Wedding season is likely to become an increasingly more important time of the year as marriage is back in favour, especially among younger people, according to a new survey by The Times newspaper (1).

Due to the high cost of living and the disillusionment with casual hook ups from online dating apps and the subsequent lack of stability, shared common values and companionship, Gen Z are finding the idea of marriage more appealing than their former generations and are getting married at ages not seen since the 1960s and ’70s.

The recent survey by The Times showed that young adults today are more in favour of marriage than 20 years ago. In 2004, 78% of people aged 18 to 30 considered casual sex a normal part of young adult life. Now, only 23% of young adults feel this way and a third believe they should get married before having children.

So, with preparations for the season of getting hitched well underway, what are the main considerations of today’s young bride and bridegroom-to-be?

A new survey by UK skincare brand Skin Shop found that over 60% of brides-to-be admitted that the condition of their  wedding day skin was a major worry with over 70% saying it came in their top five main concerns.

Wedding season coincides with Acne Awareness Month in June which aims to raise awareness of acne, which recent studies estimate affects 50% of adult women at some point. This means that for a large percentage of brides-to-be, having an acne break out on their big day is a high probability given that planning a wedding ticks the box of almost every one of the break-out acne triggers. From stress to dieting and new cosmetics, the run up to a wedding is a danger zone for acne-prone skin.

The new survey by Skin Shop found that by far the biggest skin fear of brides-to-be was an acne break out, which worried almost 95% of those surveyed. The other two major worries were dry skin and flaky skin or red skin and flushed skin, with over 60% saying a skin break out would really affect them on their wedding day. Over 70% of brides-to-be said that having clear skin would be a major boost to their happiness and confidence on their wedding day.

Acne used to be mostly consigned to teenagers but increasingly research reveals that adult acne is now dramatically on the rise, in particular in women in their 20s-40s.

“Adult acne is often formed as clumps of smaller pus-filled or bumpy spots under the surface rather than individual larger blackheads or pustules as with teen acne and is also often accompanied by a bumpy and red complexion that is more sensitive and drier,” says consultant dermatologist Dr Eva Melegh.

Although getting spots as an adult seems unfair, the good news for brides-to-be is that the problem (and solution) is being increasingly targeted by modern skincare technologies and is often more responsive to treatments than teen acne.

“Adult acne is often less severe and can be dramatically improved with targeted skincare treatments, but it’s no use trying to use acne products aimed at teen skin on adult breakouts as the results won’t necessarily be the same,” says Dr Melegh.

Jo Crossley, professional Make-up Artist and Owner of Buff Make-up Artistry who specialises in bridal make up says. “Bridal breakouts are the dread of so many of my brides yet unfortunately they are very common.  Due to the intense stress of organising such an important event along with pre-wedding diets and new skincare procedures that many brides embark upon in order to look their absolute best for their big day, the risk of skin becoming more reactive and breaking out is quite high.”

Dr Melegh highlights some common triggers of bridal breakouts; 

New beauty products and cosmetics 

Adult acne is primarily a sensitive skin issue rather than a hormonal one, largely due to a build-up of intolerance in adult skin to chemicals in skincare and cosmetic products, leading to acne-like reactions.

Fake tanning products are particularly problematic triggers for skin reactions. So, switching to new and untested skincare products or beauty treatments in the weeks before your wedding day is often best avoided.

Stress-related hormonal flux 

Stress triggers hormonal changes, including increased cortisol and testosterone levels, which in turn increase sebum production, leading to more clogged pores and congested skin. Stress also increases inflammation in the skin, which is another tick for a heightened risk of a breakout.

Stress also slows down wound healing which means that when the skin does break out when under stress, lesions can tend to be more profound.

Over-exercising.

In the quest for a toned body for your wedding day, ramping up the exercise in the run up to getting married is common practice.  However, for skin prone to breakouts, this can cause issues. Testosterone increases with exercise in both men and women, which creates an excess of sebum, and too much sebum causes a build-up of oil and dead skin cells in hair follicle pores.

