By Danielle Graves. Last Updated 28th June 2023. Waxing is a popular way to remove unwanted body hair and facial hair. It’s a procedure available at beauty salons up and down the country. However, sometimes people can suffer the likes of wax burns and other injuries through no fault of their own.
Waxing is generally a safe treatment, as long as the beautician is properly trained and follows the correct practices. However, if best practices are not followed, this can lead to the client suffering wax treatment injuries.
If you have suffered an injury caused by a waxing procedure, such as a bikini wax, or treatment for your eyebrows, legs, arms or back, you could make a personal injury claim against the salon.
We can help connect you with No Win No Fee solicitors who specialise in these types of cases. And we can also offer advice on your situation if you’re still weighing up options.
Call us on 0161 6969 685 for your free claim consultation today.
Alternatively, use our online claims form to contact us.
Jump To A Section
- The Criteria For Claiming Compensation For Wax Burns
- What Is A Waxing Treatment Injury?
- Complications Caused By Mistakes In Wax Treatments
- Examples Of Negligent Waxing Treatments You Can Claim Compensation For
- Personal Injury Payouts For Wax Burns
- Make A No Win No Fee Claim Today For Waxing Treatment Injuries
- Discover More About Personal Injury Compensation Claims
The Criteria For Claiming Compensation For Wax Burns
Waxing is a beauty treatment to get rid of unwanted or unsightly body hair. It works by spreading lines of molten wax onto the skin, then using paper strips to rip it off, pulling the unwanted hair with it. The wax used in this treatment is specially developed for cosmetic use. Beauticians sometimes use hot wax to treat stubborn hairs. This type of wax dries and becomes solid on the skin. It is then pulled off as one piece, without using a paper strip.
If the salon acts negligently and best practices are not followed, the client could suffer an injury as a result. Not only can these injuries be painful, but they can also affect the injured person’s appearance, harming their self-confidence. In this guide, we will explain how these injuries can take place and how to sue a salon for negligence. If you believe you are owed compensation for beauty salon negligence, involving waxing, or any other type of injury, Legal Helpline can help you claim. Call us today to speak to an advisor about your waxing treatment injuries.
How Long Do I Have To Claim?
If you suffered an injury such as a wax strip burn or an eyebrow wax burn scar, you generally have three years following the injury to start a personal injury claim. This is set by the Limitation Act 1980. The time limit can start on the date of the accident. It could also start on the date of knowledge, such as when you noticed a wax burn on your leg. Certain circumstances suspend the three years personal injury claim time limit.
These include:
- Being under the age of 18 at the time of the wax strip burn. A minor cannot start a claim themselves. However, a litigation friend could start a claim on their behalf. If they reach their 18th birthday and a claim has not been started on their behalf, they will have three years to start their claim.
- Someone lacking mental capacity at the time of the wax strip burn also cannot represent themselves. A litigation friend could be appointed to start the claiming process on their behalf. However, if they regain their mental capacity and a claim has not been started, they will then be given three years to start a claim.
Call our advisors to start your wax strip burn claim today.
How Do I Prove A Personal Injury Claim?
If you suffered due to a wax burn on your eyebrows or a similar injury, you may wish to claim compensation. However, in order to do so, you must have evidence that proves that the beautician owed you a duty of care and it was a breach in this that caused your suffering, such as a skin burn from waxing.
Examples of evidence that could help your claim include:
- Photographs of your injury. For example, if your skin was ripped from waxing, this may have left cuts, scars or swelling. You can take a picture of this.
- Medical records. These should contain details of any treatments you received as well as the date you sought treatment.
- Witness contact details so they can provide a statement.
- Product samples if possible. These could be of the wax, the strips, or the packaging the products came in.
If you have any questions or would like to find out more about gathering evidence, you can call our advisors. Free legal advice about what to do when wax rips off your skin due to negligence is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
What Is A Waxing Treatment Injury?
Waxing is normally a safe procedure but it can result in injury if it is not carried out correctly. One reason that waxing treatment injuries can happen is that waxing is often carried out on sensitive parts of the body such as the bikini line, underarms and face. The skin is more delicate in these areas and is more prone to tearing, blistering, allergic reactions or infections.
Waxing treatment injuries claim
Beauty salons have a duty of care towards their clients. This means that they must ensure that they conduct beauty treatments safely and hygienically. Salons must also make sure that their premises are safe for their clients and employees to use. To do so, they must carry out regular risk assessments to identify health and safety hazards (things that can create a risk of accidents) and put control measures in place to remove or minimise the risk. If a client is injured at a beauty salon, or beautician’s shop because of beauty salon negligence, the salon could be held liable for the client’s injuries.
