Wax brow graze injury help, not sure why?

[Schubby123]

Hey, I hope someone can offer me some advice

I have a client who I did a tint and wax for over a year ago, (no issues what so ever). She returned to me yesterday for another tint and wax (patch test done)

it resulted in grazing (skin lift) underneath both eyebrows which was noticeable right away. I was honest, pointed it out and put some soothing product on and asked her if she had a previous wax injury to which she said no. I seen her again today for a different treatment and I can see she has two very obvious red graze marks. she also said they were swollen this morning (thankfully she was not remotely concerned/annoyed and is a very sweet girl)

my concern is this: I have been waxing for years, I always ask the client if there is anything I need to be aware of such as medication, retinol, steroid use etc. I always ensure my wax is the right temperature and always support the skin very well. Yet this still happened to her? Why? It’s left me very stressed and doubting myself

she said to her knowledge, she hasnt used anything or encountered a previous waxing injury or changed any medication/product that might of caused this to happen

is this gonna be an ongoing issue upon her return (she said she wants to return as loves the tint etc) will they fully heal? or will she have a vulnerability in her skin forever that will flare up at each wax now? (Fearful of this) Is there something I could suggest to her?
Thanks

 

[Bexta140790]

What kind of wax did you use?
Whenever I have had my eyebrows waxed using a strip wax I have had this happen however using hot/hard wax I’ve never had any issues.

 

[Schubby123]

What kind of wax did you use?
Whenever I have had my eyebrows waxed using a strip wax I have had this happen however using hot/hard wax I’ve never had any issues.

Hi I use strip wax! But I always have for years and never had this issue before. I wouldn’t expect for it to the norm for strip wax to cause injury but perhaps I could be wrong

 

[RosieR]

Just a thought that occurred to me is that could she have swapped to a different eye cream? It could have made the skin a bit puffy if she has used too much? I know I have done that on the odd occasion.

Very dry skin, that never sees a decent moisturiser can be so much more prone to this. My mum (82) is a prime example. I can only use hard wax on her , her skin is ridiculously dry. Even though she moisturises. I call her my delicate flower!

You seem to have pretty much covered all bases on why it's happened, but have you considered that her reasons are internal? Nothing to do with you? Covid or the vaccine can cause internal changes, as can her natural hormone changes or ageing by one year. Stop blaming yourself , get a small sensitive hard wax pot and just use it on her in future.

Give her your thoughts and maybe as you re try after say 6 weeks (if there's no scarring ) Tell her your plan of action because she will be of special interest now and she could become so trusting and confident in the care that you are taking of her.

I use talc under my wax ( hard or soft ) just something that we did at college because I trained in both methods, some geeks use a pre wax oil. Have you thought of that ?

All the best with your "delicate flower" client

 

[BrenG]

I no help with advice but I've had something similar with a client pre lockdown, it had happened on 2 occasions but she didn't mention it to me until the day of her next apt. I haven't changed any products, I was extra careful and it happened again. She has been back post lockdown, I patch tested everything before, tint, wax, pre and post wax, Vaseline and even eye makeup remover, I tweezed more this time rather than all wax, she was still red but not as bad and no lifting skin. We put it down to hormones but I may try hot wax next time as suggested.

 

[Sam@mps]

I used to use strip wax and had this happen few times to a client that had been coming for years and always been fine. Think hormones was playing a big part in the issue. However, switching to hot wax all has been great again, so definitely worth a try.

 

[Beautyrama]

It would be worth asking your client to check all of her skincare products for retinoids as this can cause the grazing you describe and isn’t always an obvious culprit to clients.

 

[Schubby123]

Just a thought that occurred to me is that could she have swapped to a different eye cream? It could have made the skin a bit puffy if she has used too much? I know I have done that on the odd occasion.

Very dry skin, that never sees a decent moisturiser can be so much more prone to this. My mum (82) is a prime example. I can only use hard wax on her , her skin is ridiculously dry. Even though she moisturises. I call her my delicate flower!

You seem to have pretty much covered all bases on why it's happened, but have you considered that her reasons are internal? Nothing to do with you? Covid or the vaccine can cause internal changes, as can her natural hormone changes or ageing by one year. Stop blaming yourself , get a small sensitive hard wax pot and just use it on her in future.

Give her your thoughts and maybe as you re try after say 6 weeks (if there's no scarring ) Tell her your plan of action because she will be of special interest now and she could become so trusting and confident in the care that you are taking of her.

I use talc under my wax ( hard or soft ) just something that we did at college because I trained in both methods, some geeks use a pre wax oil. Have you thought of that ?

