We hear wedding bells! Whether you’re a bride-to-be, mother of the groom, a relative or a friend, you’ll want to look your absolute best on the big day, but do you feel ready for wedding season, yet?

Most of us know a PWG (Professional Wedding Guest) - they’re the annoying colleague or friend who gets invited to dozens of weddings each year and looks incredible at every one. However, attending or being a part of even one wedding may bring with it a cloud of anxiety around the way you look and feel. Whether you’re up front-and-center, or you’ve been plonked on the ‘miscellaneous table’ at the back, it’s hard not to feel like all eyes are on you during more intimate social events, such as a wedding.

In the past, hair and makeup were the usual pre-wedding considerations for brides and wedding guests alike. However, with medical advancements and reduced recovery times, cosmetic treatments and procedures are becoming the norm and just one more tick-box on the wedding/party-season checklist. Whether you are looking to smooth away wrinkles and lines, or wanting to lose that last remaining bit of stubborn fat or excess skin, cosmetic enhancement is a great option to achieve the look you want.

There are a number of procedures you might consider before the wedding season begins, but do you know the most suitable options for you or when to start considering surgery/treatment? We’ve put together a handy timeline to help you start planning for the busy season ahead!

One Year Before

If you’re looking for a more extensive transformation, you should consider starting your surgical journey no-later than one year before the big day.

More invasive procedures, such as Breast Uplift,Tummy Tuck, Arm Lift Surgery or Vaser Liposuction involve sedation or anaesthesia and come with downtime and recovery. However, these transformative procedures are extremely life changing and, for many, could be the difference between getting married/attending an event or not at all.

Whilst larger surgical procedures will have a recommended recovery period of around 6-weeks before commencing regular activities, we suggest giving yourself a full year for scars to fade before you can expect to see your final result.

Breast Uplift (Mastopexy)

Breasts can sag due to aging, breastfeeding, weight loss, or genetics. Breast Uplift or Mastopexy is cosmetic surgery to lift and reshape the breasts to give a fuller, firmer, and more youthful appearance. Uplift surgery doesn’t alter the volume of the breasts. Instead, it reforms and repositions them, creating a fresh, full, and lifted contour.

Bella Vou provides a bespoke breast surgery service. The expert cosmetic surgeons will carefully assess your body, discuss your worries, and tailor a personal programme of care. If you are worried about the size, as well as the position and texture of your breasts, implants can also be inserted to fill, enhance, and lift the breasts.

Tummy Tuck

Age, pregnancy, and weight loss can make the midriff loose, wrinkly, and saggy. Some develop a fatty overhang over the lower abdomen and mons pubis which can be a huge source of embarrassment, frustration and anxiety. A Tummy Tuck can get rid of excess skin and tighten your tummy so that it looks toned, flat and firm.

The specialist surgeons at Bella Vou remove any excess skin and fat, they also tighten and (if muscle separation has occurred during pregnancy) repair the underlying muscles to create a more sculpted, smoother, and more toned tummy. With skin excision, any stretch marks or scars in the area are cut away. “Contoured” Tummy Tuck surgery can rejuvenate your abdomen, smooth your silhouette, and boost your body image.

Vaser Liposuction

Saddlebags, muffin tops, belly fat, and cankles can affect your body image and self-esteem and can often be challenging to shift with diet and exercise alone. VASERlipo™ is an advanced body sculpting procedure that removes fat to reshape and contour the body, giving a slim and athletic appearance.

VASERlipo™ is not a weight-loss method and is no substitute for a healthy lifestyle. This procedure is particularly popular amongst already fit and healthy brides and grooms-to-be, looking to remove stubborn areas of fat and re-contour the body to achieve a more refined shape - just in time for honeymoon!

Arm Lift Surgery

If you’re planning a summer wedding, you’ll know that most dresses/outfits are centered around the short/no-sleeve detail. If you’re unhappy with loose skin on your arms, this is enough to put you off getting married or having a summer wedding altogether. We’re here to tell you that you deserve to have the choice!

