From the moment a woman gets engaged, there is pressure for her to look her best: her most fit, prettiest, most beautiful self. From a barrage of product options, to a range of face and body treatments, brides have an arsenal of choices to get in tip-top shape. The pressure can be legendary. One New York bride treated her entire bridal party to Botox to get her wedding photos as perfect as they can be, leaving some wondering if bridal beauty scrutiny has gone too far.
Ask any bride…
Michelle Abramsohn, a recent bride, said she absolutely felt pressure to have “perfect” skin leading up to her wedding. “I have struggled with acne since I was in elementary. It definitely goes through stages where it gets better and worse and in the days leading up to my wedding I literally prayed I would have perfectly flawless skin”.
Another Canadian bride Michelle Bilodeau also felt pressure to have picture perfect skin. “I did consider Botox for a hot second, but I couldn’t go through with it. I don’t want to put anything that serious into my skin”. Instead, Bilodeau opted for what many brides (and women) are choosing, and that’s investing in longterm skincare, rather than a quick shot (pun intended). Bilodeau started cold laser treatments about four months before her wedding and now months later, is getting compliments from friends on her glow.
No more crash diets for your face
Injectables and quick-fix products are the crash diets of skincare, while the new generation of cold laser facial treatments work to improve the health of skin, while treating all manner of concerns, from acne and fine lines to sun damage in the process. Cold laser therapy has been used to treat athletic injuries for years, famed for its ability to deeply penetrate tissue and prompt the body’s ability to heal itself on a cellular level. That same efficacy, applied to skin care, makes for impressive results.
Toronto’s The Freeze Clinic offers a one-of-a-kind Cold Laser Signature Treatment that improves skin texture, tone, and overall brightness instantly, and results improve cumulatively with every treatment — and with zero downtime. Co-owners Jessica Biegel and Sachi Morris developed the offering, after seeing it take off in L.A.
Smile! No, really, smile.
Biegel suspects some of the pressure that brides feel is steeped in Hollywood beauty ideals. She explains that even actors started to pull away from injectables, as their faces became expressionless (The Freeze Clinic even devoted a blog post to it). Brides too want to have their skin in top form, but also want to have natural facial expressions.
The Freeze Clinic is popular with brides looking for a flawless glow, but also as insurance against breakouts. “We are able to completely customize each client’s laser experience, so ending with a blue light for its antimicrobial properties is great to ward off any breakouts”. In addition to the brides she has treated (some whose fiance’s had never seen them with clear skin) , Biegel also has a few grooms that have become regular clients.
Each treatment incorporates gentle diamond microdermabrasion, a hydrating oxygen facial with the calming effects of organic rose water that they made in house (a house-made mint version is also available) then a total facial workout: Cold laser with micro-current treatment using an 8-beam multi-coloured laser, a hydrating collagen mask then a 500-beam cold laser panel customized for different skin care concerns.
Treat your skin for your 10th anniversary, not just your wedding
Biegel preaches a no-nonsense approach to skincare, particularly for brides. “Women know their own skin best”, she explains. “Recommending a one-sized fits all product or treatment can have adverse affects on the skim, rather than the intended results”. A healthy skeptic of products (she and co-owner Morris both have marketing backgrounds), she encourages brides to stick to the basics:
- Exfoliate at least once a week
- Drink as much water as possible
- Wear at least an SPF 30
- Treat the skin on your neck, chest and shoulders like the skin on your face
