Hi there!

Got a strange one for all you geeks!!

One of my clients was asking me the other day if eyebrow waxing causes the skin around the eyelids and brow bones to sag and droop?

I thought this was only due to the ageing process, but on researching it ob the net, i am finding websites that back this up!!! However, these websites are advertising other forms of hair removal - is this just a marketing ploy or is there some truth in it??

Any thoughts would be greatly received.
CHEERS,
Natasha xx

I would say absolute rubbish,when you wax any area the skin should be kept taute.Its not like you would put the wax on and then apply wax strip and rip away therefore pulling the skin around the area.Maybe if the waxer wasnt qualified or carrying out the treatment correctly over a period of time then you could get sagging etc,same as eye make up removal the eye needs to be supported as the skin around this area is very fragile

I was recently advised that waxing brows was ageing for that area. It was a passing comment which I didn't question further due to other priorities at the time.

The therapist who advised me of this has been in the industry for over 20 years, specialising in waxing with a very lucrative waxing business. I would see no need for her to make this statement if she couldn't back it up.

I only pluck eyebrows as the skin is thin and soooo delicate there and can be damaged/stretched easily- I'd rather do this even though it takes longer as long term it is less traumatic for the skin (I encourage the client to think about the future of their skin wearing SPF 30 daily e.t.c so would feel like I was going against what I believe about treating the skin kindly if I waxed their lids droopy!!) I will however wax the rest of the face as the skin is tougher and plucking would take forever but would advise more long term solutions (e.g electrolysis/alkaline wash) -although not everyone can afford them hense why I will wax the face.

Sorry but I have to disagree. I know for a fact that it does cause ageing around the eye and also in the upper lip. Everywhere else seems ok though.

I was advised several months ago by an old friend who is a very experienced beauty therapist, that yes it is now believed that it can cause aging, and the skill of the waxer, the type of wax and the aftercare can all make it worse.

I only have mine plucked and wouldn't go back to waxing....they look so much softer and more natural anyway.

I was told a couple of years ago by a therapsit that waxing eyebrows can cause sagging of the skin, especially in yougsters.

I just can't see how waxing any part of the body would accelerate the skin's natural ageing process in any way. As for drooping or sagging skin - again, how would wax cause a breakdown of the collagen or elastin, impact on muscle tone, or indeed alter the number, size or dispersal of fat pads that are most often the cause of drooping and puffy lids?

I can see that we're more likely to notice changes in the strength, laxity and texture of the skin in the delicate eye area as we age, and perhaps less likely to want to wax the area as a result, but as for waxing itself contributing to these changes in the skin... I'm not convinced, and can't find anything to back this claim up with any credibility.

Having said that, I live to learn - show me something to support these claims, and I'll eat my words!

I personally think as I have stated earlier that if the eyebrow is held taut whilst waxing then there should be no problem,however as mentioned earlier it would be down to the experience of the waxer.I have ladies who are in their 50's and have been having their brows and lips waxed for as long as they can remember with no detrimental effects.However things change,new research is always being done and if it could be proven that it causes sagging ect then I would be very interested as I'm sure would be my clients,and myself for that matter as I have been waxing my eyebrows for several yrs now and if it were proven that it accelerates the ageing process around the eye brow I would be the first to stop.At the end of the day we live and learn.Maybe I should do a bit of research into the matter.

I am not a beauty therapist but I took it to mean, that it stretches the skin, even if held taught.

Darn right, I'd be throwing my spatula out the window, lol!! I like my eyelids where they are, droop-free!!

Well Jac,in theory if you are tweezering the eyebrow you are stretching the skin,I think we are very keen to blame lots of things on the ageing process cause lets face it none of us want to get old.As I said previously I personally dont agree that waxing causes sagging skin,but hey I'm not a dermatologist,I'm just saying that I have seen no evidence in it and none of my clients have ever shown any signs of sagging skin as a result from waxing be it on the upper lip or the eyebrow.

I know lots of ladies who DONT wax their lip or eyebrows and still have sagging skin - it may be coincidental that these areas are the first to show the signs of aging anyway...look at women who smoke heavily they have vertical lines around their lip and eyes and that is a fact...these areas are also the areas that show signs of sun damage first...

My feelings exactly Pazzy,I think people are too quick to blame the first thing they can think of.The skin is very elastic,It can mould to different shapes and stretch.Yes it is a delicate area but when you think that you can be 9 months pregnant and in some cases( not mine I hasten to add,lol)the skin returns back to its former self.I really dont feel that waxing can cause sagging. ,most ladies wax their eyebrows/lips every 4 to 6 weeks,some go even longer if their lucky. They are in the treatment room for very little time.Once they have their eyebrows re-shaped, on their following visit sometimes they have hardly any hair whatsoever to wax/tweezer,.As I said before I live and learn though this is just my opinion.The ageing process affects us all differently.I have a lady who comes in for a bikini wax,which incidently is also a very delicate area and we dont hear about sagging there,this lady is ten years younger than me,has lots of wrinkles,crowes feet etc and droopy eyebrows, bless her,I dont have sagging eyelids and yet I do wax my eyebrows.It's down to genetics a lot of the time amongst medication,poor diet,illness etc.As I said I think I will look into this a bit more.

I can't imagine how waxing your eybrows and holding the skin taught once every 6weeks could accelerate the aging process. If the skin was pulled tight routinly like a few times a day than yes I could see it having an impact. Secondly I do have a client whos brow area became enlarged and droopy imediatly after waxing. I asume an allergic reaction of some kind. I stopped using the after care lotion and put on tea tree oil instead and it as not happend since.