An Arm Lift or Brachioplasty is an operation to treat loose skin and remove excess fat on the upper arms. An Arm Lift smooths and tightens the skin on the upper arms, improving your appearance and body confidence.

Bella Vou offers a bespoke service to ensure you achieve the very best results. Vaser Liposculpture and Renuvion skin tightening or Body Tite can also reduce fat and improve the contour and appearance of the arms. The experienced plastic surgeons will make a careful assessment of your arms and discuss the results you hope to achieve. They will then recommend an individual treatment plan that will ensure you get the cosmetic result you want.

Six Months Before

Labiaplasty:

Labiaplasty is surgery to decrease the size of the Labia Majora (outer) and/or Labia Minora (inner) lips of the vulva, removing excess skin to create a more harmonious and comfortable genital contour.

If you are unhappy with your genital appearance, or you experience discomfort as a result of your labia, Labiaplasty Surgery can offer a permanent solution. This procedure is more than just vanity; it seeks to improve sexual confidence, reduce pain & discomfort, and rejuvenate overall vulval appearance.

Following surgery, you should avoid exercise and heavy lifting for two weeks. You will need to avoid intercourse for at least four weeks to allow the wounds to heal. Some pain, swelling, and bruising are normal with any surgery. In this sensitive area, it can take time to settle fully. By six weeks, most swelling will have eased, but it can take three to six months to see the final results.

Are you unhappy with the way your genitalia look, but not sure why or how to talk about it? Many women struggle to identify the parts of their genitalia that make them unhappy, so we put together this handy guide to help you talk about your lady-parts with your doctor or surgeon!

Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty):

Are you finding applying your make-up more difficult due to sagging eyelids? The once perfect winged eyeliner you loved so much is not only difficult to apply, but once you’ve finished, it disappears under the additional sagging skin on your eyelids that seemingly appeared from nowhere. So what are your options?

The highly-skilled cosmetic surgeons at Bella Vou provide Eyelid Surgery for the upper and lower lids.

Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty) can treat loose skin and bags on the lower eyelids, excess skin and sagging of the upper eyelids, and the loss of the natural upper eyelid crease, and comes with several benefits such as creating a brighter, rejuvenated, and more open-eyed appearance.

Unhappy with your eyes but not sure if surgery is for you? Here are some Surgical & Non-Surgical Eye Rejuvination Tips for you to consider in the run-up to wedding-season.

Non-surgical Rejuvenation:

Whilst non-surgical treatments are certainly less-invasive than surgery, they can still be hugely transformative! Each of the following rejuvenative treatments come with a little downtime and recommended top-ups before you can see their full potential. However, your aesthetic consultant will be able to work with you to create a treatment plan that caters to your skin needs, as well as working around a busy wedding timeline.

Sunekos Face: The building blocks of healthy skin are Collagen and Elastin, but as we age, our bodies production of these proteins slows, skin loses its elasticity becoming loose or saggy and fine lines and wrinkles increase.

Boosting the production of Collagen and Elastin then, holds the key to restoring vibrancy and revitalizing the skin. Incredibly, Sunekos have unlocked a way to dramatically increase the body’s own production of these proteins through their patented intelligent injectables thus dramatically slowing and even reversing the aging process.

CO2RE Laser Resurfacing: CO2RE is a revolutionary laser therapy that resurfaces and regenerates the skin for a smoother, fresher, and more radiant complexion. Bella Vou offers the CO2RE laser, which provides precise, adaptable skin resurfacing. The treatment uses targeted energy to remove part of the surface of the skin in a process known as Fractional Resurfacing.

Morpheus 8: A revolutionary new device that Stimulates the increase of Elastin and Collagen production while tightening connective fibres to lift, firm, smooth and contour the face and body. Morpheus 8 is a highly-adaptable fractional device. The aesthetic doctors at Bella Vou can programme the penetration depth and energy delivery to tailor the treatment for your needs. Morpheus 8 effectively treats fine lines and wrinkles, acne scars, skin laxity, and improves your skin tone and texture.

