I went for a brow wax, and my skin got burned!
Everyone loves a fresh set of eyebrows! There’s nothing quite as satisfying (and maybe a little painful) as hearing the snip of the scissors, the feeling of the tweezers plucking those pesky hairs, and of course the rip of a wax strip to give your brows their gorgeous shape… No one ever said beauty wasn’t painful after all!
Something that you may have experienced after a wax, that can feel a bit uncomfortable and look quite red, is what we in the beauty industry call skin lifting, very often mistaken by a skin burn.
Pic cred: Katarina Callegari
So, What is skin lifting exactly?
Have you ever gotten your brows waxed and afterwards you were left with part of the skin around your brows looking “burnt”? This is skin lifting! That stinging, slight redness that looks and feels like a burn, is in fact quite common with those that have sensitive skin, but it can also happen at any time in your life! In fact, I personally experience skin lift myself occasionally- It happened just the other day when I was waxing my brows!
What causes skin lift?
The biggest culprit is most likely something to do with your skincare. Topical serums and cleansers that accelerate skin regeneration such as retinol/retinoids, acid peels and strong antibiotics can make your skin lead to increased sensitivity and potentially cause a skin lift during your wax appointment.
But Kat, I don’t apply my skincare on my brows?! Why am I still getting skin lift?
Skincare products “travel” across your face, they can even be transferred into your pillow, hands and more! So even though you may be avoiding your brows, it may ultimately make its way there.
What can I do to prevent skin lifting?
There’s plenty of steps that you can take to minimise skin lifting from occurring:
Avoid using active skincare products 1-2 weeks before your brow wax.
Avoid getting any facials that involve skins peels, lasers, microdermabrasion and others 1-2 weeks before your wax appointment.
Always notify the person who will be waxing your brows if you have made any changes on your skincare if you’ve had a facial or are currently taking antibiotics.
Lastly, if none of these options seems to work and you’re finding that skin lifting is causing you too much grief, then the best way to remove unwanted hairs without damage to your skin is good old fashioned plucking.
Hope this post helps to share more information on this topic. Happy waxing =)