Anyone new to waxing knows that it’s not a walk in the park. You don’t have to have experienced hot wax pulling out all the hairs in your sensitive areas to know that it will hurt.
We’ve all seen movies, heard stories, and read magazine articles that shed the light on how painful this procedure is. But what can you do? Beauty requires sacrifice.
But aside from pain, there are other things that can happen that most of us are not prepared for. Like bumps, ingrown hairs, and even bleeding.
These unusual, yet perfectly normal side effects, can make you worried. You might be wondering if you did something wrong or if you went to a poorly-trained technician. But don’t rush to judgment just yet.
So, how common is bleeding after waxing? Bleeding is a common side-effect of waxing, so don’t panic if it happens to you. It is more common in people who are new to waxing and usually goes away on its own within a few hours.
There are some things you can do to make the bleeding stop and to protect your skin from developing an infection. In this post, we will go over the reasons why your skin might bleed after a wax, and what you can do to treat it quickly.
Is It Normal To Bleed After Waxing?
Bleeding after waxing is perfectly normal, although it doesn’t happen every time. Bleeding is more common in sensitive areas, like the armpits and the bikini line.
But it can happen anywhere if you have extra coarse hair or extra sensitive skin. It all depends on your biology.
Most post-wax bleeding looks like little dots of blood slowly seeping from the pores where your hair used to be. This is often called “pinpoint bleeding” and it’s no cause for concern.
This makes sense if you understand the structure of your body hair. Your hair goes deep under the surface of the skin, where the follicles and roots of your hair are tightly connected to other tissues.
One of the things each hair is affixed to is a blood vessel, which supplies the hair with nutrition. These vessels nourish the hair follicle and support nutrient delivery, waste elimination, and growth.
When the hair is pulled out with the root, it’s normal for some of the blood vessels to rupture resulting in slight bleeding and even bruising.
If you see this kind of “pinpoint bleeding” you shouldn’t worry. If anything, it means your wax was successful and removed all hairs at the roots.
It Gets Better The More You Wax
Bleeding is more common for first-timers than it is for seasoned waxing clients. This is because people who have never waxed before, have coarser hair and stronger connections to the surrounding tissues.
Pulling out a hair like this is more likely to result in damage to the blood vessels.
But after you’ve waxed a few times, the new hairs that grow in are thinner and easier to remove. Their connections to the blood vessels and other tissues are not as strong, so pulling them out becomes easier, less painful, and less likely to cause bleeding.
Of course, some people will continue to experience bleeding even after they have a lot of waxing experience. Some people just have tighter pores or coarser hair naturally.
Specialists recommend waxing every 4-5 weeks. One of the reasons for this is that it’s the perfect amount of time that allows new hair to grow without developing overly strong connections to the surrounding tissues.
What If There’s A Lot Of Blood?
Seeing dots of blood where the hair used to be is normal, but what if there’s a lot more blood on the skin?
Some people bleed more than others, and it can be concerning. As we mentioned before, it’s normal to bleed a little, but if the bleeding doesn’t stop or there’s enough of it to leave stains on your clothes, you need to pay attention.
There are a few things that can increase bleeding, so first check to see if one of these applies to you:
- Taking blood-thinning medications
- Having a medical condition that prevents your blood from clotting
- Having a skin condition like eczema or psoriasis
- Using exfoliating topicals on your skin prior to waxing, including acids and retinol
- Using a wax that is too hot and burns your skin during application
That last one has more to do with your waxing specialist than with you, so next time you might want to go to someone else. If any of these apply to you, you can assume that they’ve contributed to your bleeding more than usual.
Whenever you see a waxing specialist, make sure to tell them what medications you’re on or what health conditions you have that might have an effect on bleeding. They can be extra gentle or suggest alternative hair removal services.
The best thing to do is keep the area clean and use topicals that can prevent an infection. The bleeding should stop the same day after the wax.
If the bleeding doesn’t stop, contact a doctor to make sure you’re not putting your health at risk. Don’t worry though, this is very rare.
How To Get Rid Of Blood Spots After Waxing
If you’ve found yourself covered in blood spots after waxing, there are a few things you can do to speed up the healing process and prevent any infection from taking place.
Apply Pressure
The first thing to do when you notice this type of bleeding is to apply pressure. Many spas will do this for you – they will use a clean cloth and press it against the area that just got waxed.
This is often enough to stop most of the bleeding, especially if it’s minimal. If your wax technician doesn’t do this, you can do it yourself when you get home. Just make sure to use a clean cloth to avoid adding any bacteria to the mix.
Gently press it against your skin and hold while applying pressure for 5-10 minutes. Eventually, the bleeding will stop and any blood that was visible will begin to clot.
Witch Hazel
Once you’ve stopped active bleeding, you should apply witch hazel to the area. Witch hazel is a natural herb that acts as an antiseptic and disinfectant. It can be used on any cuts and scrapes.
Witch hazel can be found in liquid form where the leaves, roots, and bark of the plant are distilled and can be used topically.
Witch hazel can help prevent infection, speed up healing, and reduce redness and inflammation that you might be experiencing after waxing as well.
Usually, these two steps are enough to stop all bleeding and clean up the area. But if you want to go a step further, you can try some of these next suggestions.
Neosporin
Neosporin is an ointment that you can get at any pharmacy over the counter. Neosporin contains three antibiotics: neomycin, polymyxin B, and bacitracin.
It’s great to use as a prophylactic against infection, so if you’re really worried about infections or you don’t have access to witch hazel, this ointment can be used in its place.
Spread a small amount of the ointment over your skin where you have visible bleeding and repeat in the morning and evening until the area looks fully healed.
Make sure you don’t ingest Neosporin and keep it away from pets and babies because it can cause kidney issues if taken internally.
Aloe Vera Gel
If your waxed area is bothering you, consider putting some aloe vera gel on it. Aloe vera has cooling and soothing properties, so it can give you instant relief and help reduce inflammation.
Apply a bit of aloe gel before you go to sleep and let it work its magic overnight. You will likely wake up to calm skin that is totally back to normal.
What To Look Out For
The tips above will most likely stop your bleeding and make your skin feel normal within a day after waxing. You can continue to use aloe vera or witch hazel to treat any lingering redness.
In very rare cases, broken skin can lead to infections. This happens if bacteria get into the open wound and begin growing.
If you use antibacterial or disinfecting products, this shouldn’t happen, but in case it does, here’s how you’ll know:
- Pus or fluid leaking out of the cuts
- A yellowish crust on top of the cuts
- Pain and burning that gets worse after a few days
- The waxed area feels hot to the touch
These are the most common symptoms of a skin infection. In the rare cases where post-waxing cuts get infected, these are the signs.
Thankfully, most skin infections, if they’re not too deep, heal on their own. Your body’s immune system can fight them off.
If it’s been more than 10 days and the situation doesn’t seem to be getting better, consult your doctor.
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