SalonCompass

Treatment category: Facials

BHA Peel (Salicylic)

Also known as: salicylic peel, beta hydroxy peel, acne peel

Chemical peel with salicylic acid — particularly effective for acne, blackheads, and oily skin.

In short

Across the 330 conditions we cover so far, BHA Peel (Salicylic) is marked safe for 10, caution for 11 and avoid for 45. 234 are still waiting on a source we trust and 30 are waiting for medical review, and the pregnancy and breastfeeding stages are set out stage by stage below.

Most oftenAvoid

During pregnancy and breastfeeding

The answer changes stage by stage, so each one is listed separately. Open a stage for the full picture, including every other treatment at that point.

BHA Peel (Salicylic) — During pregnancy and breastfeeding

Every condition we have checked

Every condition name opens its own page

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

6 conditions · 3 to avoid · 3 not yet reviewed
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding — BHA Peel (Salicylic)
What we foundCondition
Not yet reviewedAfter birth, not breastfeeding

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedBreastfeeding

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidFirst trimester (weeks 1–12)

TCA, phenol and Jessner's peels penetrate deeply and have documented systemic absorption — a measurable amount reaches your bloodstream. Salicylic acid at peel strength is in the same drug class as aspirin, which is contraindicated in pregnancy at therapeutic doses.

Sources: American Academy of DermatologyMDPI (peer-reviewed)NHS Wales

AvoidSecond trimester (weeks 13–27)

TCA, phenol and Jessner's peels penetrate deeply and have documented systemic absorption — a measurable amount reaches your bloodstream. Salicylic acid at peel strength is in the same drug class as aspirin, which is contraindicated in pregnancy at therapeutic doses.

Sources: American Academy of DermatologyMDPI (peer-reviewed)NHS Wales

AvoidThird trimester (week 28 to birth)

TCA, phenol and Jessner's peels penetrate deeply and have documented systemic absorption — a measurable amount reaches your bloodstream. Salicylic acid at peel strength is in the same drug class as aspirin, which is contraindicated in pregnancy at therapeutic doses.

Sources: American Academy of DermatologyMDPI (peer-reviewed)NHS Wales

Not yet reviewedTrying to conceive

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Heart & circulation

34 conditions · 1 caution · 5 to avoid · 4 under review · 24 not yet reviewed
Heart & circulation — BHA Peel (Salicylic)
What we foundCondition
Not yet reviewedAnaemia (mild)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedAnaemia (severe)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedAngina (stable)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidAngina (unstable)

This is an acute medical emergency, or a very recent one, and while you are in that phase your circulation is unstable. No elective beauty treatment is appropriate: the risk of setting off a second event — a clot moving, a re-bleed, a blood-pressure spike — outweighs any benefit a treatment could give you. There is a published case of a fatal pulmonary embolism after a leg massage in an undiagnosed deep vein thrombosis. The right place for you while this is acute is under active medical care, not in a salon.

Sources: BMC Pregnancy and ChildbirthBritish Heart Foundation

Not yet reviewedAngioedema (active swelling)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedAngioedema (history of)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidBlood clot in the leg (active DVT)

This is an acute medical emergency, or a very recent one, and while you are in that phase your circulation is unstable. No elective beauty treatment is appropriate: the risk of setting off a second event — a clot moving, a re-bleed, a blood-pressure spike — outweighs any benefit a treatment could give you. There is a published case of a fatal pulmonary embolism after a leg massage in an undiagnosed deep vein thrombosis. The right place for you while this is acute is under active medical care, not in a salon.

Sources: BMC Pregnancy and ChildbirthBritish Heart Foundation

Not yet reviewedBlood clot in the leg (past DVT, cleared)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedBlood thinners (anticoagulants)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidBrain haemorrhage (acute)

This is an acute medical emergency, or a very recent one, and while you are in that phase your circulation is unstable. No elective beauty treatment is appropriate: the risk of setting off a second event — a clot moving, a re-bleed, a blood-pressure spike — outweighs any benefit a treatment could give you. There is a published case of a fatal pulmonary embolism after a leg massage in an undiagnosed deep vein thrombosis. The right place for you while this is acute is under active medical care, not in a salon.

