After Sugaring Skincare Tips For Super Sensitive Skin

This lady knows her business, and her business is beauty. Stella Nisreen Kanaan has owned and run Beauty Avenue in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen for over 16 years. When I learned she knew threading, I immediately booked an appointment.

My own pitiful attempts at self-threading had left me pining for an experienced professional.

But even though I showed up expecting to get threaded, it soon became clear threading was not ideal for what I wanted done.

My mission was to 'de-fluff' my face.

Facial Fluff - A Question of Perception

Most of us humans have super-fine downy hairs (called vellus hair) all over our face and bodies that are practically invisible (when we're younger). For some of us, the hairs increase in both length and visibility as we grow more mature.

The 'severity' of the fluffiness is however, a question of perception.

My view in the mirror:
"Holy moly! You look like a veritable ape!"

Stella's comment after inspecting my face:
"These are really not very visible, but if they bother you, of course we can remove them."

As I said, a question of perception.

The Gentlest Alternative to Removing Facial Fluff - Sugaring

Stella explained threading was great for smaller areas (eyebrows, around the mouth, etc.), but as I was asking for de-fluffing of most of my face, sugaring was a more suitable alternative.

Sugaring?

Cool!

Sugaring had been on my 'must-try' list for ages. The mere thought immediately transported me to a state of excited anticipation as Stella calmly explained the process. She also mentioned some first timers experience a skin reaction but that it was, of course, temporary. To be quite honest, I was paying about as much attention as one normally does to the obligatory flight safety information before take-off.

My first sugaring experience was about to happen!

I was pleasantly surprised to discover how painless and relaxing the entire process was. Considering the fact that hundreds of hairs were being ripped out of my skin, it almost felt like getting a facial.

The treatment took about 15-20 minutes. I didn't time it, but I felt quite ready to face the world with my de-fluffed face afterwards.

But Then There is the Afterwards...

After applying a cold compress to my cheeks, Stella went over a few after-sugaring skincare tips and repeated the information about possible skin reactions for first-timers.

That was when it dawned on me.

If you decide – at an age of 60-and-then-some – to get your whole face de-fluffed for the very first time in your entire life and your skin category can only be described as "ridiculously sensitive", there just MIGHT be some kind of reaction to deal with.

And there was.

A large part of my face decided to turned into a bumpy, red, sensitive mess.

Here's a shot of the initial reaction (about 1 hour after treatment).

It got even redder and bumpier over the first few hours, so I was quite happy Stella had given me her after-care tips.

As Stella predicted, the reaction was temporary.

I have been very pleased with the result and am already planning my next appointment (not for de-fluffing, but for a facial).

Meantime, I thought I'd share Stella's tips and how I managed the after-care after my first sugaring experience.

After Sugaring Skincare Tips for People with Ridiculously Sensitive Skin

Do NOT Touch, Scratch or Rub! 

Your fingers and hands are full of things you do not want to be introducing to your healing skin, so resist all temptation to touch the sugared area. If the area is normally covered by clothing (think bikini line), do not wear tight-fitting clothing or undergarments that can irritate.

Instant Relief the first 24 hours 

Dissolve some salt in a small basin of water. Add a few ice cubes to cool. Dip a washcloth, wring out and apply as a compress to the sugared area. Re-apply as needed. This will instantly soothe and calm the area. I used pink Himalayan salt (because I had it on hand and love it).

Calming Spritz

Carry and use a calming skin mist with you. I used pure rose hydrosol (and went through a 100 ml bottle within 2 days because not only was it soothing and cooling, but I am hopelessly addicted to rose hydrosol). An aloe vera, calendula or chamomile mist would be equally suitable.

Wash with the Gentlest of Cleansers

In my case, I used pure, raw honey for both my morning and evening face cleansing. It felt glorious and did the job beautifully. I normally use raw honey for my morning cleanse every day, so this was only a minor change to my normal routine.

Tepid Water

Do not expose the sugared area to hot water the first couple of days as. Use tepid water.

Moisturize

After washing, apply a soothing lotion or oil. I made a face oil with a combination of soothing ingredients (and herb-infused jojoba) that really helped.

You might find your skin feeling 'extra thirsty' and in need of a bit more product than normal. Apply enough to where your skin feels satiated. In my case, I found myself applying about 20% more than I normally do.

Very Gentle Exfoliation – But Only After 48 Hours!

A wrung out washcloth is enough to provide a gentle exfoliation. As the healing skin can start to feel a bit itchy, it may be really tempting to rub harder than necessary. Don't.
Instead, use a calming mist to help stop any itchiness.

If They Say 'A Few Days'

I checked several sugaring sites to see what they had to say about how long one could expect to have a reaction after being sugared for the first time. Most of them quoted 'a day or 2'.

If you have normal skin, this might be true, but for us ridiculously sensitive skin types: expect 4-6 days before your skin is back to normal.

And during this 4-6 days, expect to follow the skin-pampering regimen described above.

With that in mind, if you're planning a big social do and have never been sugared before, give yourself ample time to heal before the planned event.

Do Tell

Have you ever been sugared? Please share how your skin reacted (and where on the body you got sugared) in a comment below.

More About Stella and Beauty Avenue

Stella Nisreen Kanaan started Beauty Avenue in in the heart of Frederiksberg, Copenhagen over 16 years ago. She and her staff of over 20 use only organic, natural, and cruelty free products and promise to make you feel right at home while pampering you silly.

Check out Beauty Avenue right here

More Info-Type Stuff

The Perfect Lady's Shaver is in your Sewing Box
Vellus Hair - Wikipedia