Brides-to-be are busy preparing for their big day in a surprising way: with fat fillers, laser treatments and Botox injections… in their hands.
Botox clinics in Auckland, New Zealand, have begun to report an increase in business, especially when it comes to middle-aged brides-to-be. Patients also spend up to $300 NZD (approx. $246 USD) to have fat injected into their fingers and hands to give them a fuller, younger appearance.
Women who visit these clinics are also having age spots and marks caused by sun exposure removed from their skin with laser procedures.
The reason for these treatments? As more couples use professional photographers to chronicle the wedding day, brides are taking more steps to ensure everything is perfect — including those close-up photographs of the bride and groom’s new wedding rings.
Dr. Pier Marzinotto, a cosmetic specialist in Auckland, explained that “Botox has become part of the wedding package” for brides.
“There has been a 250 percent increase in people using this treatment worldwide, and a staggering number of those are using it for their wedding day,” he told reporters.
And it isn’t just the bride getting these hand treatments (sometimes referred to as “hand lifts”). Stacey Power, another clinic founder, said that her practice has treated mothers of the bride, too.
What’s the target demographic? “Thirty-year-olds through to 50-year-olds are the biggest age group we treat,” Power said.
Although hand treatments have gained popularity, face treatments haven’t gone out of style, either. Another clinic owner, however, warned brides to make their appointments for these treatments early, saying that a month or so in advance is the best time to come in.
One newlywed, 47-year-old Katrina Holding, used hand fillers, as well as Botox on her frown and crow’s feet, before her wedding. She remains impressed with the results.
“My husband even said I looked like the treatment had knocked 10 years off me,” said Holding, whose doctors told her the hand lift treatment would last up to one year.
The trend has caught on stateside, too.
In Detroit, one doctor said he can treat patients with hand lift procedures… but only if it’s necessary. “If you want to show off your hands… that certainly can be done with Photoshop,” he said in response to younger patients seeking hand lifts.
For those who need it, the cost can be upwards of $600 to $1200 USD.