Before you feel like the world is ending and start searching up every possible overnight breakout remedy, take a breath. You’ll be okay! Grand Rapids Bride is here to help you navigate through your pre-wedding breakout. Now the first thing to mention is that this is totally normal. Wedding planning produces a hell of a lot of stress, and stress leads to acne! Nothing out of the ordinary. Let’s get into how to clear up your skin before your big day!
10 Days
For the love of everything good, keep your hands OFF! When you pick at your skin and pop your pimples, you can cause bacteria to seep deeper into your skin. This will make the healing process go from a few days to a few weeks. Hands off babe, trust us!
Another quick tip is to make sure to remove your makeup every night! This may seem obvious, but it’s SO important. Keeping your skin fresh and clean before you go to bed is crucial. You can also apply heat to your pimples! Zits hate heat, so take a warm compress and apply it to the infected area a few times a day until it comes to a head. Instead of popping it, apply a spot treatment!
If you notice yourself having a skin issue pop up (no pun intended) that isn’t a simple whitehead it may be wise to go out and get advice from an expert! Go see a dermatologist and they will be able to prescribe you oral antibiotics or a topical cream that will be sure to help your skin out. If you’re prone to ingrown hairs, cystic acne, or sores, this will be your best course of action!
5 Days
First things first, don’t add any new products into your routine. That’s gonna be breakout city! What you can do is clean your makeup brushes and buy new versions of your makeup products if any of them are old. Older products can have bacteria buildup on them and can lead to breakouts. You can also cut dairy out of your diet! Dairy is probably the worst thing to eat when trying to clear up your skin. There are a bunch of hormones that will only aide in making your breakout worse, so do yourself a favor and cut the cheese (hehe) out of your diet.

Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! Microdermabrasion is amazing for your skin and it’s a great idea to get a treatment done the days leading up to your wedding. Microdermabrasion exfoliates the layer of dry and dead skin cells that clogs your pores. But if you don’t have the budget for that, you can totally exfoliate at home too! Use a physical exfoliant like a scrub or a brush to get rid of your dead skin, OR you can use a chemical exfoliant like lactic or glycolic acids to leave your skin all glowy and gorgeous. Don’t overdo it though! Over exfoliating the skin can leave it red and irritated, so be gentle and don’t exfoliate every day.
2 Days
If you want a magical quick fix, go see your derm and get a cortisone shot! If you have a big zit and are nervous about not being able to cover it up, getting this shot will help reduce inflammation and flatten your skin out in a few hours. Go over the side effects beforehand just in case you have allergies!

At home spot treatments are about to be your best friend. If you’re in a crunch and can’t get into the dermatologist, use a BHA (beta hydroxy acid) treatment like salicylic acid to penetrate deep into your skin and unclog your pores! Acne patches are also a great option. They’re like a little bandaid you stick on your skin for an allotted amount of time that sucks out the oils and ickies from your pimple.
Day of the wedding
If you know you’re gonna have a blemish or two on your big day, make sure to spot treat the night before AND the morning of! After that you can conceal with makeup. Your makeup artist should be well informed on how to cover up any skin imperfections and your photographer can edit anything out. There are some concealers that actually have acne fighting ingredients in them, so it may be a good idea to pick one up a week or two before your wedding!