Bad skin bacteria then make their way to the blockage, and this can lead to breakouts and blackheads.

Crash Dieting

Wanting to shed a few pounds before your wedding day is something many people aspire to, but crash diets can have a negative effect on skin as they can cause subtle shifts in hormonal balances, especially in women. If the plan is to lose some weight before a wedding it's best done over longer periods of time with small amounts of weight being lost per month over a period of 3-4 months rather than any form of crash diets over shorter periods of time.

The key to controlling acne breakouts is to try and keep hormones as balanced as possible during the run up to your wedding day.

Jo Crossley and Dr Melegh give their 5 tips on how to best prevent a bridal breakout.

1.      1. Don’t Blitz Bacteria

“Trying to blitz away the risk of an acne breakout by upping the use of anti-bacterial cleansing products in the run up to a wedding can actually have the opposite effect by drying out skin and making it more sensitive and therefore more vulnerable to an acne breakout due to damaging the skin barrier,” says Dr Melegh.

2.      2. Feed Good Skin Bacteria

“The run up to a wedding means that skin is often under stress, as well as being more burdened by new cosmetics and make-up trials,” says Jo Crossley. "which is why I recommend Clarol Silver Serum to all my brides who may be prone to breakouts. This little miracle of a product, which I swear by for myself, builds up levels of good skin bacteria. The serum also helps to heal and diminish the redness that often remains on adult skin prone to acne. It’s kept my hormonal skin clear for years and I’ve been told by so many of my brides who have applied it several times a day and under all make-up testing sessions for a few weeks before their big day that they’ve been overjoyed by the results as it gave them smoother and clearer skin for their big day.”

3.      3. Get Zealous With a Zinc SPF

“Many brides-to-be love the idea of a sun-kissed complexion for their big day but sun damage can further add to inflammation and redness and therefore damage the skin barrier further which leads to more bad skin bacteria entering the epidermis and increases the risk of a breakout plus a red and inflamed underlying complexion,” says Dr Melegh.

“Using a daily SPF is crucial for skin prone to adult acne. But not all sun creams are suitable for acne prone. A mineral SPF containing zinc is ideal as pure zinc does not irritate sensitive skin and also has an anti-inflammatory action on spots and underlying redness,” says Dr Melegh. “I recommend Kalme Day Defence which I use myself for controlling my sensitive, red and bumpy complexion. It contains a specific anti-redness ingredient from caper buds, a super strong antioxidant to reduce inflammation and a pure zinc mineral SPF to protect very sensitive and red skin as well as skin prone to acne rosacea from UV damage.”

4.      4. Steer Clear of Self-Tanners

“Self-tanning products can be great for an instant sun-kissed complexion, but they are also notorious for triggering breakouts,” says Jo Crossley. “They can also sometimes react with cosmetics and so I always advise my brides who have sensitive skin prone to breakouts to steer well clear of self-tanners in the run-up to their wedding and to let me create a sun-kissed look with bronzers.”

5.      5. Don’t Dry Up Sebum

“Sebum is very important for adult skin as it’s more prone to dryness and damage and sebum is the skin’s natural moisturiser so adults need all the sebum they can get.

So even if you have adult acne, you should avoid products that claim to inhibit sebum production. These might be OK for oily teen skin, but they are not ideal for adult skin,” says Dr Melegh.

“A better option for controlling adult acne while making sure skin doesn’t become dry and flaky is to let sebum flow freely but use a product that helps purify sebum so that it does not oxidise on the skin’s surface which can then lead to pore blockages and spots.

“Clarol Sebopure is a unique product that contains a natural sebum preserver that helps keep sebum uncontaminated as it reaches the skin’s surface, allowing it to pass out through the skin pore without pooling and contaminating.”

 Ref:

1.      1. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/society/article/gen-z-marriage-sex-relationships-survey-27s7n5297