The following is an excerpt from the Glow Journal podcast. To listen to the full interview, subscribe now on iTunes or Spotify
In this instalment of our Ask An Expert series with our friends at Candela Medical, we’re taking YOUR questions on all how to prepare your skin for your wedding to dermal clinician and founder of Victorian Dermal Group, Derya Koch.
Derya, who holds a Bachelor of Health Science, Professional Certificate of Dermoscopy and Professional Diploma of Dermoscopy, has over 15 years of industry experience and has served as founder and director of Victorian Dermal Group, one of Australia’s leading skin clinics, since 2012. This in mind, I felt Derya was the best person to answer your questions on all things wedding skin.
Away from our regular brand founder conversations, I am frequently asked so many highly specific questions about the skin. Given that I am an educated consumer and by no means an expert, it would be extremely unethical for me to even attempt to address your skin concerns- which is why I have long insisted on taking those questions to those truly qualified to answer them. That’s why I sincerely love producing this Ask An Expert series with Candela. Although the series itself is sponsored, doctors legally and ethically have to remain completely objective in interviews like this. For this reason, this series is the single most authentic way for me to integrate branded content into the podcast because it’s giving you, the listeners, completely unbiased expert answers to your most specific skin questions.
In this conversation, we’ve taken the questions you submitted on wedding skin prep to Derya- from exactly what you should be doing a year, six months, and a week before your wedding day and how late is too late to start those preparations in order to see results, through to what to do if a pimple or an irritation flares up on your big day and the DIY treatments you should absolutely avoid the night before your wedding.
GLOW JOURNAL: I am so excited to be picking your brain on this subject as we had such a broad and really interesting scope of questions come through. To start with, what would you say is the most common skin concern that brides-to-be come to you with?
DERYA KOCH: Traditionally, they’re just looking for a smooth texture. Obviously they’re wearing makeup on their wedding day, but ultimately they want a nice dewy look. [They want] a nice smooth texture, tight pores and hydrated skin.
A listener has asked “When it comes to pre-wedding skin, should I go to a professional or can I DIY it?”
I definitely think you should go to a professional. Each skin is so different, and based on your concerns and what you want to achieve with your skin, in clinic treatments are working more on a cellular level. They’re changing the structure and function and skin health, essentially. So definitely go and see a professional and have a really good regime set up for you and for your concerns.
Another listener asks “Generally speaking, how far out from my wedding day should I start my in-clinic wedding skin prep?”
Look, I think this all depends on what you’re wanting to achieve. It’s so specific to your individual concerns. Generally speaking, if you did just want a bit of a glow and a hydration, then usually at three months out [you could begin your skin prep]. But if you’re treating deeper concerns like pigmentation, for example, I’d definitely say a good 12 month to six month regime is really important.
On the other side of that coin, is it ever too late to start in clinic treatments ahead of your wedding day?
I think, based on the timeframes that we have to work with, there’s always something we can do- as long as it’s not the day before! But as long as we’ve got a couple of weeks, there’s always something we can do. The results you will get will be based on how soon you start, though.
The biggest concern that popped up as listeners were submitting their questions was pigmentation- both post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and also at that pigment from the sun. A few of those listeners have asked questions along the lines of “I’m looking at laser to fade my pigmentation. How far in advance should I have my first treatment?”
Pigmentation is such a multi-factorial condition. You can have pigmentation from the sun, which is sitting more epidermally (so at the top layers), which are much easier to treat. If you’re looking at hyperpigmentation, it’s a little more difficult and takes a bit more time. If we’re referring to sun damage pigmentation, I would say a good month. It’s a good timeframe to get your laser treatment and have your skin healed. If it’s post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation due to breakouts, you may have or trauma or scars, you need a good six months to get the best results.
There’ll be a bit of overlap here, but a few people have asked how far out before their wedding day, should they wrap up those treatments?
Just to be careful with downtime… we usually do lots of events treatments, so normally I wouldn’t do something sooner than 10 days prior to the wedding. I wouldn’t do anything too close to the wedding date, around a good two weeks out because your skin is so varied. It’s temperamental. You just don’t know how you’re going to react to the same thing at that point in time. I definitely wouldn’t do anything at least 10 days or two weeks prior to the big day.
And are there any specific treatments that you would recommend for brides to be with this particular concern? That concern being pigmentation.
Lasers are great at treating sun damage. There’s a particular one I love, it’s a 1927 nanometers Fraxel pigmentation laser, because it gives you that really nice skin rejuvenation, it smooths out your skin tone, as well as treating all the sun damage. That’s a really good treatment, and that’s going to give you maximum results in the one treatment session. If you’re treating hyperpigmentation, we always like to use either a Pico or a Q switch laser, because that’s penetrating deeper in the skin and it’s targeting that hyperpigmentation.
To finish, what would be your number one piece of advice for brides regarding their skin in the lead up to the big day?
Plan ahead, get the right advice. Get professional advice. Even if you don’t have huge concerns and you’ve got generally good skin, you still want that right advice on what to use and what treatments to be having.
To listen to the full interview, and the rest of our Ask An Expert series with Candela Medical, subscribe to the Glow Journal podcast now on iTunes or Spotify
