It seems like only yesterday that you were reading her bedtime stories and playing with Barbie® dolls.  Now, you’re planning your daughter’s wedding of a lifetime, but your face is showing a lifetime of stress! Thankfully, with the wonders of today’s technology, there are cosmetic treatments that can enhance your facial appearance – quickly, safely and cost effectively.

Here is a special wedding planner that can help you look as beautiful as the bride on her special day:

Six months before: Save the Date … for Laser Resurfacing

Ten years ago, CO2 lasers were considered the “gold standard” for eliminating fine lines and giving your skin a smooth “pressing” without having to go under the knife for a surgical facelift. However, the problem with these early lasers was that the treatments required a lot of downtime and there were possible complications.

With a new generation of fractional CO2 lasers, such as the SmartXide DOT®, the light from the laser comes through to the skin with “dots,” or perforations, as if it’s pixilated, and that is the key to its excellent performance. The laser heats the skin, but spares the skin in between the dots, and from those “islands,” where there are no dots, new, rejuvenated skin is born. Healing is rapid (just a few days of downtime) and results are amazing.

Two months before: Send Out The Invitations … and Remove the Age Spots

Brown spots on the face, arms, hands and décolletage are usually sunspots, also known as liver spots or age spots. They are flat, brownish tan spots that result from chronic exposure to the sun. As we age, the pigment cells in our skin clump and collect in localized areas instead of being evenly distributed.  These spots are harmless, but can make you look older and can easily be “zapped” with a pigment-specific laser, such as the Q-switched ruby laser.

One month before: Be Ready for the Bridal Shower … with Botox® and Fillers

Botox and fillers can work synergistically with laser resurfacing to smooth away fine lines and wrinkles and restore fullness to the face. There are many different types of fillers available that enhance facial contours, spackle the etched lines on the skin above the lips, and augment the size of your lips. When it comes to any type of laser or injectable treatment, however, be sure that it is administered by an experienced board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon.

One week before: Have Your Hair Cut and Colored … and Get a Microdermabrasion

Microdermabrasion is a skin-freshening technique for the skin on your face, neck, or arms, with virtually no recovery time. A microdermabrasion treatment gently sloughs off dead skin, eliminates blackheads, shrinks large pores and leaves skin feeling soft and smooth. Many day spas offer microdermabrasion services, so make certain that your treatment is performed by a licensed provider under a physician’s supervision … and get glowing!

Planning a wedding takes time, patience and a lot of love. It may be time to call the caterer, photographer and florist, but before your daughter says “I do,” be sure to do something special – just for you!