What to do if a client's skin is damaged during a wax

It’s every therapist’s worst nightmare to damage their client’s skin accidentally during a wax treatment. Not only does it upset your customer, but it can also hurt your reputation and your business in the long term if you don’t handle each occurrence quickly and correctly after. 

A calm demeanour goes a long way in settling a disturbed client so keep calm, remain in charge of the situation and take swift steps to make things right as early as you can.

Here are three of the most common ways the skin can be affected after waxing and how to deal with it:

Bruising

Clients with more sensitive skin or those on certain types of medication are more prone to experiencing bruising during a wax. However, a poor waxing technique can also be to blame.

It’s critical you pull the skin taut before removing each strip, or you could trigger bruising and discomfort, which no one really wants. 

To help combat this, look at applying a cold compress immediately to the skin to help reduce swelling and encourage the skin to heal faster if you notice any bruising appear. You can also recommend a warm bath in the evening following their treatment to help this process too.

Any bruising will usually clear up after a couple of days, but you can help to prevent bruising by mastering your waxing technique. If you need a refresher, take a look at our online modules.

Hives

Hives, which often look a bit like nettle rash, red dots or raised patches, can occasionally occur after waxing. They’re usually the body’s response to the physical trauma of having hair pulled from each follicle, but they can also be a sign of an allergy. 

A cold compress applied to the area will quickly soothe inflammation and reduce redness while providing a cooling and soothing feeling to the affected area. Also, advise your client to avoid touching their hives and to keep their skin fresh & cool after their treatment until they subside.

Burns

You must always check the temperature of your wax before applying it to a client’s skin to prevent the risk of burns. For the Sienna X Waxes, both hot and warm, we recommend no more than 36 degrees. 

Mild burns can often appear as red/pink areas. However, more severe injuries can make the skin look shiny or raw where the wax has caused it to lift ‚Äî this is understandably very alarming and potentially worrying for your client. 

For mild burns, you should cool the skin quickly (even if the wax is still on the surface of the skin), clean it and dress it with a clean bandage if necessary. 

If the burn appears more concerning advise your client to seek medical advice from a GP or pharmacist rather than opting to provide medical advice yourself. In this case, it can also be beneficial to contact your insurance company to let them know of the incident in the rare case your client wants to take action against you. 

Trust us when we say that letting them know if the incident is serious is better than them finding out from elsewhere. 

Sienna X Secrets for Skin Damage Prevention

We’ve all heard the saying ‘prevention is better than a cure’. So to help you minimise the occurrence of skin damage during a waxing treatment, our experts have shared their top tips!

Ahead of a treatment

• Recommend to your client that they stop using any acid-based or skin peel products around 3-4 days before their treatment to allow the skin to heal completely. 
• The softer the clients’ skin, the better the result! For facial waxing clients, recommend that they moisturise well the night before with a hydrating skincare product.

On treatment day

• Ensure that you take a little time to run through their consultation card so that you know all of the information you need to perform the best treatment possible.
• Opt for an extra preparation step before you apply any wax such as Skinguard 4 in 1 or Soothing Oil to help create a barrier between the product and your clients’ skin. This will reduce the risk of skin damage throughout the wax.
• Once you’re all done, also opt for a Post Treatment Cooling Creme to help encourage blood circulation and help to reduce any discomfort or damage to your clients skin after the wax.

We’re always here to help if you have any questions ahead of your clients’ treatment, so please don’t hesitate to ask!

Why not take advantage of our amazing Professional offers across our collections too? Perfect for ensuring that you can always perform your favourite treatments. Take a look for yourself here!

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