Sources: BMC Pregnancy and ChildbirthBritish Heart Foundation

Not yet reviewedBrain haemorrhage (recovered)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Under reviewBroken capillaries (telangiectasia)

We have a draft answer for this, but we are still checking it against a source we trust. We would rather show you nothing than something we cannot stand behind. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedCholesterol deposits in the skin (xanthoma)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedCongenital heart disease

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

CautionDizziness on standing (postural hypotension)

With postural hypotension your blood pressure drops when you stand up. After an hour lying flat for a facial or a massage, sitting up quickly is exactly the moment you might faint. Ask to be sat up gradually at the end, take a glass of water, and do not rush to get off the couch. It is common if you are older or on blood-pressure medication, and it is manageable rather than a reason to skip the appointment.

Sources: British Heart FoundationNHS

AvoidHeart attack (first six weeks)

This is an acute medical emergency, or a very recent one, and while you are in that phase your circulation is unstable. No elective beauty treatment is appropriate: the risk of setting off a second event — a clot moving, a re-bleed, a blood-pressure spike — outweighs any benefit a treatment could give you. There is a published case of a fatal pulmonary embolism after a leg massage in an undiagnosed deep vein thrombosis. The right place for you while this is acute is under active medical care, not in a salon.

Sources: BMC Pregnancy and ChildbirthBritish Heart Foundation

Not yet reviewedHeart attack (recovery, after six weeks)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedHeart failure

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedHigh blood pressure (controlled)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedHigh blood pressure (uncontrolled)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedHigh cholesterol (hyperlipidaemia)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedImplantable defibrillator (ICD)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Under reviewInflamed vein (phlebitis)

We have a draft answer for this, but we are still checking it against a source we trust. We would rather show you nothing than something we cannot stand behind. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedIrregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedLymphoedema (long-term swelling)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedNarrowed arteries (atherosclerosis)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedPacemaker

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedRaynaud's (fingers that go white in the cold)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedSplinter haemorrhage (red-brown lines under the nail)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidStroke (first six months)

This is an acute medical emergency, or a very recent one, and while you are in that phase your circulation is unstable. No elective beauty treatment is appropriate: the risk of setting off a second event — a clot moving, a re-bleed, a blood-pressure spike — outweighs any benefit a treatment could give you. There is a published case of a fatal pulmonary embolism after a leg massage in an undiagnosed deep vein thrombosis. The right place for you while this is acute is under active medical care, not in a salon.

Sources: BMC Pregnancy and ChildbirthBritish Heart Foundation

Not yet reviewedStroke (stable, after six months)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedSwelling from fluid (oedema)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Under reviewVaricose veins

We have a draft answer for this, but we are still checking it against a source we trust. We would rather show you nothing than something we cannot stand behind. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Under reviewVenous lake (soft blue spot on the lip)

We have a draft answer for this, but we are still checking it against a source we trust. We would rather show you nothing than something we cannot stand behind. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Skin conditions

56 conditions · 1 caution · 12 to avoid · 1 under review · 42 not yet reviewed
Skin conditions — BHA Peel (Salicylic)
What we foundCondition
See a doctor firstA mole that is changing

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

If a mole or a pigmented patch is asymmetrical, has an uneven border, more than one colour, or has changed in any way, it needs a doctor's eyes on it before anything cosmetic happens over it. See your GP: there is an urgent referral pathway in the UK for a suspected melanoma, and you should be seen within about a fortnight of that referral. The treatment can wait. This is also the moment to say that beauty professionals are often the first to spot a change, and being told to get something checked is not an overreaction.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsNHSNational Institute for Health and Care Excellence

AvoidA new tattoo

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

Skin that has not finished healing needs to be left alone. Treating over a new tattoo, a wound that has not closed, or an area that has just had laser or a peel risks infection, patchy pigment and scarring — and, with a new tattoo, pulling the ink about before it has settled. Away from the affected area, treatments carry on as normal. How long you wait depends on what happened and how deep it went, so ask the person who did it.