All the best with your "delicate flower" client

Thanks for your detailed response. I’ll take on board and look into some of your suggestions thanks

 

[LEK]

Hi hon I use hot wax Pierre Rigot and you put jasmine oil prior to the wax and it really protects the skin. The strip wax sticks to the skin and can remove the dry epidermis causing it to be red. The hot wax when used with an oil only sticks to the hair not the skin it shrink wraps around the hair and does not remove any skin. I use warm wax as well but not on eyebrows any more and the exfoliating properties are great when used on the legs i.e. we have all waxed a knee and you can clearly see the dead skin that has also been removed when you look at the calico strip. I use the jasmine oil with the warm wax as well if the clients skin is very dry to prevent damage to the skin. When I was trained in 1989 we were told to make sure the area was oil free and even used talc I think that wax products have evolved so much now and there are so many waxes that have pre wax treatments to make sure the skin is safe. I used to use strip wax on eyebrows but had an issue like the one you had so you are not alone and its obvious that you really care about your clients and are doing all the right things. Hope this helps and don't worry about it these things happen to all of us and it shows how professional you are that you are looking for a solution, best wishes and have a lovely weekend

 

[Schubby123]

Hi hon I use hot wax Pierre Rigot and you put jasmine oil prior to the wax and it really protects the skin. The strip wax sticks to the skin and can remove the dry epidermis causing it to be red. The hot wax when used with an oil only sticks to the hair not the skin it shrink wraps around the hair and does not remove any skin. I use warm wax as well but not on eyebrows any more and the exfoliating properties are great when used on the legs i.e. we have all waxed a knee and you can clearly see the dead skin that has also been removed when you look at the calico strip. I use the jasmine oil with the warm wax as well if the clients skin is very dry to prevent damage to the skin. When I was trained in 1989 we were told to make sure the area was oil free and even used talc I think that wax products have evolved so much now and there are so many waxes that have pre wax treatments to make sure the skin is safe. I used to use strip wax on eyebrows but had an issue like the one you had so you are not alone and its obvious that you really care about your clients and are doing all the right things. Hope this helps and don't worry about it these things happen to all of us and it shows how professional you are that you are looking for a solution, best wishes and have a lovely weekend

Thanks for your reply, gave me much to consider and made me feel a little better

 

[Gigilaws]

Hey, I hope someone can offer me some advice

I have a client who I did a tint and wax for over a year ago, (no issues what so ever). She returned to me yesterday for another tint and wax (patch test done)

it resulted in grazing (skin lift) underneath both eyebrows which was noticeable right away. I was honest, pointed it out and put some soothing product on and asked her if she had a previous wax injury to which she said no. I seen her again today for a different treatment and I can see she has two very obvious red graze marks. she also said they were swollen this morning (thankfully she was not remotely concerned/annoyed and is a very sweet girl)

my concern is this: I have been waxing for years, I always ask the client if there is anything I need to be aware of such as medication, retinol, steroid use etc. I always ensure my wax is the right temperature and always support the skin very well. Yet this still happened to her? Why? It’s left me very stressed and doubting myself

she said to her knowledge, she hasnt used anything or encountered a previous waxing injury or changed any medication/product that might of caused this to happen

is this gonna be an ongoing issue upon her return (she said she wants to return as loves the tint etc) will they fully heal? or will she have a vulnerability in her skin forever that will flare up at each wax now? (Fearful of this) Is there something I could suggest to her?
Thanks

Hi there! Very common with strip wax! I prefer hot wax below the brow - idiot proof! Some tips:
1.For any waxing, use something to protect the skin from the wax - powder or oil. Creates a barrier that allows you to remove the hair properly but doesn’t graze the skin.
2.Don’t overly bond the wax to the skin - wax is already sticky and sticky enough to remove hair effectively so a heavy handed bond only serves to meld the wax to the skin increasing the odds of ripping skin!
3.Your client may well be using active products and not realise it. We are professionals so we are very aware of what products are but your average client isn’t. Assume everyone is using active products and needs to be treated as such - avoids problems and helps you work in a safe way.
4.The skin will likely be sensitive for years and years - it’s the eye area. These types of mistakes send clients heading off for threading to save the skin.
Happy Waxing!

 

[BrenG]

I have a quick question regarding hot wax. I've only used it at college for underarms and then we used talc also. Where using oil has been suggested, is this a certain type of oil or could you use massage oil? Also I don't feel like I can control hot wax as well as warm, I feel it spreads too much, any advice please would be great.

 

[LEK]

Hi I use Pierre Rigot wax and it comes with Jasmine oil you only need a very small amount there are other products out there but I've only ever used this one hope this helps X

 

[Orchardmakeup]

I am having the same issue! I have been waxing for 30 years and its only happened a couple of times until recently. I still use the same wax brand, so its really strange it keeps happening. I tried using oil, but it them doesn't seem to adhere to the skin after. I am thinking to change my wax brand, as I hate having clients come back to me uncomfortable.

 

[rhoyes]

I think it may be something to do with covid jabs , which May make the skin skin more vulnerable to waxing , or your clients are using retinol which affects the skin too .

 

[Lou Lou S]

I have a quick question regarding hot wax. I've only used it at college for underarms and then we used talc also. Where using oil has been suggested, is this a certain type of oil or could you use massage oil? Also I don't feel like I can control hot wax as well as warm, I feel it spreads too much, any advice please would be great.

