Yes, Virginia, the wonderful world of modern cosmetic dermatology has you covered here. All it takes is time, and money. You don’t say how long you have to plan out your skin transformation ahead of the big day. “The earlier the better,” says Dr. Lisa Kellett of DLK on Avenue, in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood – also known as the epicentre of skin wizardry. “I’d say come in for a consult six months before your target date. But if you have a year, do come in to plan that far ahead.”

There is a reason stars over 50 on the red carpet do not look like you and me. Here is a list, off the top of my head, of older celebrities whose impossibly beautiful skin I admire: JLo, Angela Bassett, Julianne Moore, Michelle Yeoh, Jennifer Aniston, Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Salma Hayek. There may or may not be (very, very good) plastic surgery involved in their red-carpet prep game, but I am absolutely certain that some intensive dermatology is going on.

Celebrities have set a new standard for ageing remarkably well. They have deep pockets and entire glam teams to fuss over them. But here’s the thing: In this one area – high-tech skin care – you can have what they have. 

Kellett likes your word “fresh,” Virginia. “After a certain age we all want to look like a fresher version of ourselves,” she says. “Ageing is a good thing. I don’t like the concept of anti-ageing. May we be lucky enough to age; there are many people who aren’t here anymore.” But you are in the driver’s seat, she says. “You decide how you want to look as you age.” In her experience, we all focus on one thing that bugs us the most. Often it is the jawline, or deep frown lines, or brown spots. “It’s human nature,” she says.

Sun damage and brown spots require multiple treatments, given at intervals of three to four weeks. Kellett uses intense pulsed light (IPL), which has no downtime and “is generally very well tolerated,” she says. A series of six sessions starts at $2,975, depending on the size of the area of treatment.

If you have never done neuromodulators (Botox etc.) or hyaluronic acids (fillers), the six-month runway ahead of the wedding will give you time to have a first session to see what you like (or, more likely, if you want more). Most treatments last three months: It’s better to start light and add more once you see how it settles. Fillers you can see right away, though there can be minor swelling; neuromodulators take about 10 days to take effect. 

Look, Virginia, doctors are really advanced with needle skills now. Thankfully, the “overfilled” look of 20 years ago is well and truly over, and “natural” (imperceptible) is very much in vogue. I personally can’t afford to keep it up the way I’d wish to. You can run up a significant bill pretty easily as both fillers and neuromodulators start at $600. But when I have had it done in the past as research for stories, I looked really good; that is, I looked a lot better than I do now. I bruise like a peach, so from my experience, you really want to give yourself some healing time, as well as time for it all to kick in and settle down. 

Don’t worry, you can still move your forehead – the idea of being frozen is so 2008. With today’s level of skill, very few people, except a physician trained in aesthetic arts or friends who are on the same refresh trajectory, would be able to tell you have had something done. Do note: There are ways to get injectables for less but don’t go that route, please. Find a great doctor (dermatologist or plastic surgeon) or highly recommended aesthetic nurse, and stick with them. Look to a friend whose face work you admire: There is nothing better than word of mouth. If you go to the back of a nail salon for your needle work, your face will look like you went to the back of a nail salon.

So what about those Oscar-ready facials we read about each year in the run-up to awards season? Yes, they are a thing.The big gun, so to speak, is the Etheria MX fractional laser for skin resurfacing. This would be done about a month before a big event. It takes care of fine lines and wrinkles, reducing their appearance dramatically. This is approximately a $1,500 investment. 

Thermage is a deep radio frequency treatment ($2,500 for eye area; $3,900 for the face). Now, I did have this done about a dozen years ago. I remember it really hurt. I was likely still too young to see a huge difference a couple of months after the treatment, but the idea is that it builds collagen by delivering energy to the deep dermis, without harming the skin’s surface. These machines deliberately cause some damage to the deeper tissues in order to stimulate collagen production. I’m sure you could get some sort of numbing situation to soften the sting.

Potenza is another radio frequency device, which is combined with micro-needling (literally, poking tiny holes in the skin; I always picture a lawn aerator here). We stop producing enough collagen as we age – which is why we don’t have that bouncy elastic skin texture of youth and why things start to sag. So stimulating collagen production is the way to trick your skin into looking younger. A Potenza package ranges from $1,400 to $2,500 at DLK. There is a roughly two-day recovery for Potenza (see above, lawn aerator action). Plan ahead.

And as mentioned above, you want to see a pro, because contact dermatitis, a.k.a. an allergic reaction is always a possibility with facial treatments and you don’t want to run into a rash right ahead of your daughter’s wedding.

But what about the pampering, bonding, goofy fun element of mother-daughter-wedding party facials? Sometimes, being treated like queens for a day or two is just the ticket. I spoke to the team at Visage, another Yorkville med-spa office, which is attached to the surgical facilities of Dr. Marc DuPere, who is a plastic surgeon (and organic farmer). The Visage clinic offers a range of more than 100 customized facials. At the top end, you can opt for the caviar and champagne facial treatment, but med spa powered facial tune-ups start at $225. From vampire facials to chemical peels, the sky is the limit. Consultation is important, they emphasize, because everyone has different skin needs and goals, and these change by the season.

One of the cooler things on offer at Visage is the Forlle’d facials. The Japanese “intelligent” skincare solutions use low-molecular weight hyaluronic acid with ionized minerals. Yes, that is a mouthful of jargon, but it is a cool new way of delivering active ingredients.

At DLK there is something called the Power Program. This is a three-in-one fully customizable facial that you can even do the day of (or day before) an event, for maximum glow. “People usually do a package of six, at one-week intervals, ahead of something really special,” says Kellett. At $400 a pop, it’s a big treat, but she says, “You really do see results. It’s a glow-up, for sure.”

Here are the elements: First, skin tightening with (painless) targeted radio frequency. You can see this right away, so think snatching your jawline (temporarily) kind of action. It also helps make wrinkles less visible. Next, rejuvenation, which involves microdermabrasion (exfoliation) and the infusion of oxygenated nutrients. Basically, CO2 bubbles “burst on the skin’s surface, creating a physiological response, sending oxygen-rich blood to the area, increasing capillary flow and skin metabolism,” according to the press release that accompanies the package. I could never explain that in layman’s terms.

If you do one thing, Virginia, I’d say the last two options are your surefire bets. You will look good right away and if you do keep it up, you will keep on glowing. Yes, I balk at the cost of all this, which is why I don’t have standing appointments for these things, even though they are totally worth it. But if, like you, I had a big event coming up, I would find the money. This stuff is really good for your confidence. You look like you – just a much better, rosier, glowier you.

Always asking questions,

—Leanne Delap