Back covered in spots after waxing

[the_owl]

Hi all,

I had my back waxed (I'm female but conscious of the hair on it). It was done 10 days ago and my whole back is covered in red raised bumps or spots. At what point does a reaction to the waxing become foliculitis and how long should I leave it, if it doesn't go away before seeing my GP?

I've never had a reaction like this on any other areas of my body, although this was the first time I'd had this particular area waxed.

Also, if I continue to get it done, is there some preparation or aftercare that I should follow in future to hopefully prevent this happening again?

And one final question (sorry!) I am due to have a massage in three days, is it still OK for me to have this?

Thank you,
Lucy x

 

[xxKeelyxx]

I wouldnt worry if its a new area that hasnt been waxed before. It may have needed a scrub before the wax to loosen any ingrowing hairs, dry skin? Or just be sensitive (think the first time you wax your bikini area and you look like a plucked chicken).

My partner always gets raised bumps and the odd ingrowing hair on his back when I wax it but it goes down quite quickly (a couple of days max).

I use a pre wax hygiene gel on him and either aloe after wax or tea tree but he always get it. It does grow in swirls so I am always careful of waxing it all in the right direction but his hair is very thick from his head down his neck to his shoulders. I would describe it as terminal hair its so thick.

Did you scratch your back? Could your shampoo/shower gel of irritated it? Could the waxer have gone the wrong direction against the hair growth? Does your back ever get congested/greasy?

If it gets hot or sore then go see a Dr in case they are infected but otherwise I would suggest using Neutrogena body wash, using a scrub, loofah etc and let it dry out.

A massage might block all the pores again and cause ingrowing hairs/blocked pores. Can you swap it for a body scrub?

xx

 

[the_owl]

Hi Keeley,

Thank you for replying, the waxer was a bit slapdash so I wouldn't be surprised if she waxed in the wrong directions! Plus she didn't cleanse the skin beforehand (or put anything on to soothe the back afterwards) but I only noticed half way through so it was a bit late then.

I'll leave it another couple of days and see how it is, and in the meantime I'll get some antibacterial wash and try and exfoliate.

Thank you!

Lucy x

 

[Airey fairy]

I just literally had a similar conversation with my Lycon trainer ... It's due to their being an abundance of sebaceous glands that are present around this area... With the therapist ( I dunno whether she deserves that title due to the sweaty Betty lack of correct procedure ) not cleansing the area and closing the pores correctly and you putting on your top that you could've of potentially been wearing all day ( not saying you have or did but this can sometimes cause the blemishes ) straight away it will unfortunately clog the pores very easily and cause blocked pores and blemishes to occur .... It is common unfortunately to have this occur on both men n women around this area and is highly annoying, moving forward best thing to use is a PH balanced shower gel if the area is still raised and sore I wouldn't use the loofah suggested .. I would however if it isn't now to help desquamation and to allow the skin to recover .. There are products that lycon do to hep prevent this type of occurrence from happening hth x x

Lycon anti bump foaming gel is really good and the Ingrown x it solution is good too

 

[Jack Dunn]

Sounds awful and it's horrible when this happens as it looks terrible.
I would just keep the skin as clean as you can using an antibacterial skin wash, some products that contain tea tree or lemon myrtle can be really good to help treat the area. If it's doesn't clear up you may need to get some antibiotics from your GP.

in terms of waxing aftercare, especially areas like the back I always make sure that I explain aftercare to all my clients and hive them an aftercare pack and I always follow it up with a text the following day with a link to my waxing aftercare guidelines just so they are clear about how to maintain and manage their skin. Taking anti histamine IMO helps a lot to reduce the initial reaction and then following this up with keeping skin clean and cool should make a big difference.

Sounds like you may need to find another therapist as the pre and post treatment of any area that's waxed is very important and perhaps gad this been applied then maybe your situation may be different.

This is the link to the aftercare I send out to new clients after their back wax it may be helpful and I hope you get it under control.

Back Waxing Aftercare Advice
Jack

 

[the_owl]

Thank you sooo much for your replies, I was a bit freaked out when I saw my back as it was all over.

I am really new to beauty therapy, so I think I didn't feel confident telling the waxer the steps I use to wax (I use Perron Rigot, and to be honest, I've hardly ever seen any redness after a wax let alone spots which suggests to me that the quality of wax can probably make a difference to reactions).

As it's already happened I might as well see the positive in it which is that it happened to me, rather than a client I had waxed! So now, not only do I have a much better understanding of why I do all the steps in my waxing routine, but I also have much more thorough advice to give to clients for aftercare, particularly for people who have never been waxed before.

Jack - I don't suppose you treat female clients as well do you?!? I might have to come to you in future, so that I know I'll be in safe hands .

Thanks again,
Lucy x

 

[Jack Dunn]

Jack - I don't suppose you treat female clients as well do you?!? I might have to come to you in future, so that I know I'll be in safe hands .

Thanks again,
Lucy x

Lucy it's fine just get in touch when it needs waxed again..
Good luck x

 

[the_owl]

Lucy it's fine just get in touch when it needs waxed again..
Good luck x

Will do, thanks x

 

[Kim Lawless]

I would go to the docs asap and get some antibiotics Lucy. Spots after a back wax are quite normal the first couple of times, although some people don't get any but if you've never had them before. Luck of the draw I'm afraid.

Have you thought about just bleaching the hair? You'd only need to do it two or three times a year and that way the hair will remain nice and soft.

 

[the_owl]

Thanks Kim, they are still there so I've got an appointment to see the doctor this afternoon.

I'd never though about bleaching, it's certainly worth considering.

Lucy x