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The day after your waxing treatment, everything looks great… your skin is nice and smooth, it’s soft, and best of all – there’s not a hair in sight!
However, the trouble starts once the hair starts to grow back in. This often causes rashes, clogged hair follicles, and unsightly bumps. If you’re reading this now, you’re probably wondering, “How long do waxing bumps and rashes last on skin?”
In today’s post, we’ll answer this question and more! We’ll explain some of the root causes of waxing bumps and rashes, how to prevent them, and most importantly – how to get rid of them faster. Let’s take a look.
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How Long Do Waxing Bumps and Rashes Last On Skin?
Perhaps you have an important date, meeting, or event coming up. The last thing you want to worry about is being self-conscious about your blistering rash, ingrown hairs, and wax-related bumps.
So, how long do waxing bumps and rashes last on skin?
Thankfully, these rashes don’t typically last for more than a week. Depending on how fast your hair grows and your skin heals, your rash may even go away in just a few days.
Ultimately, a lot of it depends on how severe the rash is.
Light rashes and small bumps typically go away in 3 to 5 days, while heavier rashes may take up to a week to dissipate fully. If you end up with white bumps with pus, it may take several days to clear up.
The most important thing is to avoid picking at the bumps! The more inflamed you make the area, the longer it will take to go away.
See also: Redness After Eyebrow Waxing: What Can You Do?
What Causes Waxing Bumps and Rashes?
So, what exactly causes waxing bumps? Identifying the underlying cause of your rash is the first start to preventing it (or at least minimizing it) in the future. These are the root causes of waxing bumps.
Hair Re-Growth
The most common cause of waxing bumps is ingrown hair. When you wax, the root of the hair is pulled out of the follicle. This is why it takes so long for the hairs to grow back in. It’s also what causes the rash to begin with.
During the time between your initial wax and the time the hair starts to grow back in, the surface of your skin and the follicle often become covered up.
This means that the hair has to slowly push through the surface of the skin. This often causes irritation and inflammation, leading to bumps.
Residual Bacteria
If your skin’s surface has bacteria or dirt on it when you wax, then sometimes this bacteria can seep into your pores once you remove the hairs.
Once it becomes trapped within your pores, acne-like bumps and pimples may pop up as your body tries to isolate and cleanse the debris.
Skin Sensitivity
Sometimes, waxing rashes are just caused by ordinary skin sensitivity. Perhaps your skin is more delicate, or you’re having an allergic reaction to the waxing cream itself.
Either way, you may need to reconsider waxing and switch to a less aggressive method of hair removal.
How To Prevent Waxing Bumps and Rashes
There are two key ways to prevent waxing bumps and rashes. While they may not solve your problem completely, they’ll certainly help to reduce the severity of your rash and the size of your bumps.
Always Wax On Clean Skin
Waxing on a dirty area of skin can result in acne as the bacteria clogs the pores and follicles. Make sure you clean and exfoliate the area you’ll be waxing before you start the hair removal process.
This minimizes any bacteria that could potentially clog your pores and cause a rash.
Use A Toner After Waxing
After waxing, your pores may remain open and inflamed, leaving them vulnerable to getting clogged or becoming further irritated.
By using a toner (such as witch hazel) after hair removal, the pores will be cleaned and closed, reducing the likelihood of clogging or inflammation.
See also:
- Does Micellar Water Act as a Toner?
Final Tips
As you can see, one of the main causes of waxing bumps is just simple inflammation. While you can’t change your body’s response to the hair regrowth process, you can do your part to reduce inflammation and keep the affected area clean and free from bacteria.
By cleansing before waxing, using a toner after waxing, and keeping the area clean and moisturized between waxes, you’ll go a long way towards preventing and minimizing rashes in the future.
If you end up getting a rash every time you wax, despite your best efforts, then it may just be your skin telling you to try a different method of hair removal. In this case, you may consider epilation, IPL hair removal, chemical hair removal, or laser hair removal.
