Why Skin Can Break Out After Hair Treatments
Hair treatments like waxing, new styling products, and chemical processes can trigger unexpected breakouts on your skin. Understanding why this happens helps you take steps to prevent it and keep your skin clear.
How Waxing Causes Breakouts
When you get a wax treatment, the process removes hair from the root, which leaves hair follicles temporarily open and empty. Dead skin cells that are loosened during waxing can quickly move into these now-open follicles and clog them. Once a follicle becomes clogged with dead skin cells and sebum, it creates the perfect environment for acne to form. This is why breakouts after waxing are common, especially if you don’t take proper care of your skin immediately after the treatment.
Hair Products and Facial Breakouts
Your hairline and the area where your hair meets your face are particularly vulnerable to breakouts from hair products. When you use new hair products, styling tools, or greasy hair formulas, the ingredients can migrate from your scalp and hair shaft onto the delicate skin at your hairline and facial border. Your skin reacts to these ingredients by breaking out because the sebaceous glands in that area become irritated or clogged by the product residue.
The Role of Sebum and Dead Skin Cells
Acne forms through a specific process that hair treatments can accelerate. Your skin cells are constantly renewing, and when old cells die, they shed to reveal fresh skin underneath. However, if you have acne-prone skin, sebum mixes with these dead skin cells and becomes a sticky substance that blocks your pores. Hair treatments that loosen dead skin cells or introduce new products to your skin can speed up this clogging process. When a pore becomes blocked, oil builds up inside it, creating pressure and inflammation that leads to visible pimples.
Other Hair-Related Triggers
Beyond waxing and products, other hair-related factors can trigger breakouts. Sweat from physical activity, heat and humidity, and even certain laundry detergents used on hair-touching fabrics can all contribute to acne. Comedogenic hair products, which are formulated in ways that clog pores, are particularly problematic for acne-prone skin.
Preventing Breakouts After Hair Treatments
To minimize breakouts after waxing or using new hair products, avoid applying makeup immediately after waxing, keep the area clean and dry, and give your skin time to recover. When trying new hair products, test them on a small area first or apply them carefully away from your face. If you notice consistent breakouts from specific products, switch to non-comedogenic formulas designed not to clog pores.
Sources
https://www.draliabadi.com/blog/hormonal-acne/
https://suganda.co/blogs/skin-journals/causes-of-acne
https://www.tuftsmedicine.org/about-us/news/acne-over-30
https://www.waxwax.com/blogs/waxing-101/pimples-acne-after-waxing-troubleshooting
