Sarah's 3-Month Plan for Perfect Wedding Day Skin

Wedding season is coming and there’s a very special Stylebook member getting married: Sarah Akram is trying the knot this summer! She and her finance Chris are busy planning their special day, figuring out every detail, from identifying the perfect venue to finding “the dress.”

Of course, like all brides, Sarah wants to look and feel her best on her big day. Actually, whether the bride, part of the bridal party, or a wedding guest, everyone wants to feel comfortable and confident when attending a milestone event (especially one that’s going to be photographed for posterity — and, let’s be honest, all over Instagram in real-time!).

We spend so much time finding the right wedding look — dress, shoes, jewelry, even hair and makeup — but we often forget about one of the most important accessories that we wear every day — our skin! Sure, you can fake flawless, glowing skin for a night, but with a little planning now why not enjoy the benefits of healthy skin for a long time to come?

While it takes some consistency and commitment, taking proper care of your skin is not as daunting as you might think, and the lasting results are certainly worth the effort. Lucky for us, Sarah is a skincare expert and she is sharing with us her three-month path to healthier, more radiant skin. You will be glowing just in time for wedding season…or any other milestone event.

3 Months Before the Big Day: The Facial Treatment

Microdermabrasion is great way to begin a custom facial treatment because it exfoliates and removes the dry, dead, and uneven outer layer of winter skin. It also addresses fine lines and wrinkles and provides a fresh “base” from which to treat.

Extractions, while often uncomfortable, are necessary for many of us with congested skin. Extracting the impurities (oil, sebum, debris) from skin allows the skin to both heal more rapidly and more readily accept the nutrients delivered by your skincare products.

If you’re breakout prone like I am, the LED Blue Light will also be a part of your treatment. This miracle-working (seriously, it makes a difference) painless blue wand kills the acne-causing bacteria that cause inflammation and eliminates the bacteria found in the skin’s oil glands. It also causes the oil glands to shrink in size, so the result is less oil in the skin.

Ice Globes, or “blue magic” globes, are chilled orbs of glass often used towards the end of a facial treatment. When gently rolled around the skin, they calm, soothe, and tighten.

A soothing face mask, which calms the skin while injecting it with moisture and nutrients like vitamin C and E, completes the treatment.

In-Between Treatments: At-Home Care

Following a consistent skin care routine between treatments is key to achieving visible and long-term results. While we often hear about the importance of moisturizing, cleansing treatments — for all skin types— are just as important. Unfortunately, bad skin care habits often begin when the skin isn’t cleansed properly, like when makeup isn’t washed off before we sleep. A cleansing routine not only removes dirt and debris from the skin, but it prepares the skin for the rest of your at-home treatment regimen.

Facial message is another really important at-home skin care tool. Just one to two minutes a day can help prevent wrinkles and increase both oxygen and blood flow. Increased blood flow leads to increased collagen production, which gives skin that healthy and natural glow. Facial massage also helps increase the absorption of your other skin care products and stimulates lymphatic drainage.

2 Months Before the Big Day: The Facial Treatment (Again)

Another facial treatment will continue to cleanse, hydrate, treat, and refine your skin.

1 Month Before the Big Day: The Oxygen Infusion Facial

Gentle enough to have several within the same month, the O2 Infusion Facial reduces the signs of aging by nourishing the skin with essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, and the pure oxygen molecule. After exfoliating, cleansing, and hydrating, pure oxygen (along with pure forms of other vitamins) is applied to the skin via a cool, therapeutic blast. Targeting the deep dermal layer of the skin, the oxygen molecules attach to red blood cells and collagen and elastin fibers to stimulate the production of new healthy cells and increase the strength and suppleness of the skin. The result: glowing skin.