Sources: American Academy of Dermatology

Not yet reviewedAcne

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedAcne

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedAcne scars

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidAn open wound or broken skin

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

Skin that has not finished healing needs to be left alone. Treating over a new tattoo, a wound that has not closed, or an area that has just had laser or a peel risks infection, patchy pigment and scarring — and, with a new tattoo, pulling the ink about before it has settled. Away from the affected area, treatments carry on as normal. How long you wait depends on what happened and how deep it went, so ask the person who did it.

Sources: American Academy of Dermatology

Not yet reviewedCherry angiomas

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

A responsible salon will decline thisCold sore

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

A cold sore is herpes simplex, and it is contagious while it is active — for you, for the person treating you, and for the rest of your own face. Treatments that break the skin, such as needling, peels and dermaplaning, can spread the virus widely across the skin, which sometimes needs antiviral treatment to settle. Wait until the cold sore has fully crusted and healed. If you get them often, ask your GP about taking an antiviral in advance of a peel or a laser appointment. Nobody at the salon will think twice about a rebooking.

Sources: American Academy of DermatologyBritish Association of DermatologistsNHS

Not yet reviewedCombination skin

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidContact dermatitis

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

During a flare, eczema and dermatitis leave the skin barrier broken. Anything that breaks the skin further, drives chemicals into it or scrapes it — needling, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, dermaplaning, PRP, mesotherapy, waxing or a body scrub over the affected area — makes the inflammation worse, raises the risk of infection, and can set off a flare lasting weeks. This applies to the affected skin, not to you as a whole: eczema on your hands does not rule out a facial, and eczema on your face does not rule out a pedicure.

Sources: American Academy of DermatologyNational Eczema Society (UK)National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Not yet reviewedCystic acne

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedDark marks left by spots or injury

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedDehydrated skin

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedDrug rash

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedDry skin

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedEczema

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidEczema

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

During a flare, eczema and dermatitis leave the skin barrier broken. Anything that breaks the skin further, drives chemicals into it or scrapes it — needling, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, dermaplaning, PRP, mesotherapy, waxing or a body scrub over the affected area — makes the inflammation worse, raises the risk of infection, and can set off a flare lasting weeks. This applies to the affected skin, not to you as a whole: eczema on your hands does not rule out a facial, and eczema on your face does not rule out a pedicure.

Sources: American Academy of DermatologyNational Eczema Society (UK)National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Not yet reviewedExcessive sweating

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedFolliculitis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedHaemangioma

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedHeat rash

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedHidradenitis suppurativa

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedHives

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedHormonal acne

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedKeloid scars

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedKeloid-prone skin

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedLight-sensitive skin

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedMature skin

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedMelasma

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedMilia

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedMoles

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedOily skin

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidPerioral dermatitis

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

During a flare, eczema and dermatitis leave the skin barrier broken. Anything that breaks the skin further, drives chemicals into it or scrapes it — needling, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, dermaplaning, PRP, mesotherapy, waxing or a body scrub over the affected area — makes the inflammation worse, raises the risk of infection, and can set off a flare lasting weeks. This applies to the affected skin, not to you as a whole: eczema on your hands does not rule out a facial, and eczema on your face does not rule out a pedicure.

Sources: American Academy of DermatologyNational Eczema Society (UK)National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Not yet reviewedPort wine stain

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidPsoriasis

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

Psoriasis responds to injury by producing new plaques exactly where the skin was hurt. It has a name — the Koebner phenomenon — and it is why waxing, needling, peels, dermaplaning and needle-based injectables are avoided over a plaque. The restriction is local: skin between plaques, and on areas that are clear, can be treated normally. Phototherapy is used to treat psoriasis, but that is dermatology under supervision, not something a salon offers.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsNational Institute for Health and Care ExcellenceNational Psoriasis Foundation

Not yet reviewedRaised scars

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidRecent chemical peel

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

Skin that has not finished healing needs to be left alone. Treating over a new tattoo, a wound that has not closed, or an area that has just had laser or a peel risks infection, patchy pigment and scarring — and, with a new tattoo, pulling the ink about before it has settled. Away from the affected area, treatments carry on as normal. How long you wait depends on what happened and how deep it went, so ask the person who did it.

