Before a wedding or event: what to book, and when

Every treatment runs on two clocks: how long any redness, swelling or flaking takes to settle, and how long the change takes to show. The closer the date, the shorter both need to be, which gives a rough order, working back from the day.

Three months or more ahead is the time for whatever builds slowly or comes as a course. Firming with focused ultrasound (Ultraformer MPT) or radiofrequency (Volnewmer) shows at two to three months. Pigment and redness treated with broadband light (BBL HEROic) take three to five sessions, three to four weeks apart, and radiofrequency microneedling (Sylfirm X) three to five sessions about four weeks apart, with the fuller result at eight to twelve weeks. Laser hair removal (excel HR) is six to eight sessions over six months to a year, and collagen-stimulating injections build over two to three months.

One to two months ahead suits a first treatment with filler, leaving time to see how your face settles and to adjust calmly. Light and laser courses can end closer to the day, as long as the last session has time to settle: MOXI, a gentle resurfacing laser, leaves a fine, bronzed, sandpaper-like texture that sheds within about a week, so its last session goes at least a week, ideally two, before the day; after broadband light, treated spots darken and flake away over five to ten days, so leave about two weeks.

Two weeks ahead is the latest for anti-wrinkle injections, which take about two weeks to work fully, and for filler, whose swelling and any bruising usually settle within a week or two; a month gives room for a small adjustment. In the last week, choose what usually settles within hours: a HydraFacial three to seven days before, a session of Heleo4 LED light a few days before to calm reactive skin, or Dermadrop a day or two before, if you have no filler or anti-wrinkle injections in the area and have had no other invasive aesthetic treatment in the last five months.

Don't start anything new in the last week or two, at the clinic or at home: a new peel, scrub or strong active, or a first treatment, can leave the skin irritated, and skincare ingredients are a common cause of allergic reactions on the face. Nor is it the time to squeeze a course together: the gaps between sessions are part of how they work, and stronger settings to save time usually mean more redness for longer.

If your plan mixes injectables and devices, the order matters: focused ultrasound and radiofrequency are spaced apart from recent filler or anti-wrinkle injections, so tell us everything you have had, and the doctor sets the order and the dates.

Tell us early about anything medical, because it can change the plan. Pregnancy or breastfeeding means most of these treatments wait. Deep, cystic acne, a flare of eczema or psoriasis, a rash, an infection or a cold sore in the area is treated or allowed to settle first, and if you get cold sores, the doctor can plan ahead for treatments around the mouth. Mention every new medicine as well: isotretinoin, medicines that make the skin more sensitive to light, steroid tablets and blood thinners all change what can be done, and when.

A spot or mole that is new, growing or changing is checked by a doctor before any light or laser goes near it. And if a rash, itching or swelling appears after a new product or treatment, message us straight away rather than adding another treatment on top.

• Lines and wrinkles
• Lips: shape, volume, balance
• Pigmentation and dark spots
• Acne and breakouts
• Dull, dehydrated, tired skin
• Eyelids, lips, under the eyes
• Unwanted hair