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9 Face Waxing Side Effects You Should Know (& How to Avoid)

By ULIKEBEAUTY
Updated: August 17, 2023
7 minutes

These days everyone is so focused on getting smooth skin and facial or body hair makes them feel disgusted. Additionally, not everyone likes some other person touching their body so people avoid going out for hair removal treatments.

The most convenient and affordable method anyone can think of is the use of wax. Waxing on your body and face can help you get rid of all the unwanted hair in no time but it also comes with a number of side effects everyone must know.

So, stay tuned especially the newbies to know about what side effects waxing can cause and how you can avoid them. In the end, you will get to know about a better replacement for waxing as well.

9 Side Effects of Facial Waxing

Although facial waxing helps you get rid of unwanted hair and is available easily in your nearby store, it also comes with some side effects.

1. Painful

Waxing and Pain go hand in hand. No matter how hard you try, you will feel pain while waxing and it can have a high intensity if you are sensitive. As your hair gets pulled off with force, it leads to pain.

Moreover, the pain also depends upon the growth of your hair and the location of the hair on your face. If you have heavy hair growth or you are using wax on your upper lips, you will feel more pain as the area is more sensitive than other parts.

2. Leads to Rashes

Another common side effect of facial waxing is rashes. When your hair is pulled with force, it causes histamine reactions. These histamine reactions lead to the formation of rashes. But, don’t worry because these rashes only last for 1-3 days.

If the rash feels severe and doesn’t go even after 3 days, it means the product is not for you. Contacting your dermatologist immediately is also necessary in such cases.

3. Inflammation and Redness

Inflammation and Redness All of us are very sensitive about our faces and notice even small changes. One such change that can occur due to facial waxing is inflammation and redness.

The forceful hair removal puts stress on the skin which leads to slight inflammation and little redness. It stays for a few hours and then subsides by itself. Along with the inflammation, you can feel stinging on your face. So using a soothing gel will be helpful.

4. Formation of Bumps

A side effect some people might notice after completing their facial waxing is the formation of bumps. The bumps form when you remove your hair from the roots. They appear like pimples or slightly raised rashes.

The bumps form due to an inflammatory reaction called folliculitis. They might stay there for some hours to days. If you are worried about them, you can put on a soothing cream, aloe vera cream, or a balm to get rid of that uncomfortable feeling you are getting.

5. Sensitive Skin

Here comes another side effect, skin sensitivity. As you remove hair from your face, it removes the epidermis, the outermost layer of your skin, along with those hair. Now the protective layer of your skin is broken, so skin sensitivity is given until the epidermis completely renews itself.

This skin sensitivity can cause reactions leading to redness and rashes, and infection. Also, applying creams with chemicals can make you feel itchy.

6. Bleeding

Even though it is not common but facial waxing can also cause bleeding. Are you thinking it is a bit exaggerated? It is not. Imagine a pipe with some layers on it and then the outermost layer breaks. Now, it will be easy for water to gush out from any hole in the pipe as there is no barrier.

Similarly, as the epidermis breaks and the hair gets pulled off deep from the roots leading to the formation of pores. Blood can come out from those pores. It is not severe, so stay relaxed and everything is going to be fine.

7. Presence of Ingrown Hair

Ingrown hair does not occur only in the case of shaving, waxing can cause this too. This happens when the hair breaks from the shaft and the roots remain inside the skin. Resultantly, the hair will not grow in its normal outward direction and grows into the skin.

It mostly happens for newbies otherwise it is very rare.

ingrown hair

8. Allergic Reactions

Facial waxes are made of a number of ingredients and some of these ingredients can cause allergic reactions. A certain ingredient in the wax might not be suitable for your skin and react with it.

It does not happen all the time and you can avoid it by patch testing. Apply the wax on a little patch of your skin and see if causes a reaction or not. By this, you can save yourself from an avoidable side effect.

sun 9. Sensitivity to Sun

We discussed earlier how waxing can cause skin sensitivity. The same is the mechanism for sensitivity to the skin. When there is no epidermis and the remaining layers are exposed, the UV rays of the sun can affect them more severely as compared to when the epidermis was present.

So, a sunburn after facial waxing is something you should expect.

How to Avoid the Side Effects of Facial Waxing

There are some ways that can help you in avoiding the long list of side effects caused by facial waxing. Let’s get to know them to help you do it more comfortably.

Read instructions carefully

There are times when we are so occupied that we forget to read instructions before buying a product especially when someone recommended it. But, not every product is for every skin. So, to avoid any side effects, read the instructions carefully. If the product is suitable for you, you also need to make sure to use it exactly how they told you to.

wax Buy Wax Specific for Your Skin Type

Waxes include a number of different ingredients and who knows you might be allergic to one of them. Other than allergies, we have different skin types including dry skin, oily skin, or sensitive skin. Different waxes are available for each skin type. For example, choco wax for dry skin. So, buy according to what you require.

Avoid in case of wounds, rashes, or sensitive skin

If you have any wounds or rashes on your skin, applying the wax may cause irritation, a burning sensation or even worsening of the wound. So make sure not to apply wax on such areas.

Additionally, the wax is going to remove the epidermis, and if your skin is already sensitive, severe side effects won’t be something you should be surprised about.

An all-body wax is not for face

Another thing we need to understand is that an all-body wax is not for the face. The face is a more sensitive area as compared to our other body parts so waxes for the face are made differently. So, it is best to buy the facial wax and all-body wax separately.

No use of chemical products after the wax

After waxing, the skin gets sensitive. As we apply any makeup product, lotion, or cream with chemicals, it will immediately react with our skin to cause allergy. So it is best not to apply just any cream you have after waxing. Before applying cream to soothe your skin, making sure that it is chemical-free is necessary.

What can be a better replacement for Facial Waxing?

Removing facial hair using wax is something we all know for ages and it seems like the most convenient way to remove your hair. With all that ease, facial waxing has a number of cons too. Do you want to know about a method that is easier and has fewer disadvantages?

An IPL hair removal device is what you need to comfortably remove your hair and one of these amazing devices that can assist you is the Ulike Sapphire Air 3 IPL hair removal device . Let’s get to know what benefits you are going to get:

  • Quick: The Ulike Sapphire Air3 handset can provide you results in just 7 minutes.

  • Nearly painless: The device uses patented ice-cooling technology to make your experience pain-free.

  • Long-time effect: By using the Ulike Sapphire Air3 handset, you will not have to worry about the regrowth of your body or facial hair for a long time

  • Complete hair removal: The Ulike handset can help you get rid of your hair completely within 3 weeks.

So, with this amazing device, you will not have to worry about pain, allergies, rashes, or bumps. Although it is a bit expensive, your safety and comfort come first.

Conclusion

Waxing is easy, within everyone’s reach and you don’t need to be experienced to do this so most people opt for it. If we look at the comfort level and the safety, waxing is not something you can call the best method ever. It can cause rashes, allergies, sun sensitivity, inflammation, and pain.

These are temporary but you can also avoid them by carefully reading instructions, choosing the right wax, and staying a bit careful before applying it. But, if you feel like you are still afraid of trying it or want something better, you can go for using the Ulike Sapphire Air3 IPL device which is more comfortable, easy, and effective.

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