Waxing and warfarin

[GillyA]

New on warfarin, been doing quite a bit of research. A little dismayed to read advice not to have waxing treatments. Until lockdown I was doing this regularly, although not yet open, i was looking forward to my first visit to the beauty salon at some point soon. I’ve never previously had any sign of bleeding during a treatment. Anyone any advice?

[Suebo2 Moderator]

It’s because. you are at increased risk of bleeding. You will know your own risk. I’d go ahead

[SpeedyH]

I suppose it is possible that it might cause bruising. If you are worried you could do a patch test at home first, perhaps. I would have thought that shaving was more risky than waxing but as Suebo2 says you need to weigh up the risks versus the benefits for your individual circumstances.

[Alfie1234]

Hi GillyA

I too am on warafin and have always had my waxing done with no bleeds or any problems. If you are worried have a patch test done. But I really can't see there being a problem.

[Tillyclot]

You may find your skin becomes drier on warfarin and therefore the wax needs to adhere properly without too much stress when it is removed. I waxed for years with sensitive skin but evenually stopped as my skin was becoming noticely thinner as I was aging and the waxing become painful and ended up irritating my skin. Moisturise well and ensure you use fresh wax at every application especially if you are going to a salon.

I tried hot, cold and strip wax and its important to get the best quality available. If you have sufferered a dvt in your leg, you may find that the skin is very sensitive so do a test area first.

I hope that you are aware of the suite of new oral anticoagualants which are now available namely, apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban and rivaroxaban. They do not need regular INR blood testing to check the levels as warfarin does but may be an option if you condition can tolerate. Check this out with your clinician.

[GillyA]

Thank you for the advice, I was trying to understand why this was highlighted (I can understand being careful about shaving, but no decent salon would normally result in a cut on waxing, thin skin causing a problem makes sense).

Unfortunately I have been diagnosed with APS fo which warfarin is the only approved anticoagulant

[Jumper99 in reply to GillyA]

I’m so pleased to see that you know warfarin is the best anticoag for APS . Not the only one to be used as some people can’t tolerate or can’t stabilise on warfarin.

Also, of course, if you aren’t supposed to wax on warfarin because of bleeding possibilities then other anticoagulants would be the same.

There is a separate group on this healthunlocked site which is specific to APS. It goes under the name of Hughes Syndrome an alternative name for APS. You might get more specialised info there, it’s a good group.

[MazzyB]

I have waxing didn’t realise but I’ve never had any issues.