HAIR EXTENSIONSHair loss among women isn’t often talked about, but it’s traumatic, and even more so when a wedding date is approaching. Most salons offer hair extensions, but you need a certain amount of hair to begin with. The team at MHN specializes in hair loss for men and women, and deals with clients in a kind and sensitive manner. Consultant Flora Fuentes takes measurements of the balding area and snips a piece of your existing hair to ensure the texture matches exactly. After about six weeks, the ultrathin mesh unit arrives and is attached to the scalp using polymer adhesive (the same solution doctors use to seal wounds without stitches), so it lies flat and looks and feels natural, unlike many of the weaves and wigs on the market. Prices begin at $1,500, but when you walk down the aisle with a fabulously textured chignon, you’ll know it was worth it.
555 Madison Ave., nr. 53rd St.; 212-832-0707.
BOTOXA dermatologist and psychiatrist, Dr. Amy Wechsler doesn’t just inject Botox in middle-aged women with forehead furrows, she also uses it to treat brides getting married in warm-weather destinations, so they don’t sweat up their $13,000 gowns. As long as you’re not pregnant or nursing, Wechsler cleans under the arms, applies a topical numbing cream that stays on for about 30 minutes, then takes ten minutes to inject the armpits (Botox blocks the nervous system stimulation of sweat glands). Deodorant can be reapplied right after, but it takes two weeks for the Botox to actually kick in, and it lasts four to six months ($1,800).
646 Park Ave., nr. 66th St.; 212-396-2500.
ISOLAZFor mild or severe pustular and comedonal acne, Isolaz is a miracle in a machine. The twenty-minute, painless procedure (your face is slightly warm afterwards but there is no redness or downtime) uses a suction cup to literally suck the sebum (oil) out of pores and a laser to combat rosacea and other discolorations. Unlike other treatments that require over ten sessions, with each session costing as much as rent, this treatment takes only four to five sessions and results can be seen the next day ($375). Since your glowing skin is finally grease- and bacteria-free, you can finally ditch the antibiotics, overdrying topicals, and harsh peels.
Dr. Doris Day, 135 E. 71st St., nr. Lexington Ave., Ste. 1A; 212-772-0740.
SMARTLIPODr. Bruce Katz’s team of all-star doctors can do it all: Everything from laser tattoo removal, minimally invasive slimming treatments, laser hair removal, and medical facials. The treatment that has the beauty world buzzing is SmartLipo. If months of dieting and working with your trainer aren’t doing much for that pesky little pouch, a small incision is made in the area, and a laser zaps fatty cells, shrinking and tightening skin at the same time—all in 45 minutes to an hour. Local anesthesia is used, so you may be a little too drowsy for an appointment with the caterer, but as long as you refrain from strenuous activity, you’re fine the next day. After wearing a compression garment for a few days to a few weeks, you’ll finally be able to shimmy into that slinky mermaid gown (from $4,000).
60 E. 56th St., nr. Madison Ave.; 212-688-5882 and (Medispa) 212-421-9501.
LASH EXTENSIONSIf you’re worried you’ll cry at the ceremony and be self-consciously dabbing the mascara out of your eyes all night, consider getting lash extensions. The application is not cheap, nor is it quick. It usually takes 2.5 hours (specialists apply synthetic lashes one-by-one with tweezers and fumey or non-fumey glue). Makeup artist Lori Hamlin can give you very natural looking long, full lashes ($750 for a full set; 800-378-7125; lorihamlin.com), while Courtney Yorio at Uptown Girl prefers a bit more drama, but will tone it up or down a notch depending on what your style is and how long your actual lashes are to begin with ($400 for a full set; 425 E. 63rd St., Ste. W1F, nr. 57th St.; 917-880-0781; uptowngirlnyc.com.com). The team at Uptown Girl work off-site, too, so they’ll come to your apartment (day or night), fold-up salon bed and lamp in tow. Lashes usually last up to three weeks before you start needing touch-ups.
MEDI PEDIA specialist in reconstructive foot surgery, Dr. Alexander Fish treats many local athletes and ballet dancers, but he also does a thorough medical pedicure. Don’t expect a spa experience or any sort of pampering; Fish believes in the overall health of the foot, not quick aesthetic fixes like prescribing bleaching cream to whiten yellow-stained nails. He gets down to business by using herbal medications to treat foot fungus and different sterile electronic gizmos to slough off every piece of dead skin, then buffs the thickest nails to smooth perfection ($250 for the first visit; $150 thereafter).
825 Seventh Ave., nr. 53rd St.; 212-757-7437.
TEETH WHITENINGSafe and effective teeth whitening for the budget-conscious comes in the form of Dr. Lana Rozenberg’s Dentabrasion treatment. It falls between a professional dental cleaning and laser whitening, but is best described as microdermabrasion for your teeth: A salt solution sandblasts all kinds of grit and grime. It comes in a variety of fruity flavors that don’t totally mask the salty taste, but Rozenberg will give you an aromatherapy eye mask for a small pampering touch. Teeth are sparkling after twenty minutes, it costs a mere $125 and lasts three months, and you don’t have to worry about tooth sensitivity.
45 W. 54th St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 212-265-7724.