Fashion & Beauty · 5 min read

Skin Prep: A 6-Month Countdown

Dermatologist-approved milestones so the big day is glow, not gamble.

Six months out is when you start, not when you panic-book a facial. The goal is boring skin: even tone, a routine you could do in a hotel mirror, and no surprises. New actives belong in month six, not week two.

Months 6–4: if you have been meaning to treat acne, melasma, or a retinoid, this is the window. See a dermatologist, not a trending serum. Patch-test everything. If you want a peel or laser, schedule it now so the downtime is a distant memory in photos.

Months 3–2: lock the routine. Cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen, and whatever prescription you were actually using. Book a trial with your makeup artist using this routine, in daylight. Facials can continue if they are the kind you already tolerate — skip anything billed as a “glow overhaul.”

The last three weeks are for sleep, water, and not picking. Skip new facials, new supplements, and anything your cousin swore by from a story. If you get a breakout, call your dermatologist, not the internet. Makeup artists would rather cover a known landscape than a science experiment. Wear sunscreen to the rehearsal. That is the whole countdown.