Why should an aesthetic procedure not be left to the final week?
The procedure itself mostly takes a short time; what takes long is the skin recovering and the result appearing. Before a special day, time is needed for four reasons.
- The course of recovery: swelling and bruising can occur after injections, and redness, crusting and peeling after peels and laser. How long these will last varies from person to person and cannot be known for certain in advance.
- The result settling: the effect of some procedures is not seen straight away. With botulinum toxin the effect begins within days and takes time to become noticeable; with procedures that rely on collagen production, the change appears over months.
- The uncertainty of a first attempt: if you are having a procedure for the first time, you cannot know in advance how your skin will react, whether you will like the result or whether you will have side effects.
- A margin for adjustment: in situations such as mild asymmetry or a lesser or greater effect than expected, there should be time left for the physician to carry out a follow-up examination and, if necessary, a small adjustment.
To these are added problems that are uncommon but take time: a cold sore flare-up after a procedure, infection, prolonged redness or pigmentation. None of these is frequent; however, when they appear a few days before the special day, there is no time left to put things right. The usual course of bruising and swelling is explained in detail in our article “Bruising and Swelling: How Long Do They Last after an Aesthetic Treatment, How Can They Be Reduced and When Should You Worry?”.
Where should I start planning?
Build the calendar backwards from the special day. The first step is not a procedure but a consultation. At the consultation, give the date of the special day, any intermediate dates before it such as a fitting, a photo shoot or the henna night (kına gecesi, a traditional pre-wedding celebration in Turkey), and your holiday plans afterwards. Your physician will assess which procedure is suitable for you, which does not fit into this calendar and which would be better left until after the special day.
- Keep your expectations simple: the period before a special day is not a suitable time to try a major change to your face. You will want to look like yourself in the photographs.
- Give yourself time for the decision. Health institutions recommend allowing time to think before deciding on an aesthetic procedure, and not deciding in haste after the consultation.
- Repeating a procedure that you have had before and were happy with is more predictable than a procedure you have never tried; even so, your physician sets its timing.
- If you are considering more than one procedure, your physician plans the order and the interval. If you are having procedures at different facilities, tell each one about the other.
What to tell the physician at the consultation, medicines and supplements, and preparation for the day of the procedure are covered in our article “Preparing for a Medical Aesthetic Procedure: What to Tell Your Physician, Timing and the Day Itself”; they are not repeated here.
How far in advance should each procedure be planned?
The table below offers a general order: it shows which groups of procedures can be planned earlier and which closer to the special day. Some of the time frames are based on the patient information pages of dermatology organisations and describe an average course; the time that applies to you may be longer.
| Group of procedures | Why is time needed? | General level of planning |
|---|---|---|
| Any procedure being tried for the first time | The skin's reaction, side effects and satisfaction with the result cannot be known in advance | Months before; just before the special day is not suitable for a first attempt |
| Deep and medium-depth chemical peels | Healing generally takes 7–14 days with a medium-depth peel and 14–21 days with a deep peel; redness can continue for months | Months before; your physician sets the time |
| Skin resurfacing with ablative laser | There is generally a recovery period of about a week spent at home; redness may last longer | Months before |
| Procedures that need sessions (non-ablative laser, superficial peels, laser hair removal, microneedling) | The result appears not with a single session but with several sessions weeks apart | The series is started months before; your physician sets the date of the last session |
| Tightening that relies on collagen production (focused ultrasound, radiofrequency) | The change develops slowly; the result is generally seen within 2–6 months | Months before |
| Thread lift | There is swelling and tightness in the first days; a few weeks are generally needed for the final appearance | Weeks to months before |
| Hyaluronic acid filler | Redness, swelling and bruising generally settle within 7–14 days; time is also needed for follow-up and adjustment | Weeks before; earlier if it is being done for the first time |
| Botulinum toxin | If bruising occurs it can last about a week; time is needed for the effect to become noticeable and for follow-up | Weeks before; earlier if it is being done for the first time |
| Superficial skin treatments and light peels | Redness and flaking generally last 1–7 days; flaking may continue for a few more days afterwards | If tried before and well tolerated, as close to the day as your physician considers appropriate |
The statements in the table are not instructions. The same procedure can take a different course in two people; your skin type, the medicines you use and your previous procedures change the time frame. Only the physician who examines you can give a definite date.