Complications Caused By Mistakes In Wax Treatments
Waxing treatment is not suitable for people who have very sensitive skin, or who are taking prescription medication for acne, as it makes the skin sensitive. That is why the beautician is supposed to ask the client about their medical history and do a patch test to make sure that the client does not have an adverse reaction to the treatment.
What reactions could a person with sensitive skin have to a waxing treatment? Complications can include wax burns, hot wax burns, blisters, bruising, swelling, skin irritation, allergic reactions, bleeding, cuts and cracks on the skin and infections. If you have experienced any of type of skin damage caused by waxing, which could have been avoided, contact Legal Helpline to talk about claiming compensation today.
Examples Of Negligent Waxing Treatments You Can Claim Compensation For
Below, we’ve broken down a range of different injuries that could be caused by negligent waxing treatment. If you can show that you weren’t at fault for what happened, you could be entitled to compensation.
Let’s explore them in more detail.
Irritation To The Skin
Some people experience irritation to the skin, after waxing. This can include redness and sensitivity to touch. In most cases, skin irritation will go away after 24 hours and anyone suffering from skin irritation can treat the unpleasant sensation by applying a cool cloth to the skin and avoiding alcohol-based skincare products.
In some instances, the client can be left with a rash, which won’t go away after 48 hours, or will spread. This is why beauticians should always do a patch test.
Also, waxing treatment should never happen if the skin is sunburnt, as it will be more sensitive. In turn, if skin has been freshly waxed the client should stay out of the sun. This is because the upper layer of skin (epidermis) is also removed with the hair, so the skin is more sun-sensitive. Therefore the client should be warned against sunbathing or sun exposure after waxing by the salon to avoid excessive or severe sunburns.
Tears And Cuts In The Skin
A small amount of bleeding caused by waxing is normal and is usually due to the epidermis (top layer of skin) being removed. Unfortunately, the skin can be torn, causing an excessive amount of bleeding. This can be caused if the beautician does not pull the skin taut when they remove the strip or removes the wax strip at the wrong angle. The torn skin may result in scarring.
Allergic Reactions And Infections Caused By Waxing
Some people are allergic to ingredients used in cosmetic hair wax. This is another reason why beauticians should carry out a patch test to see if there is an adverse reaction to the wax before carrying out the treatment. Allergic reactions to waxing can result in a client suffering from hives, itchiness or a rash.
As a result of cuts or tears to the skin, the injured person can experience skin irritation or pick up an infection at the salon, if conditions are not sanitary. If the wax makes contact with a fresh cut or open wound, it can also cause an infection.
Skin Burns Caused By Wax Treatments
If the beautician uses wax at too hot a temperature, this can result in wax burns. In extreme cases, these may be third-degree burns. If the beautician accidentally spills wax onto the client which has been heated to a hot temperature, they can also suffer from burns.
Do wax burns go away? This depends. If the burn is less serious, it may cause pain and scars which will fade over time. The person may also suffer from blisters which can get infected. If they suffered hot wax burn before a holiday, they won’t be able to use the pool or go into the sea so as to avoid infection.
In the instance that a client suffers a serious burn such as second or third-degree burn from exposure to extremely hot wax, they may be left with permanent scars. They may require a wax burn scar removal procedure, such as a skin graft.
As well as the physical pain involved, wax treatment injuries, such as burns can also be distressing because they harm people’s appearance. Therefore if you have been burned or suffered skin damage caused by waxing, you may be able to sue for psychological damages as well as physical injuries when you claim for beauty treatment compensation.
We will now look at how wax treatment injuries can affect different parts of the body.
Injuries During A Leg Wax
Leg waxes are a common way of removing unwanted hair on the legs, especially during the summer before events or holidays. The skin on the legs is less delicate than the skin on the bikini line, so is less prone to wax injuries compared to other parts of the body. However, injuries can still happen if best practices are not followed. Leg wax injuries could include burns, rashes, skin irritations, infections, blisters or cuts or cracks to the skin.
Injuries During An Eyebrow Wax
Eyebrow wax injuries, such as an eyebrow burn, can have knock-on effects on the injured person. For example, if hot wax is spilt onto the eyebrow area, it can fall into the eye and cause eye irritation or injuries. If you have experienced an eyebrow wax injury, such as a burn which leaves a visible scar, then this can be more upsetting because it is on your face. You may wish to claim eyebrow wax burn compensation for the injury that was caused.
