We received a question asking if it was okay to wax if you have acne. And it got us thinking that doing a blog series on different waxing contraindications (or waxing no-nos) would be a great idea to explain why or why not you can not do/take/have certain things and get waxed. Today we are going to discuss acne/breakouts and waxing.
To understand the relationship between acne and waxing you first have to understand acne. The grading scale for acne is on a 0-4 scale**.
0- Is the skin is clear which indicates no inflammatory or noninflammatory lesions.
1- The skin is almost clear and has rare noninflammatory lesions with no more than one papules/pustule.
2- The skin has mild noninflammatory lesions but no more than a few papules/pustules. However there are no nodules present.
3- This is when the acne becomes what is considered moderate. There can be many noninflammatory lesions and there may be some inflammatory lesions, but no more than one small nodule.
4- This is the most severe grade. The skin will present many noninflammatory and inflammatory lesions, but no more than a few nodules.
**These are the most typical grades. There are more severe grades of acne that contain more nodules.**
It’s important to understand the different grades of acne because that is what determines whether or not you will be able to be waxed. Obviously we can not wax over broken skin or lesions regardless of any grade of acne. But it honestly depends on where the acne presents itself, how severe the acne is, and if you are on any type of acne medicine.
We can not wax over grades 3 or 4 at risk of inflaming your skin even more. But if you want your eyebrows waxed and your chin is broken out… That we can do. If you have body acne on your back or legs but want to get your chest waxed? Should be fine. HOWEVER… If you are on Accutane or have taken it AT ALL within a YEAR you can NOT get waxed. Also you can NOT have used Retin A or any derivitave of Retin A (such as tretinoin) within a week of coming in to get waxed.
We follow these (and other) rules to protect you. Even though our wax does not typically attach itself to your skin, if you take products that thin your skin, lifting can occur. And that is something we NEVER want to happen to you!
Keep an eye out for next weeks Contraindication Part Two on Lesions and Bruises!
Don’t forget to “Like” and “Follow” us on Facebook to keep updated on all the goings on at the salon!
So if I have mild little breakout on your forehead no redness just tiny little bumps like sweat bumps or something mild like that, can I had wax there?