I would say whichever brand you’re using for hot wax, use their pre-wax oil so you’re using their whole system for the best results. I think massage oil would be a little dense for a pre-wax oil. I use the Wax:One system and also used Lycon for a long time and both of these systems’ oils are finer in texture than general massage oil.
In terms of controlling the hot wax, it does come with practice but maybe apply less wax to your spatula than you think you’ll need to start with. You could always apply Vaseline to the hairs you don’t want to remove whilst you’re getting used to it. I’ve recently converted from lycon to wax:one and it’s a very different type of application as the wax needs to be applied super thinly which has taken some getting used to but think I’ve cracked it now . You can’t be quite as precise with hot wax like you can with strip but once you become confident with it, you can be pretty precise and then just do any real fine work with your tweezers. I still use strip when doing precision brows (HD), although I still apply a tiny amount of oil to protect the skin. You just have to be quicker with the strip wax to make sure it adheres. Hope that helps a bit

 

[Lou Lou S]

Hey, I hope someone can offer me some advice

I have a client who I did a tint and wax for over a year ago, (no issues what so ever). She returned to me yesterday for another tint and wax (patch test done)

it resulted in grazing (skin lift) underneath both eyebrows which was noticeable right away. I was honest, pointed it out and put some soothing product on and asked her if she had a previous wax injury to which she said no. I seen her again today for a different treatment and I can see she has two very obvious red graze marks. she also said they were swollen this morning (thankfully she was not remotely concerned/annoyed and is a very sweet girl)

my concern is this: I have been waxing for years, I always ask the client if there is anything I need to be aware of such as medication, retinol, steroid use etc. I always ensure my wax is the right temperature and always support the skin very well. Yet this still happened to her? Why? It’s left me very stressed and doubting myself

she said to her knowledge, she hasnt used anything or encountered a previous waxing injury or changed any medication/product that might of caused this to happen

is this gonna be an ongoing issue upon her return (she said she wants to return as loves the tint etc) will they fully heal? or will she have a vulnerability in her skin forever that will flare up at each wax now? (Fearful of this) Is there something I could suggest to her?
Thanks

I feel for you on this. It happened to me a few years ago on 2 different clients and had never happened before in 20 years of waxing. It’s such an awful feeling. I decided to ditch strip wax for every area apart from legs and forearms. Hot wax is so much kinder on the skin, great at removing facial/und/bik hair, hardly ever any redness and less painful for the client. It will take a bit of getting used to but it’s the best thing I’ve done. I do however still use strip wax for precision brows (HD) but put the tiniest amount of oil on before application. It’s not ideal but I can pretty much apply it the same as long as I’m quick and don’t ‘mess’ with the wax. Good luck sorry I just noticed this thread is 6 months old! Hope it helps still!

 

[nickyjpearce]

It's probably a combination of dry skin underneath the eye and strip wax. Strip wax is very sticky and removes a layer of the epidermis with it. This is usually ok , but when you have excessively dry skin it sticks even more. One way to prevent this is to apply moisturiser to the area first, then wipe away excess with something like salon. Savlon is soapy and will remove excess moisturiser from the hair, but leave most of it in the skin. If you use something a bit more astringent like surgical spirits or IPA you take the moisturiser off the hair and back out of the skin. Alternatively you could use warm peel off wax. That grips just the hair and doesn't stick to the skin.

Nicky

 

[Beauty in Bloom]

I use strip wax and you do have to be careful. However if you apply a small amount of pre wax oil on the area beforehand it protects the skin by forming a protective barrier against skin being removed x.

 

[House Beauty]

Hey, I hope someone can offer me some advice

I have a client who I did a tint and wax for over a year ago, (no issues what so ever). She returned to me yesterday for another tint and wax (patch test done)

it resulted in grazing (skin lift) underneath both eyebrows which was noticeable right away. I was honest, pointed it out and put some soothing product on and asked her if she had a previous wax injury to which she said no. I seen her again today for a different treatment and I can see she has two very obvious red graze marks. she also said they were swollen this morning (thankfully she was not remotely concerned/annoyed and is a very sweet girl)

my concern is this: I have been waxing for years, I always ask the client if there is anything I need to be aware of such as medication, retinol, steroid use etc. I always ensure my wax is the right temperature and always support the skin very well. Yet this still happened to her? Why? It’s left me very stressed and doubting myself

she said to her knowledge, she hasnt used anything or encountered a previous waxing injury or changed any medication/product that might of caused this to happen

is this gonna be an ongoing issue upon her return (she said she wants to return as loves the tint etc) will they fully heal? or will she have a vulnerability in her skin forever that will flare up at each wax now? (Fearful of this) Is there something I could suggest to her?
Thanks

It could be to do with her getting older, new medications, but the most likely to me would be some kind of face peel. Another common one is steroids, sometimes creams sometimes injections. Inhalers dont usually have the same affect. Even gentle face peels remove enough of the stratum corneum that a wax might cause some damage.

I have a little ‘handout’ text that goes over all the contra-actions, and what to do about them. As long as youve given her aftercare info, shes keeping it clean, not touching it and using savlon/etcas and when needed, or going to a doc if its bad, then you have fulfilldd your obligations even though it feels really crap.

Consider it next time to avoid, eg smaller sections, less heat, oil first and do a thorough check for any medications that could interfere.