Injuries During Nipple Waxing
The nipple is a sensitive and delicate area of the body, especially for women. Because the skin on the nipple and the areola are delicate, it is more prone to bleeding or tearing if the wax strips are not applied correctly, are left on the nipple for too long, or are not pulled off in the direction of the hairs. If the skin on the nipple is torn, the person may be left with visible scars which can cause psychological injury and problems with intimacy, given the injury being on a private part of the body. The injured person may require corrective surgery or cosmetic surgery to fix these scars. Therefore, anyone looking to make a beauty treatment claim for a scarred or injured nipple may wish to claim special damages to cover the cost of counselling to help them regain their sense of positive body image again.
Injuries During Bikini Waxing
A bikini line wax is a wax that removes the pubic hair that is visible outside a swimsuit or pair of bikini bottoms. Unfortunately, Brazilian waxes can cause more serious bikini wax injuries. A Brazilian wax (also known as a French wax) is when the pubic hair is removed from the bikini line, vagina and buttocks, leaving only a small strip of hair above the vulva. This intimate area of skin is extremely delicate, so is more prone to injuries, including tearing, if this procedure is not carried out properly. The area is also vulnerable to Brazilian wax burns.
Personal Injury Payouts For Wax Burns
Following a waxing gone wrong due to negligence, your injuries may cause you to suffer pain or a loss of amenity. For example, a waxing burn could mean you cannot participate in the activities you usually would. These factors would be compensated under general damages.
To give you an idea of what compensation for burns you may receive, we have lifted figures from the 16th edition of the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) to create the table below. Legal professionals use the JCG to help value claims. However, the brackets shown are not guaranteed as every case is different.
| Injury | Comments on This Injury | Possible Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Burn Injuries | Where there are significant burns which cover 40% of the body or more. The awards could exceed £98,380 including the 10% uplift). How much is paid out depends on factors such as % of the body burnt, location of the burns, nature of the burns. | Likely to exceed £104,820 |
| Facial Disfigurement - Very Severe Scarring (a) | Which results in very severe (facial) scarring. The claimant will be aged between their teens and early thirties. There is a cosmetic effect and severe psychological reaction. | £29,780 to £97,330 |
| Facial Disfigurement - Less Severe Scarring (b) | Where the person has some disfigurement and where there is a significant psychological reaction. | £17,960 to £48,420 |
| Facial Disfigurement - Significant Scarring (c) | Instances where plastic surgery reduces the worst physical effects. | £9,110 to £30,090 |
| Facial Disfigurement - Trivial Scarring (e) | In these cases the effect is minor only | £1,710 to £3,530 |
| Dermatitis (a) | The cracking and soreness will impact the ability to perform both employment and domestic tasks. There may also be some mental health consequences. | £13,740 to £19,200 |
| Dermatitis (b) | Treatment and/or gloves while carrying out certain tasks will help settle the symptoms. However, they still persist for a significant amount of time. | £8,640 to £11,410 |
Special Damages For Skin Damage From Waxing
Additionally, if your personal injury claim is successful, your award might include special damages.
This head of claim compensates for the financial losses and expenses incurred as a result of suffering a burn from waxing. To claim for special damages, you should submit evidence of your expenses, such as receipts and invoices.
Some examples of expenses you could be able to claim back include:
- Money spent on specialist oils and creams if you used these to minimise the effects of scarring.
- The costs of bandages and scar-minimising wraps.
- Any therapy if this was required following your injuries.
- If you needed time off work to recover, you could also claim for your loss of earnings.
If you have suffered skin damage from waxing and would like to discuss what costs you could be reimbursed for as part of a successful claim or for a free valuation of your potential compensation award, please get in touch with one of the advisors from our team.
Make A No Win No Fee Claim Today For Waxing Treatment Injuries
If you would like to claim waxing treatment injuries compensation, you could do so with the support of a No Win No Fee solicitor. Their services could be provided under the terms of a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). This is a type of No Win No Fee arrangement.
When claiming wax treatment injuries compensation with the support of a No Win No Fee solicitor, your solicitor will not usually charge you an upfront solicitors fee. If your wax strip burn claim is successful, a legally capped success fee will be taken from your award. Should your wax treatment injuries claim not be successful, you generally will not have to pay for your No Win No Fee solicitor’s work.
Contact Legal Helpline Today
Our advisors can answer your questions about claiming for waxing treatment injuries. If it seems like you may have a valid claim, you could be connected to our panel of solicitors. To get in touch:
- Fill in an online enquiry form
- Call 0161 6969 685
- Or use the live chat at the bottom of the screen.
Discover More About Personal Injury Compensation Claims
If you’d like to learn more about claiming personal injury compensation for wax burns or injuries caused by another type of beauty treatment, check out these guides below: