Warning after woman gets near-fatal infection from bikini wax

A 20-YEAR-OLD woman nearly died following a botched “Brazilian” bikini wax, a leading medical journal has reported.

The Australian woman caught an infection in the two weeks after the procedure and, such was the extent of the damage, doctors thought she had a flesh-eating disease.

She was rushed to A&E with high fever, genital swelling and a rash extending to her chest, arms and neck.

The Irish Beauty Professionals Association (IBPA) has warned that all women should check that their therapist is trained in specialist waxing before they undergo a similar procedure.

Noiren Carrigg, who runs a beauty college in Bray, Co Wicklow, said women taking certain contra-indicated, or potentially problematic, medication, like Warfarin and steroids, or suffering from illnesses like diabetes should have a letter from their GP before they undergo specialist waxes such as Brazilians, Hollywoods and Playboys.

The Australian woman, who nearly died, was suffering from Type 1 diabetes. A fortnight after she checked out from hospital, she was back in A&E again with the same infection triggered by the waxing.

The case was reported in the international journal, Clinical Infectious Diseases. The authors wrote: “Our case is notable, because it illustrates the infectious risks of pubic hair removal in a patient with diabetes.

“The beauty industry is growing at an unprecedented rate and more invasive and potentially harmful procedures are increasingly available,” it stated.

The IBPA said it is swamped with requests from beauticians for training in specialist waxing. It says only experienced therapists should be given this training and not recent graduates.

“There is no regulation anywhere, yet specialist waxings are potentially dangerous as they are so intimate. All tools must be disposable as cross-infection from blood spotting is a big infection risk. Also, the area is much more sensitive and smaller waxing strips must be used. All women should undergo a full medical history consultation with their therapist before they have such a wax for the first time,” said Noiren Carrigg.

“I have seen some incredibly botched jobs in my time. A specialist wax should be treated like a cut for 24 hours. Anything which will cause sweating, like aerobics, should be avoided and heat treatments, swimming and baths should be avoided.”

Director of infectious diseases, Prof Lindsay Grayson, said because of the woman’s poorly managed diabetes and low immune system, the waxing infection was almost catastrophic.

“This case represents one of the more extreme examples and this patient would have died without appropriate medical care,” he said. “Many of these new beauty treatments may be fine for healthy people, but patients who have weakened immune systems should think twice about having these.”