Buffing Up for Your Wedding Day

(BNN)Wedding day is the first day of a bride's new life. Perhaps inspired by the popularity of physical-makeover TV shows, more and more engaged women are choosing cosmetic-enhancement procedures to begin that new life at their most beautiful. Fairchild Bridal Group, a New York publisher, reports that American brides spend more money on beauty (approximately $606 million per year) than on any other wedding-related outlay.

According to three of the nation's top plastic surgeons, there are indeed a wide range of current techniques for about-to-be-married females to rejuvenate, restore, or otherwise enhance their appearance. Among the most popular:

Perfecting the Skin

Skin rejuvenation is one of the easiest to have done, says Jason Pozner, M.D., a board-certified plastic surgeon in Boca Raton, Fla. "Often, the stress of a busy lifestyle, with the added pressure of planning a wedding, can leave the skin dull or bring on acne," explains Pozner (www.asimd.com). "However, acne outbreaks, scars, or pigmentation flaws--even tattoos--can often be alleviated with laser or intense pulsed-light treatments."

Skin-improvement techniques also include injectable "fillers" such as Restylane® and the wonder drug Botox Cosmetic®. Restylane is designed to create more sensuous lips or fill out facial creases, scars, or other surface imperfections. Botox is aimed at relaxing wrinkles, especially those on the forehead, between the brows, and around the eyes and lips. Plastic surgeon Dr. Steve Laverson of Carlsbad, Calif., (www.feelbeautiful.com) declares: "Botox Cosmetic and Restylane or other fillers can smooth and plump everything nicely, and is a cost-effective non-surgical option."

Dr. Adam Tattelbaum, another board-certified plastic surgeon, of McLean, Va., (www.atcosmetics.com) agrees. "There's little downside to these treatments," he asserts. "You can look great without spending a lot of money and since it produces rapid results, the treatments can be done within a month of the big day.”  Tattelbaum’s popular medi-spa, Papillon, “provides a variety of medical spa treatments to help you look and feel your very best.”

Beautifying the Body

Fiancees with more time and wherewithal can opt for liposuction and/or breast implants, enhancements that can help a woman look divine in her wedding gown. "I often see brides who, even with diet and exercise, have exercise-resistant fat that won't go away," says Tattelbaum. "For saddlebags or other areas, such as the tummy, liposuction--the surgical removal of excess fat from under the skin by suction--is extremely effective at restoring the figure, and once done, those fat cells are gone forever."

As for breast implants, they "are a wonderful way to help enhance a bride's figure," notes Pozner. "Especially in a strapless gown, that extra fullness can make a big difference in the way the gown fits." There are a variety of implant techniques, and the cost averages around $5,000.

Brides are advised to consider breast implants at least three to six months before the wedding, and liposuction at least three months before exchanging vows. For implants, "it takes time for the bust-line to settle in and, for liposuction, for swelling to decrease. These aren't things you want to do at the last minute," Dr. Laverson emphasizes.

What about so-called "extreme makeovers"—those procedures that involve dramatic changes to face and body. In the opinion of the three afore-cited surgeons, such approaches are not worth it. "It's better to think about specific things that bother you, that you can correct," counsels Dr. Tattelbaum. "For instance, one patient hated her nose; she had a rhinoplasty and, while she was at it, a chin implant, and she looked gorgeous for her wedding."

Makeovers in the Mainstream

All three surgeons stress the importance of having any such procedure carried out in a safe facility. If done in an outpatient clinic, Pozner stresses, "Just be sure the outpatient facility is fully licensed."

From all indications, "getting a little work done" to enhance one's premarital physiognomy is becoming increasingly mainstream. "Brides today are more routinely including cosmetic procedures in their wedding plans," reports Dr. Laverson. "I'm seeing not only brides but occasionally even bridegrooms. It's often a good time to make cosmetic changes you've always wanted, before expenses such as home-buying and raising children impose on your budget."