The recovery process and risks of each procedure are explained in detail in the relevant procedure articles on our site. The lips are an area where swelling can be marked; for details, see our article “Lip Filler”.
What should I watch out for with injections?
After botulinum toxin and filler treatments most people return to their daily life straight away; however, 'returning to daily life' and 'being ready for photographs' are not the same thing. Even a small bruise at a needle entry point can show in close-up photographs, and whether there will be bruising cannot be known in advance. Bruising can occur even after a careful treatment.
With filler there is one more reason. Vascular occlusion after filler is an uncommon but urgent condition, and its signs can appear in the first days. For this reason it is safer not to place filler just before a journey or a busy schedule during which you could not easily reach your physician. The warning signs are explained in our article “After Fillers: When Is It an Emergency? Vascular Occlusion and Other Warning Signs”.
In addition, swelling or redness in an area treated with filler can flare up after an infection, a vaccination or dental treatment. If you have dental treatment or a vaccination planned in the weeks before the special day, tell your physician.
Before a special day, it is the recovery and the settling of the result that need to go in the calendar, not the procedure. Not leaving a procedure you are trying for the first time until just before the day, and postponing whatever does not fit into the calendar, is most often the sounder decision.
Dr. Hamza GemiciMedical Director, DoktorClub · Aesthetic Medicine Physician
How do the honeymoon, the sun and flight plans affect the procedure?
- Sun: going out in the sun after laser and peels increases the risk of pigmentation and scarring. Dermatology sources recommend avoiding the sun completely until the skin has healed after a medium-depth peel, and for months after a deep peel. If you are planning a sunny holiday straight after the wedding, these procedures are moved either to well before it or to after the holiday.
- Tan: laser is not used on tanned or sunburnt skin; the risk of burns and discolouration increases. Do not squeeze tanning for the special day and laser sessions into the same period. Sunbeds carry the same risk.
- Outdoors: if the wedding or the shoot is to take place outdoors and in daytime, having recently had a procedure that peels the skin makes sun protection on the day more difficult.
- Flights and long journeys: setting off on a long journey straight after a procedure makes it harder to reach your physician if there is a problem. This subject is covered in our article “Travelling to Another Country for an Aesthetic Treatment: Follow-Up, Flight Timing and Safety Questions”.
- Hot environments: Turkish baths, saunas and intense exercise are not recommended in the first days after some procedures. If you have a plan such as a bridal bath (gelin hamamı, a traditional pre-wedding visit to the Turkish bath), tell your physician the date.
The general principles on sun, make-up, exercise and heat after a procedure are in our article “Aftercare Following Medical Aesthetic Procedures: General Principles and Warning Signs”.
What should not be done in the final week?
- Do not try a procedure you have never had before.
- Do not have a peel, laser or any other procedure that peels the skin; do not leave injections to this week either, unless your physician has clearly judged it appropriate.
- Do not start a new skin care product, especially products containing retinoids or acids; irritation, redness and peeling can occur.
- Do not squeeze spots and blackheads; this can leave marks and scabs.
- Avoid sunburn and sunbeds.
- Do not have injections or device treatments at home, in a beauty salon or anywhere that is not a healthcare facility; do not use products bought online on yourself.
- Be cautious about treatments presented as 'last minute' and recommended without an examination.
- Do not stop your prescription medicines on your own initiative to avoid bruising.
The risks of self-administered treatments are explained in our article “Needle-Free Filler Pens and At-Home Treatments”.
What should I do if I have left it late?
If there is little time left before the special day, the safest decision is most often to leave the procedure until afterwards. Discuss this openly with your physician: ask which procedure does not fit into this time, which can wait and what you can do for your skin until the day. A physician who recommends postponing the procedure is thinking about your calendar and the result on your behalf.
What can be done at short notice is mostly simple: keeping to the skin care routine your skin is used to, protecting yourself from the sun, getting enough sleep and avoiding new experiments that would irritate the skin. Skilled make-up can cover small imperfections without the risk a procedure would carry.
What should I do if there is a problem after a procedure?
If unexpected swelling, redness or bruising occurs as the special day approaches, call your physician before trying to hide it with concealing products. Do not apply cream, ice, massage or medication to the area on your own. The rush of a special day should not be a reason to delay seeing a physician.