Three Months Before

Your wedding is just around the corner - 90 days away to be precise. It’s time to start considering less-invasive, non-surgical treatments that come with minimal-to-no downtime, to help you boost your confidence before the big ‘I do’.

Anti-wrinkle Injections

Anti-wrinkle Injections are non-surgical treatments that relax facial muscles and smooth lines and wrinkles to refresh and rejuvenate the appearance.

Anti-Wrinkle injections block the chemical mechanism between a muscle and nerve. When precisely injected by an expert practitioner, there are many benefits of botox. They are an effective, non-invasive way of reducing the signs of aging by relaxing facial expressions and smoothing wrinkles. These injections can even be used to curb excess sweating, migraines and even teeth grinding.

The effects of Anti-Wrinkle Treatments are not immediate. The injections will take several days to have an impact, and the full results can take two weeks or more. Your consultant may give you further injections to balance and fine-tune your result.

Dermal & Lip Fillers

Did you know that fillers are one of the most popular rejuvenation/enhancement treatments? A hyaluronic acid gel is injected to restore volume, fill wrinkles, and lift and rejuvenate the appearance. Fillers provide instant rejuvenation with minimal downtime.

Bella Vou offers precise injection of high-quality hyaluronic acid. The expert practitioners have extensive knowledge of facial structure and anatomy to ensure the very best aesthetic results.

One Month Before

SKINCARE REGIME

It's always a good idea to adopt a skincare routine well in advance of the big event, as it can take time to see noticeable improvements in your skin. However, it is important to take seasonality into consideration and ensure that you are adapting your regime to suit the ever-changing weather conditions around you as you prepare for the big day. As well as regular cleansing, exfoliation, and use of daily moisturizers and serums, you should be protecting your skin all year round with a Broad Spectrum SPF.

Remember to be gentle with your skin during this time, and avoid using any new products that may cause irritation or breakouts. Stick to your routine, but remember to make slight adaptations to suit seasonality; this way, your skin will look its best throughout the wedding season. Remember to take this time for yourself during these busier periods!

One Week Before

MANUAL LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE (MLD) MASSAGE

Manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) is a gentle massage technique that aims to improve the flow of lymphatic fluid throughout the body. MLD is traditionally used as a post-surgical recovery technique or to treat lymphedema patients. Over the years, however, more and more health-conscious millennials have begun implementing MLD into their regular beauty regimen to help reduce swelling, puffiness and inflammation, as well as supporting the immune system and improving circulation and overall skin appearance.

If you're considering MLD massage before your wedding, here are some things to keep in mind:

MLD should be performed by a qualified practitioner who has been trained in the technique.
Consult with your doctor if you have any underlying health conditions or are taking any medications
Relax and enjoy!

Takeaways

Cosmetic surgery before a wedding is a personal choice and decision that someone may make for various reasons. There are a number of surgical procedures and non-surgical treatments available to help you feel more confident or comfortable.

It is recommended to plan ahead and allow sufficient time for proper recovery before the wedding season commences. Many cosmetic procedures require several weeks of downtime, and rushing the healing process can increase the risk of complications and potentially impact desired results.

Ultimately, the decision to undergo cosmetic surgery or non-surgical treatment before a wedding should be carefully considered and based on personal motivations and goals, with the guidance and expertise of a qualified medical professional.

At Bella Vou, we combine cutting-edge treatment and clinical excellence with luxury, comfort, and discretion. We are dedicated to providing satisfaction, the highest standards of care, and a very personal touch throughout the client journey. The highly-skilled, professional staff are passionate about helping you achieve the results you want, but also making your experience enjoyable, stress-free. All that’s left for you to do is to focus on the big day ahead!

BOOK YOUR COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION HERE

Okay, so you’ve already read all of the Wedding Preparation guides, but what do you know about preparing for surgery?

Find out what you can do to have the best possible surgical experience and to help speed up recovery, just in time for wedding season!

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Wedding Season Timeline – Aesthetics & Cosmetics