During the nine months of pregnancy, a woman experiences several changes on physical, and emotional levels. Due to changes in hormone levels, growth of extra hair at undesired places is seen. This can pose a lot of irritation. You may even think of performing waxing to get rid of it. But is it safe to wax your body during pregnancy?

Hair Growth And Pregnancy

When you are pregnant, hormonal changes cause active growth cycle of hair, and nails to last longer. You can also find that your hair grows thicker. Unfortunately, it is not just the head where you will notice hair growth, it can also occur in undesired areas of the body that includes armpits, chin, upper lip, the bikini line, lower back, stomach, the pubic region, and legs.

There is no need to worry as this pattern of hair growth would not last for a long time. After 6 months of delivering a baby, your nails, and hair will return back to normal state. In the meantime, waxing is the solution for women who find the extra growth of hair troublesome, and want to get rid of it.

How Safe Is Waxing During Pregnancy?

Till now, there has been found no substantial proof available that shows wax is unsafe in pregnancy. However, it is recommended that you perform waxing at home, or get it done at a reputed parlor that assures you of the best hygiene, and results.

In this way, you can avoid catching infections, and keep you and your unborn safe. It is best to perform a patch test on the skin before you get waxed while being pregnant. This will tell you about any adverse impact of waxing well in advance.

List Of Precautions To Take To Ensure Safe Waxing

It is perfectly safe to perform waxed in pregnancy, provided that you follow safe waxing practices at home or salon. Here, are a few precautions that would give you a comfortable, and safe waxing experience.

• Ensure that you seek a licensed, and experienced esthetician. Check about their proficiency, and record before you take their service.
• Ensure that they use the right type, and best quality of wax and use the right technique to perform waxing at the facility.
• Check the cleanliness, and hygiene maintained at the facility. Ensure that the professionals at the facility uses clean spatula, don’t reuse wax that can cause you bacterial infections. It is required that the technician wears gloves to avoid any contamination.
• Wait for your hair to grow at least 1/2 inch in size so that when you apply wax it gets stick to it.
• If you do wax at home, be careful while using the hot wax so that you prevent burning or development of infections later.
• Perform a patch test on a small area of the skin to look for signs of irritation, allergy etc.

Who Should Not Wax Their Skin?

Waxing in pregnancy is harmless. However, if you have below-mentioned skin conditions, then you should refrain from doing waxing in pregnancy:

• If your skin has open cuts, moles, pimples, and warts, then you should avoid waxing. There is a possibility that waxing in such cases can cause ruptures on the skin that ultimately makes you prone to infection.
• Melasma is a skin condition where brown colored patches are formed on the face of a woman in pregnancy. If you associated yourself with this condition, then undergoing waxing can irritate your skin and make the condition worse.
• Another sign when you should avoid performing waxing in pregnancy is itchy, and irritable skin. If you have got acne breakouts, then waxing can worsen the state.
• Refrain from getting waxed when you have scarred tissues, or rashes on the skin.
• There is possibility that you develop varicose veins in your pregnancy. In that situation also, you should avoid getting waxed.
• If you have tanned skin, then also waxing is not recommended. This is because it can flare-up your skin.

Also read: Hair Color (Dye), Highlights, Rebonding In Pregnancy; Are They Safe?

Conclusion

Waxing is generally safe to perform on the body. However, if you have skin sensitivity, or any other skin ailment, then it is advised to avoid waxing. Home waxing is considered to be the safest way to perform waxing, but if you want to do it at a salon, ensure that you get it done in a clean salon, and under supervision of a skilled professional. If you are scared how will it feel, then start by doing it on small region, and later cover the larger areas.