ceremony, such as low-level lasers. According to Augusto Guerreiro, this "is an anti-inflammatory treatment that, for example, for acne-prone skin or blemishes, can produce very interesting results after eight or ten sessions, with a week's break between each. It has different colometries for various problems. Red and violet are best used for acne, yellow for hyperpigmentation, among others that suit each skin type." We have yet to introduce the most popular treatments at Clínica LHR, which can be powerful allies for those preparing for the big day. We're talking about fillers with hyaluronic acid and botulinum toxin (botox), ideally planned one to two months before the wedding. "The most popular treatments are those with an immediate effect, but you shouldn't put it off until too close to the occasion, because there may also be a need for various procedures, whether it's in the cheekbones, lips or facial harmonization," says the doctor. There are those who risk putting off this kind of care until a few weeks before the ceremony and, for Augusto Guerreiro, although it's not the ideal situation, it's not impossible either. "In most patients, after 15 days the effect of the botulinum toxin is finalized. There may be a recovery process, but it doesn't last more than four or five days." The aesthetic medicine specialist also emphasizes that it is important to ensure that this type of treatment is administered by a qualified professional, otherwise the results may be the opposite of what you want, especially when decided so close to the wedding date.

Regardless of the chosen aesthetic procedure, maintaining a skincare routine at home will help maximize the results obtained. At Clínica LHR, each patient is informed about the products that complement the needs of their skin type. However, in this field too, anticipation is the key: "Some want to do a lot in a short time, but things have to be prepared," comments Augusto Guerreiro, for whom daily skincare is essential during any treatment. When faced with cases where time is short, the doctor can resort to "attack treatments - the so-called skinboosters - which are stronger and can make a difference in around 30 days." But he emphasizes that, once again, "everything requires some anticipation, it's impossible to see changes in two or three days." After understanding the behaviors to avoid, one has all the ingredients that may be needed for a foolproof beauty preparation. From the moment the date of the ceremony is set, it's worth taking a few minutes to plan, together with a qualified professional, how to achieve the radiant skin that frames the dress of your dreams. And what if a pimple appears the night before the wedding? Laugh it off, cover it up with concealer and ask the photographer to erase it in Photoshop.

Translated from the original in The Bridal Affair, published March 2024. Full stories and credits in the print version.