InHealth: Mothers of the Bride— They Want to Look Good Too!

By Dr. Braun H. Graham

As a board certified plastic surgeon practicing in this area for over three decades, I have seen a dramatic increase in women seeking aesthetic enhancements in preparation for their daughters (and sons) upcoming weddings. With all of the preparation and planning that has become part of a modern wedding, the mothers of the soon to be newlyweds have presented with a desire to improve their appearance for the big event. This can range from some topical skin treatments to improve skin texture and clarity, to more advanced injections of fillers and neuromodulators such as Botox Cosmetic. With ample lead time, many have opted for more dramatic rejuvenation by undergoing facelift, eyelid and laser surgery. These procedures are performed routinely as an outpatient at the Sarasota Plastic Surgery Center. 

For these procedures, I usually recommend a minimum interval of four to six months between the surgical procedure and the wedding day. This interval not only allows for complete wound healing (usually three to four weeks) but also for all post-surgical swelling and redness to resolve. This relieves the social pressure of having to be completely healed for events such as wedding showers and family gatherings in advance of the wedding. Another procedure that has been trending for the mothers is a request for improving the appearance of their hands.

I often hear the complaint, “I’ve taken care of my face, but my hands are giving away my age!” Many women can achieve wonderful results utilizing a combination of fat injections and topical IPL (intense pulsed light) treatments. The fat injections to the top of the hands camouflage the valleys between the visible bones and tendons. The IPL removes the dark sun spots as well as making the skin texture appear younger.

I recently had a grandmother of the groom come into my office requesting a filler injection prior to her grandson’s wedding. I asked her when the wedding was scheduled and she replied, “in two days.” This certainly would not allow adequate time for recovery if the grandmother had sustained a bruise from a needle injection to place the filler. Just last week I had another mother of the bride reveal that she and her husband had been saving for their daughter’s wedding and the mother wished to have a facelift. With the destination wedding scheduled almost a year away, we have time to schedule her surgery and complete her surgical procedure with ample healing time, while not interfering with travel plans for the wedding site visits.

In some cases I feel the mothers are re-living their own youth vicariously through the festivities surrounding the wedding preparations. Lastly, I remind the mothers that the wedding day is still all about the bride and groom! 

Dr. Braun H. Graham is President of the Sarasota Plastic Surgery Center. He is the former President of the Florida Society of Plastic Surgeons and the Past President of the Southeastern Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. Dr. Graham is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and a member of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.

Braun H. Graham,  M.D., FACS

Sarasota Plastic Surgery Center

2255 S Tamiami Trail

Sarasota, FL. 34239

941.203.1303