Minimally invasive cosmetic procedures for mothers of brides: Strategies and considerations

The pivotal role of the bride's mothers in wedding celebrations is an effective motivation to seek cosmetic therapies, making them frequent patients in a dermatologists' offices. Addressing their aesthetic concerns contributes to their holistic well‐being, but faces an intricate relationship between time availability, financial factors, and the critical emotional context. This article underscores the varying behavioral patterns of mothers of brides when seeking aesthetic treatments, providing tailored strategies for effective communication and decision‐making, based on individual personalities. Additionally, this paper presents a specific timeline for the implementation of these interventions, including neuromodulators, collagen stimulators, and fillers. Understanding the unique traits and expectations of this particular population can lead to improved patient satisfaction, enhanced outcomes, and an overall positive experience.

Nonetheless, the journey to a wedding day encompasses an array of time-consuming responsibilities for the mothers of brides.
The process of planning, coordinating, and participating in preparations often places substantial demands on their schedules.As a result, finding time for self-care, including aesthetic procedures, can be a challenge.
Planning is essential and must consider the time required to achieve visible results, cumulative effects, as well as downtime and possible complications.As a rule, the sooner the treatment begins, the better.Aesthetic needs are age dependent and accumulate over time.The mother of the bride, usually aged 40 or over, will need restructuring of different layers of facial tissues.This implies association of multiple aesthetic procedures like chemical peelings, energy-based devices, and injectables such as neuromodulators, fillers, and collagen stimulators. 4,5tulinum toxin (BT) neuromodulators and hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers therapies show cumulative benefits if patients return to treatment as previous results begin to decline, rather than after they have completely disappeared. 4,6So, this should be started as soon as possible.Botulinum toxin injections should follow a schedule, so the last injection happens no sooner than 2-3 months before the wedding, as duration of the effects ranges from 3 to 5 months in female patients. 7The onset of the effects for BT averages 3.7 days (for onabotulinumtoxinA), 8 what implies possible touch-ups should be performed soon after the treatment, at least 5 days prior to the wedding.HA fillers show almost immediate results, but the proposed time frame must provide a cushion for addressing any potential side effects, such as bruising or asymmetry.
0][11] Thus, less than a trimester before the wedding day would limit the ideal effect of such treatments.
Extending that time frame also accommodates a comprehensive series of sessions, facilitating the gradual and sustained development of the collagen network, and also accommodates potential touch-up sessions or adjustments as the results develop.
Although their effectiveness in the medium and long term is still controversial, suspension threads have garnered attention for their potential in facial rejuvenation, 12 since their application is one of the few options for minimally invasive cosmetic procedures to support ptotic tissue.Polydioxanone sutures are currently a great option as an anti-aging treatment, as in addition to their ease of application and good results, they have a low incidence of adverse reactions. 11A histological study in pigmy pigs 13 showed the threads retained their shape for 12 weeks and then entered a fragmentation process.So, if the maintenance of thread shape is important, the authors suggest the effect will last for 12-24 weeks.Therefore, 2-3 months prior to the wedding seems to be the ideal time for suspension threads, if necessary.
Adhering to that evidence-based timeframe maximizes the potential of treatments to enhance a mother's aesthetic profile on their daughter's special day.Figure 1  Financial constraints are the largest factor in postponing aesthetic treatments. 3This calls for careful consideration when tailoring aesthetic solutions for mothers of brides, as weddings themselves often come with substantial costs, and mothers may be financially invested in supporting their daughters' aspirations.
This can lead to a dynamic where the mothers hesitate to allocate funds for their own aesthetic pursuits, perceiving them as indulgent expenses.
The motivation for an aesthetic treatment must be integrated with the expectations of the individual in order to promote an actual condition of well-being. 14The dermatologist plays a pivotal role in providing options that align with these challenges while ensuring safe and satisfactory outcomes.Relationship and satisfaction as effective outcomes have been linked to functional and bargaining behaviors, which is especially true when integrative negotiations are crucial and establishing long-term relationships becomes more important than short-term victories.Thus, it is essential that satisfaction and relationship building are included as primary negotiation outcomes.Among other factors, competitive bargaining behavior, collaborative bargaining behavior, and compromising bargaining behavior have been found to play important roles during negotiations. 15fective communication is hindered when there is a mismatch between a healthcare professional's communication style and the client's personality.Sensitivity to differing communication preferences ensures information is conveyed clearly and understood accurately. 16sed on 20 years of experience treating brides and their mothers for their aesthetic dermatologic complaints, the author suggests some strategies for dealing with different behaviors presented in the office: A competitive bride's mother is prone to impose both treatment choices and economic sanctions, so the dermatologist must avoid A compromising/avoidant bride's mother behavior is difficult to assess.An avoidant mother often comes to the office with or at her daughter's request and may have difficulty expressing her own medical complaints.Recognizing emotional states and addressing concerns empathetically fosters emotional well-being.Supportive counseling and realistic outcome discussions contribute to managing patient expectations.More information and reassurance might also be required before consenting to procedures.A conservative, minimal approach might be mutually acceptable, though she will not often show herself totally satisfied with the results.
A randomized clinical trial on the psychology of negotiations 15 suggests that there is a positive relationship between competing and collaborating styles (dermatologist) and competitive behaviors (patient), between the collaborating style and the collaborative and compromising behaviors, as well as a negative relationship between the avoiding style and the competitive behaviors.This seems to corroborate the author's clinical observation and proposed strategies.
Recognizing the significance of the mother's role in wedding celebrations and addressing her aesthetic concerns contribute to the holistic well-being of both the mother and the bride.Variations in emotional resilience, openness to change, risk tolerance, time constraints, and financial limitations contribute to the complexity of personality traits in this group.By acknowledging the unique traits and expectations of this demographic, dermatologists can develop strategies that lead to improved patient satisfaction, enhanced treatment outcomes, and a positive overall experience.

CO N FLI C T O F I NTER E S T S TATEM ENT
Dr F.N. Magacho-Vieira is a regular speaker and participates in advisory boards for Galderma.

DATA AVA I L A B I L I T Y S TAT E M E N T
Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

E TH I C S S TATEM ENT
The are no photos or patient personal information in this manuscript.
No institutional approval was required for this publication.The author confirms that the ethical policies of the journal, as noted on the journal's author guidelines page, have been adhered to.

Fabiano
illustrates a timeline suggested by the author for introducing different aesthetic procedures.
confrontation while still defending their own position.Education and informed decisions might be the key.Visual aids and clear explanations help bridge communication gaps.F I G U R E 1 Timeline suggestion for introducing different aesthetic procedures.| 779 MAGACHO-VIEIRA The collaborative mother avoids confrontation but expresses clear concerns and expectations.Asking open-ended questions helps gaining insights into those motivations.In general, they may be more willing to explore innovative treatments and a wider range of procedures, emphasizing gradual changes or asking for more immediate results based on individual preferences.There is a strong positive association with relationship building, which suggests an emphasis on long-term orientation 15 by the dermatologist.