Bikini Waxing Hell!!!!

[phoebe_cat]

I have PM'd Axiom with this and look forward to his learned reply, but wondered if any of you other skin geeks had any thoughts, ideas or tips............

I've recently returned from holiday with the ugliest bikini line known to man! I had it waxed the day before I went and it looked fab, (unlike last year, when they took my skin along with the hair ). After about a week though, the spots started, little white heads on just about every hair follicle. Most of them went, but I currently have around 18 nasty ingrown hairs. Some are painful, all are purple, some have some pus around them. I've got some of the ingrowns out with tweezers, but some are so deep I can't get to them.

I only get my bikini waxed for hols, and this happens every year! I've gone to places on spec, and places that have been recommended to me, still the same story.

I use exfoliating mitts in the shower everyday. Once a week, I use the same silk mitts they use in Turkish baths (God, you should see the dead skin roll off!) so I don't think exfoliation is an issue. I also use ABC shower gel which contains Tea Tree Oil.

After speaking to the girls at work, they both have the same problem, and have given up with waxing. One has 3 scars off ingrown hairs, and the other had to go to docs and get antibiotics after one of hers got infected!

Where are we going wrong!?

Can some people not have a successful bikini wax?

Is it cos we only get it done once in a blue moon? Would it get better each time if we went regularly?

Even though we've been to over 15 therapists between us, have we still not found one good enough?

Should we be looking for a specific brand name? Is the wax you use without strips better or the ones with? Are the roller things better than the pots?

Any advice would be brilliant, as the state of my bikini line at the min I look like I have a nasty disease, I hate shaving, cos of the itch and am thinking of never having it done again and going ape woman, lol!

 

[Kim Lawless]

My personal opinion is that:-
1. If you had a regular bikini wax, you wouldn't go through this trauma every year.
2. You can't beat Peron Rigot Euroblonde (hot wax) for a brilliant bikini wax.

HTH. xxxxxx

 

[rouge]

Wow, that sounds pretty bad! Here's what I'd suggest:

1) Exfoliate and moisturise every day. This gets rid of the dead skin cells and keeps the skin nice and soft, making it easier for the new hair to grow out normally.

2) Get some PFB vanish (ingrown hairs: PFB Vanish ingrown hair treatment). It's a product that reduces the incidence of ingrown hairs. I used to get loads on my underarms and bikini line, now I get one or two at the most. It's fab stuff.

3) If I get a nasty ingrown hair then I put neat lavender oil on it. Obviously not on the very delicate skin. Or you can mix a drop of lavender with some aloe vera gel and apply that.

4) Next time you have waxing done, buy some after wax lotion and USE it. The therapist will tell you how often to apply it. If they don't retail after wax, I'd find another therapist.

5) If the ingrown hairs don't seem to be getting better, or are painful, it's probably a good idea to go and see the doctor. Just to be on the safe side!

I'm sure other geeks and Axiom will have some good advice, but I hope this helps!

 

[Ophala]

I can't offer any answers i'm afraid as not a skin geek but interested to seee what's said as i have the same problem.

i have my bikini line waxed regularly (6-8 weeks) although hair is so thick, dark and fast growing it looks horrid after 2!

i end up sitting there with the tweezers pulling out and squeezing out ingrown hairs and don't know what to do about it. have tried exfoliating but it just hurts!! then gets itchy after a couple of weeks.

i also get ingrown hairs on my legs although i shave them and don't wax - sometimes they are worse than others.

maybe some of us just have hair that likes to ingrow no matter what u do to it!?!

 

[Jacqui'snewnail]

I too will be watching with interest, because I too suffer from ingrowing hairs. But I find it common in some of my clients too and I just recommend exfoliating?!?!

Jacqui

 

[Axiom]

Kim and Sarah have excellent advice, and I'd echo their words with a few additions and variations:

The little white spots that appeared after a week are a sign of folliculitis - an infection of the follicles themselves. Ways to prevent and treat include an anti-bacterial skin wash, antiseptic products (TCP, witch hazel, Dettol, Germolene, etc), avoiding friction and irritation of the skin, soaking in a bath with dead sea salts, applying nappy rash cream after waxing (yes, seriously, lol - Sudocrem is a godsend!), etc. A trip to the doctor and a short course of anti-biotics are last resorts for serious cases that don't go away after a few days, which is rare.

The problem now is the ingrowns. You need to treat the inflammation and infection as well as the ingrown hair itself, and a product such as PFB Vanish (as Sarah mentioned) or Ingrow Go will have a 3-pronged approach (exfoliation, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic). The key ingredient is salicylic acid - it works by penetrating into the pore itself to help chemically exfoliate the dead skin cells which trap the hairs and cause them to become ingrown. It is also chemically related to aspirin, so will do a fine job of treating any associated inflammation. Finally, most of these products also contain a lovely lot of alcohol - although drying if over-used, this will lend a disinfecting benefit to the equation. You can use it to both prevent and treat the little blighters.

Manually exfoliating every day may be too aggressive, especially if the ingrowns are inflamed and sore as you mention - if there is any inflammation or discomfort, stop with the mitt and switch to the chemical methods mentioned above, otherwise cut it down to a gentle rub every other day or even twice a week instead. In future, start your manual exfoliation 48 hours after your wax (as soon as any redness and soreness has gone) and definitely follow with a light moisturiser, which will keep the skin supple and help hairs to grow through normally as Sarah said.

If you lift the hairs out with tweezers, sterilise them first and swab the skin with alcohol or a similar antiseptic afterwards. Don't dig - if they're too deep you'll cause scarring, possibly end up with an infection and just generally make the problem worse.

Friction from clothing and skin will exacerbate the situation - hence why ingrowns often appear on the crease of the bikini-line and along the waistband. Tight jeans and undies that rub in all the wrong places won't help things...! Not that I'm making assumptions about your undergarments, I hasten to add!! :o

Bad waxing technique won't help, but the choice of waxing brand or product itself (roll on, strip or hard wax) won't make any difference to your ingrowns. Having said that, both hard wax and hand sugaring can remove hair with the direction of hair growth instead of against - some folks claim that this can potentially result in less distortion or damage to the follicle, and may therefore help prevent the hair regrowing into the follicle wall. It seems plausible, but I have no first-hand experience to be able to comment either way.

Prevention is always better than cure, but hopefully our combined suggestions will help! Definitely get them checked by a GP if they persist, you don't want them settling in for the duration as they get harder to shift the longer they stick around. Hope that helps

Andy x

 

[phoebe_cat]

Thank you so much to all of you for your suggestions! Andy, I must admit it was painfull using manual exfoliation once things were spotty and sore, but just thought that it would help

If I can just go over one point again, if you don't mind, if I stuck with it, and kept getting it done, rather than a once a year thing, do you think it would settle down?

Once again thank you all for your input into a very sore and sensitive subject! :green:

 

[huberella]

I agree 100% with Andy... and I think someone else mentioned to get waxed regularly....every 4 weeks.... this will really help also.

 

[ellasmum]

I have to say I have my waxing done every 4 weeks and only had a few in growing hairs after the first time. I exfoliate and moisturise and no longer have any problems. I too would recommend the regular treatment.
Sam