Leg Wax - Skin came off

flimsee

Hi,

Has anybody ever got their legs waxed and a layer of skin came off?!?! It happenned to me last week!!

I have been getting my legs waxed for over 15 years. Last Thursday I treated myself to a spa visit and got my legs waxed there. There was nothing to indicated during the process that there was anything wrong, but the therapist did mention that the wax was not coming off easily. That it could be due to the chlorine in the thermal pool which I had visited beforehand.

When i went home, my legs were stinging in places, I could see various places in my legs that layers of skin had come off. It definietly was not burnt, cos i would have noticed if the wax was too hot during the treatment. Also around the patches I could see loose pieces of skin.

It's now a week later and the marks are fading, but they are still quite visible. I definitely can't go out in shorts as the heat stings it and i am afraid of what further damage it might do.

Has something like that ever happenned to anybody else?? Did heal ok?? What did you treat it with??

Sherifu

Ouch, that sounds sore.

Ow.

Aloa vera?

Lil' Smiler

First things first, I would contact the place you went to for this wax and tell them what happened.

If it is that sore, maybe it is worth a trip to your Dr to check that there is no skin infection. Maybe do try some Aloe Vera gel

MJOR

Right..... good decision not to put the sun near it... you may not be able to for months. Go see your GP and then contact the salon. It sounds like the wax was not the right temperature and they are to blame. after it heals use bio oil to prevent scarring and get Burnshield in the chemist.... it really works

LadyMayBelle

That sounds horrific...Im queasy thinking about it..aloe vera to the rescue!

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Try to get some flammazine (silver sulphadiazine) for it. It's generally used for serious burns, but it should prevent infection.

You might be able to get it in a chemist.

Fast_Mover

I think Flammazine is perscription only.
Great stuff though.

flimsee

Thanks for all of this! It's a week today, but the skin has still not healed, but it's not infected and tbh it doesn't look as if it is going to. Now though I'm nervous about how long it is going to heal. Maybe i'll make an apt to go to the doctor later, just to get their advice.

Curvy Vixen

That's nothing to do with the wax being the wrong temperature. If it was too hot the OP would be suffering from burns not missing skin and if it was too cold it wouldn't have been hot enough to pull off the skin IYSWIM?

It all points towards the therapist pulling the strips off with the hair growth rather than against (the wrong way in other words). Can I guess that the skin is gone/loose/peeling on the sides and/or back of the legs OP??

You absolutely should call the salon. Ask for the manager and explain what has happened. If nothing else the therapist should be spoken to re: her waxing technique. It won't help you but it might help others.

On the back of saying all this I am assuming that you followed the instructions for post wax care that would have been given to you so this couldn't have been anything to do with you?

This actually happened to me when we were training flimsee. I lost most of the skin on the back of both legs. Good news is that it does grow back again ~ it's like really bad sunburn.

flimsee

Curry Vixen, what you describe is exactly what it was like. "The skin is gone/loose/peeling on the sides and/or back of the legs". By the time I had got home from the treatment (3:30pm), the signs of the damage were visible. I wasn't out in the sun, i didn't shower until the next morning and used cool water and i didn't put on any creams as i didn't know how it was going to react. there was nothing which i did which would have exacerbated the reddness.

In good faith i did go back to the salon the next day to show them. As I felt this was caused by going into the thermal pool before the waxing and felt that it was important to show them my reaction. Now though I don't know. The therapist was extremely nice and professional, i find it hard to believe that it could have been down to her method.

Curvy Vixen

I guessed it was the back of the legs (generally around the lower half of the calf) because the hair there actually grows kind of in a twisty motion, around the leg rather than straight down like it does on the front (crap description I know, sorry!) But there is a massive amount of therapists out there that apply wax from the back of the knee in a straight down motion, i.e. not against the hair growth aka the wrong way! That means they are pulling the hair out kind of sideways. This is really hard to describe without pictures sorry!

Anyway, she could have been the most professional therapist around and still made a mistake. Or she could have been new and forgotten that the wax on the back should go on in a 'wonky' direction rather than straight down. And once that mistake has been made the only way to correct it is to rip it off :eek:

Aloe Vera will help greatly but it will grow back honestly. A nice call to the manager won't get the therapist into trouble but it will help someone else...

Sorry:edited to add ~ as a therapist I am nice and professional but we all make mistakes. I was 40 when I trained to be a therapist and most people when they see me assume I've been in the business years cos I'm not some 'young one' as they say. But the 'young ones' probably have more hands on experience than me...

flimsee

Thanks SO much Curry Vixen! What you say makes a lot of sense. You have really put my mind to rest!

I know it will get better, it's just been a bit of a pain, cos the whole reason in getting your legs waxed is so you can wear shorts/skirts and go out in the sun and i can't do that.

I had to ring the salon 4 times before i eventually got through to the Spa manager. I think i was more annoyed with the poor customer service I experienced, than i was with the reddness. It was a 4* hotel and i would have expected a lot more from them. (It was my first time going there, but loads of my friends have been and have always raved about it) Anyway, he is now following up on it, but as i said that is after me ringing 4 times and calling down twice. I did STRESS though each time when i did speak to them that at the time I was very happy with the therapist who i had gone to and that i did feel that it was her fault.

pookie82

That sounds really harsh. got my first wax a few weeks back right before hols and made sure i had a five day window before I left as I was warned that the bikine area can get red and sore looking. It was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life... and i'm not sqeamish or weird when it comes to pain. my bikini line bled for half an hour afterwards, so much so that when i got home my underwear was stained with it and I was walking like John Wayne for the rest of the evening!!!

Is this normal or did I have a bad experience/beautician??? It was a vivd purple colour for days but thankfully calmed down before I had to expose it!!!