Guide

Aftercare that makes a treatment last

What happens in the first 24 hours after threading, waxing or a facial has a real effect on how long the results last and how much irritation you notice.

After threading or waxing

Skin that has just had hair removed from the root is more sensitive than usual for a few hours — slight redness or small bumps are normal and usually settle on their own by the next day.

• Avoid touching the area with unwashed hands for the rest of the day.
• Skip makeup, perfumed lotion or deodorant on the treated area for several hours, since freshly opened follicles are more likely to react.
• Avoid direct sun and sunbeds for at least a day — treated skin sunburns more easily than usual.
• Skip hot showers, saunas and swimming pools for a few hours; heat and chlorine both aggravate freshly waxed or threaded skin.
• Loose clothing over a waxed area reduces friction while the skin settles.

If bumps or redness are still there after a couple of days, or if you notice what looks like an ingrown hair forming, it is worth asking rather than guessing at a home remedy — some products sold for "ingrown hairs" are too harsh for skin that is still recovering.

After a facial

A facial that included extraction or exfoliation leaves skin more exposed than usual, which is exactly the state that makes the products you use afterwards matter more, not less.

• Avoid makeup for the rest of the day if possible, to let pores settle.
• Skip strong actives — retinoids, exfoliating acids, strong vitamin C — for at least a day afterwards.
• Use sunscreen the next morning without fail; freshly exfoliated skin burns faster than normal.
• Avoid picking at any area that was extracted, however tempting — it is the single fastest way to undo the treatment.
• Drink water and keep the day's skincare simple: cleanse, moisturise, sunscreen, nothing experimental.

What makes a treatment last longer, generally

For hair removal, moisturising daily between appointments keeps skin supple and can reduce ingrown hairs, which is one of the more common reasons regrowth looks patchy or a treatment "wears off" unevenly. For facials, the result is partly about that day and partly about the weeks either side of it — a consistent, gentle skincare routine between visits does more for how long a facial's effect is visible than any single treatment on its own.

If anything feels wrong rather than just mildly irritated — real pain, spreading redness, blistering or a reaction that is getting worse rather than better — that is worth a message the same day, not a wait-and-see.