These symptoms cannot wait: call 112 (or your local emergency number) or go to the nearest emergency department
- After filler, whitening of the skin, a net-like purplish discolouration or coldness together with severe pain
- Blurred vision, double vision or loss of vision
- Shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing or speaking, rapidly increasing swelling of the lips or tongue
- Drooping on one side of the face, impaired speech, or weakness in an arm or leg
- Rapidly spreading redness with fever, severe pain or discharge
The steps to follow when a problem occurs are set out in our article “What Should You Do If a Complication Occurs after an Aesthetic Treatment? A Step-by-Step Guide”.
Conclusion
With an aesthetic procedure before a special day, what determines success is most often not the procedure itself but the calendar. Have a consultation early, give all your dates, do not place procedures you will be trying for the first time close to the special day, and set aside the final week for resting your skin. Leaving a procedure that does not fit into the calendar until later is not a shortcoming but a sound decision.
Questions to ask your physician
- Given the date of my special day, do I have enough time for this procedure?
- How long do swelling, bruising or peeling generally last after this procedure; could they last longer in my case?
- How much time should we allow for the result to settle and for a follow-up examination?
- If an adjustment is needed, will there be time for it?
- I will be having this procedure for the first time; is it right to try it before the special day?
- I am considering more than one procedure; in what order and how far apart should they be done?
- I will be going on a sunny holiday after the wedding; is that a problem for this procedure?
- What should I avoid in the final week before the special day?
- How can I reach you if there is a problem close to the special day?
Frequently asked questions
How long before the wedding should I have botulinum toxin?
There is no single time frame that applies to everyone. Because time is needed for the effect to become noticeable, for any bruising to settle and for a follow-up if necessary, the treatment is generally planned weeks before; if you are having it for the first time, an earlier date is chosen. Your physician sets the exact timing.
Can filler be done a week before the wedding?
It is not recommended. Dermatology sources state that redness, swelling and bruising after filler generally settle within 7–14 days; in some people they last longer. In addition, no time is left for follow-up and possible adjustment. Filler is generally planned weeks before.
Can I try a procedure for the first time before a special day?
You can, but not close to the special day. You cannot know in advance how your skin will react or whether you will like the result. For a first attempt, months beforehand is safer.
How long before the wedding should laser and peels be done?
It varies with the depth of the procedure. With superficial treatments healing is measured in days, and with medium and deep peels and ablative laser in weeks; redness may last longer. With procedures that need sessions, the series is started months before. Your physician sets the calendar.
I will be out in the sun on my honeymoon; can I have laser?
After laser and peels the sun increases the risk of pigmentation and scarring; nor is laser used on tanned skin. For this reason these procedures are generally planned well before sunny holidays or after them. Mention your holiday dates at the consultation.
Can I have a facial in the final week?
For light treatments that you have tried before and that your skin tolerates well, the decision rests with your physician. For a facial, peel or product that you have never tried, the final week is not a suitable time.
The special day is close and I have a bruise; what can I do?
Call your physician first; they will assess whether the bruise is following the usual course. Do not apply medication or massage to the area on your own. Bruising generally resolves on its own and, if your physician considers it appropriate, can be covered with concealing make-up.
The physician advised me to leave the procedure until after the wedding; why?
Most often the reason is that the time remaining is not enough for recovery and for the result to settle. Postponing means not taking the risk of swelling, bruising or peeling on the special day, and it is a sign of careful medical practice.
Sources
- Botulinum toxin therapy: FAQs — American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)
- Fillers: FAQs — American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)
- Chemical peels: FAQs — American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)
- Many ways to firm sagging skin — American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)
- Dermal Fillers (Soft Tissue Fillers) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Before you have a cosmetic procedure — NHS (United Kingdom), 2023
- Facial aesthetic injections in clinical practice: Pretreatment and posttreatment consensus recommendations to minimise adverse outcomes (Goodman GJ, Liew S, Callan P, Hart S). Australas J Dermatol 2020;61(3):217–225. PMID: 32201935 — Australasian Journal of Dermatology, 2020
Medical Aesthetics Expert Board
This article has been reviewed by the DoktorClub Medical Aesthetics Expert Board.
