Pre-wedding Skin Emergency Pearls

You can almost hear ‘em the proverbial wedding bells calling to your attention that hours and minutes are drawing near until its go time -- glam up and tie that binds, you are about to start a monumental chapter of your life and bang a plump angry looking heinous zit pops up smack in the center of your face now you can’t run and you certainly can’t hide -- Are you going to let it rain on your parade or would you rather have a disaster aversion plan. They say luck favors a prepared mind, so here’s a bit of dermatological wisdom to save your big day.

Lets Deal With That Dreaded Last Minute Blemish First

There isn't a bride who doesn't live in fear of an eleventh hour zit -- Think Zen and breathe easy there is a quick fix to that, go see your dermatologist she/he can give you a cortisone injection, and voila -- the pimple will be gone overnight. If you can't get in to see a doctor, apply hydrocortisone cream under a Band-Aid to reduce the inflammation. Taking Ibuprofen Tab 400mg every four hours will also help. Whatever you do, don't pick at it -- it will only irritate the surrounding skin and mess up your bridal makeup too. Most makeup artists would rather cover a bump than an irritated open wound. #AskNilo

Breaking Out In Nervous Hives

There are ways to prevent a nervous rash from creeping up -- If you're prone to blotchy skin, take an antihistamine like Claritin, Zyrtec, or Benadryl at bedtime starting a few nights before the wedding. Just be sure to give it a trial run two weeks in advance so you know how it will affect you.

Red Red Red Alert -- Waxing And Threading

Granted! you can’t get married sporting a fuzz face or hairy limbs, but what to do if your skin breaks out and gets blotchy after every hair removal experience. Simple fix, cleanse your skin immediately after the hair removal session with a skin-type appropriate cleanser, and apply Fucidin-H cream twice daily for two to three days to sterilize and calm your skin.

Experiment Early Not Just Before Your Big Day

Please don’t do anything one week away that you haven’t tried six months out, this includes everything from the makeup, self-tanner and nail polish you use (make sure none of them give you a rash!) to facials and procedures you get at your derm’s office (botox, fillers, laser treatments or chemical peels).

Facials – How Important Are They?

Everyone asks me are they a necessary pre-wedding indulgence? Like most dermatologists, I am not a huge fan of traditional facials. Physical extractions and pore cleansing with steam and instruments can actually cause significant breakouts, and they provide only temporary improvement. If you've never gotten a facial before, you certainly don't want to start in the days right before your wedding.

Bachelorette Botox Parties: Fun & Festive, Or Really Scary?

They're actually considered unsafe by all plastic surgery and dermatology professional academies. A party is for cake and drinks, not a medical procedure! You want an individualized approach to your treatment in a private, sterile medical setting. Same goes for doing any procedures at your saloon, keep all needles and sharpies limited to your doctors office, don’t accept any cheap medical treatments offered by your beautician.

Skin Saving Top Tip

Don't neglect sun protection! If you're spending a lot of time outside, remember to apply sunscreen to all exposed areas of skin shoulders, arms, and chest in addition to your face. Steer clear of tanning salons before the wedding. Tanning causes premature aging and skin cancer -- it's really bad for your skin. Plus people with a little color in their skin can pigment unpredictably under the sun, so steer clear of unnecessary sun exposure.

Hope these tips help you navigate through any last minute skin woes before your special day, if you have any other scenarios that need a dermatologist’s perspective write back to me and I’d be more than happy to help. 

How To Look Skin-sational While Travelling?

During summer every one travels whether it be few scattered weekends spent on a beach resort or jet setting halfway across the world to exotic locations. One factor common between summer and travelling is that both take toll on the skin. There's no question summer heat is harsh on skin and traveling has it’s own way of being stressful on accounts of being outdoors. Trying to look good while you're traveling is pretty much on the top of everyone’s stress-o-meter these days. Here are some tried and tested tips to let you enjoy your summer escapades while looking fresh skinned and selfie-genic for your instagram travel diaries.

Hydrate Your Skin Before You Take Off

Apply intense moisturizer the night before you are going to travel. This will help increase hydration in your skin before you're exposed to the dehydrating effects of cabin pressure.

Skip Makeup

Omit foundation on the day of your trip, and instead wear only moisturizer. Before you land, add a tinted moisturizer for a fresh, healthy look. If you just can't leave the house without some foundation be sure to put on a primer first - a silicone-based liquid or cream that puts a layer of protection between skin and makeup. It will help foundation and blush last longer and help keep your skin from becoming dehydrated.

Refresh With Mineral Water

To refresh your makeup while traveling never glob on more foundation, powder or blush. Instead, use a mister of mineral water like Avene Thermal Spring Water spray and add a dab of moisturizer on top.

Blot Out Excess Oils

To keep oily skin from getting out of control while traveling, bring blotting papers or rice papers and dab the T-zone of face as often as necessary. This way you'll dab up the shine and excess oil without stripping out the moisture, so you'll arrive looking fresh faced instead of open pored and out of control shinny.

Be Generous With Your Lip Balm

You can further protect your kissers by packing a lip treatment in your carry-on bag and using it liberally while traveling. All airlines pack a intense lip balm in your flying "must have" first class gift bags because it doesn't rub the lipstick off and it keeps the lips hydrated while flying. The same principle applies on bus and train rides, where high heat or air conditioning can also cause lips to feel dehydrated. To nail the perfect duck-face and be the envy of all your cronies try AminoGenesis “Lips To love” and voila you’d have gorgeous pillowy lips that’d give Angelina Jolie a run for her puckers anytime.

Cool Down Puffy Eyes

To reduce under-eye puffiness after a long trip put crushed ice in a washcloth and apply it under the eyes. It's an automatic wake-up call that makes you look and feel immediately fresher.

Perk Up Your Peepers

Watching back-to-back in-flight movies, or reading that paperback novel cover to cover, can also cause you to arrive at your destination with red, watery, not-so-attractive eyes. To avoid it, use soothing hydrating eye-drops. They will lubricate and soothe eyes if you're reading or watching a movie, and refresh and wake up your eyes if you nap.

Keep Your Hands Off Your Face

To minimize breakouts while you're on vacation avoid touching your skin while you travel. You can pick up any number of unknown bacteria that can result in any number of skin problems after you arrive. If you're going to apply makeup while you're in transit, use an antibacterial hand wash on your hands first to further protect your skin.

Don’t Travel Without Your Cleanser

If you can only take one skin care item from home, let it be your cleanser. An abrupt change in cleansers can disrupt skin's acid balance and cause a vacation breakout.

Get Your Beauty Zzzz’s

If you're going to nap on the plane, dab some super-rich night cream around your eyes and don a sleep mask. Both will help you look fresher and more relaxed when you wake.

Don’t Neglect Your Hands

Never leave home without a tube of your favorite hand cream in your tote bag, and use it liberally throughout the trip. This will not only keep your hands from drying out but in the event you do need to wash them it can help counter the effects of harsh commercial-grade soaps found in public restrooms.

Apply SPF Religiously

Whether you’re spending time on the beach, in a metropolis or at a mountain resort do not neglect your sunscreen. Use oil-free light textured lotion or gel with SPF 30 or higher and keep reapplying every 3-4 hours. Neglecting sun protection can lead to pigmentation anomalies in addition to collagen and elastin damage. In light skinned individuals risk of skin cancer can become very real.

Wish you all great happy adventures and safe travels.