Is it safe to wax during pregnancy, on your period, after laser?

Is it safe to wax during pregnancy? That is a question for your doctor or midwife, not for a beauty service, and we would rather say so plainly than guess. For most of the other when-can-I questions, the answer is yes with a condition: not while taking isotretinoin, not between laser sessions, not on the same day as a Moroccan bath, and with more care in the days around your period. This page takes them one at a time.

Everything here is general information from the trade, not medical advice. Where the honest answer is "ask your doctor", we say so.

Can I wax during pregnancy?

We cannot answer this for you, and we will not pretend to. Speak to your doctor or midwife before booking any waxing, and follow what she says for your own pregnancy.

If she is happy for you to go ahead, tell your therapist when you book how far along you are. She will then:

• work in small sections with the skin held taut on the bikini line and underarms, where the skin is thinnest;
• keep the session short and the room cool, with breaks whenever you want them;
• let you lie on your side or propped up rather than flat, and work around any position that is uncomfortable;
• do a small patch test first, because skin can react differently from one month to the next;
• stop, without argument, if anything feels wrong.

If at any point you feel faint, hot or unwell, say so and she will stop.

Can I wax on my period?

Yes. There is nothing about a period that makes waxing unsafe. Many women do find the skin more tender in the days just before and during a period, so if your calendar allows, book for the week after, when most find it more comfortable. For a bikini line wax, wear a tampon or a cup and tell your therapist; she has seen it before and will not mind.

Can I wax after laser hair removal?

Not between sessions. Laser hair removal works on the pigment in the hair root, so the root has to be there when the light arrives. Waxing or plucking between sessions removes it and wastes the session. Shave instead, which is what most clinics ask.

Once your course is over, ask the clinic how long to wait before waxing the area, and tell your therapist which areas were treated and when.

Can I wax after a Moroccan bath?

Not on the same day, and ideally not within a few days. A Moroccan bath steams the skin and then scrubs it with a coarse mitt, which lifts the outer layer of dead cells. Wax on skin that has just been exfoliated that thoroughly can take more than hair. The same applies in the other order: a hammam scrub on freshly waxed skin is uncomfortable and unnecessary. Leave a gap, and never on the same day.

Can I wax after a shower?

Yes, and a shower before waxing is a good idea, as long as the skin is completely dry and cool when the therapist starts. Wax will not grip damp skin, and skin that is still warm and flushed from hot water is more sensitive. Shower, dry off, and give yourself twenty minutes. No oil, lotion or deodorant afterwards. Our before and after waxing guide has the whole routine.

Can I wax on Accutane?

No. Isotretinoin, the medicine most people search for as Accutane, makes the skin dry and fragile. The NHS page on isotretinoin capsules tells people taking it not to use waxing or laser treatments for hair removal, and not to have treatments such as chemical peels or microdermabrasion either. The reason is that the skin can lift or tear with the wax.

The NHS page does not give a waiting time after the course is over, so ask the doctor or dermatologist who prescribed it how long to wait before waxing again. In the meantime, shaving is the usual advice, and threading is an option for the face. Tell your therapist if you have taken isotretinoin in recent months; she will ask, and she will not wax the area if she is unsure.

The same caution applies, in a milder form, to retinoid creams and exfoliating acids. Stop them on the area for a few days before waxing and tell your therapist what you use.

Is it safe to wax your face?

For most women, yes. The upper lip, chin, sides of the face and between the brows are waxed routinely in salons, often with hard wax, which holds the skin less than strip wax. Hamd Beauty does not offer facial waxing or hard wax: its warm wax covers arms, legs, underarms and the bikini line. A patch test the first time is sensible.

Facial skin is thinner than the skin on your legs, so the exceptions matter more:

• not on skin treated with retinoids, acids or isotretinoin, for the reasons above;
• not on sunburn, a rash, broken skin or active acne;
• not over a mole, a recent scar or a cold sore;
• not in the days before a wedding or a photograph, because facial redness can last hours. Our bridal beauty timeline puts facial hair removal four to five days before the day.

For the brows themselves we thread rather than wax. The skin of the eyelid is the most delicate on the face, and a thread takes hair without taking anything from the skin. Our threading or waxing for eyebrows page explains why.

Can I wax my underarms?

Yes. The skin is thin and the hair coarse, so the wax goes on in small sections with the skin held taut. Underarms are part of our full body wax, done with warm wax. Come with no deodorant on, and skip it for the rest of the day. If the area is swollen or tender for any reason, leave it and see your doctor first.

Tell your therapist

Every waxing visit with us starts with a short conversation: any medication, any skin condition, anything recent on the skin. The answers decide how she works, the areas she avoids and whether she waxes at all that day. Say everything; your skin is the reason she asks. Our hygiene page explains the rest of what she does before she starts.

What you can book

Hamd Beauty offers waxing at home in Dubai, full arms, full legs and a full body wax, by a woman therapist with warm wax and a new spatula for every dip. If your doctor has said yes and you would like to go ahead, book a full legs wax or the area you need, and put anything your therapist should know in the notes.