In a nutshell

Yes, it is safe to wax but you might find your skin is more sensitive to it.

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The expert's view

There aren’t any known medical problems with using waxing for hair removal during pregnancy, as it doesn’t penetrate the skin, however, the increased blood flow in your body could mean it feels more more painful than usual, and could cause some broken blood vessels, which are harmless but visible.

"A few days before you wax, exfoliate and moisturise the area, so the skin is soft and supple. This will stop the wax sticking to your skin causing pain," says Otylia Roberts, founder of Simply Wax. She also adds a handy tip: "If you need to trim hair in between waxes, use scissors – don’t be tempted to shave it."

Many mums recommend getting waxed more regularly than usual during pregnancy, as the less hair there is, the less pain there will be getting it off! Regardless of how often you go, make sure you always inform your beauty therapist you are pregnant, and do patch tests even if you have never had a reaction in the past.

If you choose to wax at home, take care with the temperature of hot wax, and never use any type of waxing product on sore, broken or inflamed skin or over moles or varicose veins.

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Bikini waxes

Some women might also worry about their pubic hair when it's time to deliver their baby and choose to have a bikini wax a week or so before their due date. This is obviously entirely down to personal choice, and rest assured your midwives and nurses will not be expecting your nether regions to be trimmed and tidied to perfection (and nor will it have any impact on your delivery!)

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Find out about the safety of hair removal creams and electrolysis during pregnancy too.

Authors

Magda Ibrahim is a freelance writer who has written for publications including The Times and Sunday Times, The Sun, Time Out, and the London Evening Standard, as well for MadeForMums.

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