Sources: American Academy of Dermatology

AvoidRecent laser treatment

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

Skin that has not finished healing needs to be left alone. Treating over a new tattoo, a wound that has not closed, or an area that has just had laser or a peel risks infection, patchy pigment and scarring — and, with a new tattoo, pulling the ink about before it has settled. Away from the affected area, treatments carry on as normal. How long you wait depends on what happened and how deep it went, so ask the person who did it.

Sources: American Academy of Dermatology

Not yet reviewedRhinophyma

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedRosacea

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidRosacea

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

Heat is one of the best-documented rosacea triggers, and the British Association of Dermatologists' guidelines tell people with rosacea to avoid it. During a flare, steam, hot towels, hot stone work on the face, hot wax, sauna add-ons and radiofrequency or ultrasound heating can extend the flare by days or weeks — and so can aggressive exfoliation. A rosacea-safe facial is a real thing: no steam, no hot towel, no microdermabrasion. Ask for it by name.

Sources: American Academy of DermatologyBritish Association of DermatologistsNational Rosacea Society

Not yet reviewedSebaceous hyperplasia

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidSeborrhoeic dermatitis

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

During a flare, eczema and dermatitis leave the skin barrier broken. Anything that breaks the skin further, drives chemicals into it or scrapes it — needling, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, dermaplaning, PRP, mesotherapy, waxing or a body scrub over the affected area — makes the inflammation worse, raises the risk of infection, and can set off a flare lasting weeks. This applies to the affected skin, not to you as a whole: eczema on your hands does not rule out a facial, and eczema on your face does not rule out a pedicure.

Sources: American Academy of DermatologyNational Eczema Society (UK)National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Not yet reviewedSeborrhoeic keratoses

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

CautionSensitive skin

Sensitive skin is a baseline rather than a diagnosis, and it sits underneath a lot of real conditions — rosacea-prone, eczema-prone, and skin that is still settling after a procedure. Strong acids and mechanical abrasion are a caution rather than a no: lower strengths, shorter contact time, priming the skin beforehand, and a patch test first are what make the difference. Say that your skin is reactive when you book, not when you are already in the chair.

Sources: American Academy of Dermatology

Not yet reviewedSkin tags

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedSkin writing

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedSpider naevi

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedStretch marks

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedStretch marks

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedSun allergy rash

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedSun spots

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedSun-damage patches

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedSunburn

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Under reviewTaking isotretinoin

We have a draft answer for this, but we are still checking it against a source we trust. We would rather show you nothing than something we cannot stand behind. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Sources: American Academy of DermatologyBritish Association of DermatologistsJAMA DermatologyPeer-reviewed dermatology (PMC)

Not yet reviewedVitiligo

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Cancer & cancer treatment

30 conditions · all 30 not yet reviewed
Cancer & cancer treatment — BHA Peel (Salicylic)
What we foundCondition

Awaiting medical review

Acral melanoma

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Basal cell carcinoma

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Bowen's disease

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Brain tumour

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Breast cancer

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Breast cancer

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Breast cancer

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Breast cancer

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Breast cancer

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Cancer survivor

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Cancer-related fatigue

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Chemotherapy

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Chemotherapy

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Dark stripe under a nail

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Hormone therapy after breast cancer

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Immunotherapy

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Kaposi's sarcoma

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Keratoacanthoma

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Lentigo maligna

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Leukaemia

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Lung cancer

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Lymphoma

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Melanoma

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Melanoma

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Mycosis fungoides

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Radiotherapy

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Skin cancer

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Skin cancer

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Skin cancer

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Awaiting medical review

Squamous cell carcinoma

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Infections & contagious conditions

54 conditions · 4 safe · 17 to avoid · 33 not yet reviewed
Infections & contagious conditions — BHA Peel (Salicylic)
What we foundCondition
Not yet reviewedAthlete's foot

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

A responsible salon will decline thisBeard ringworm

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

Ringworm, athlete's foot and jock itch are all the same family of fungus, and they spread through contact with infected skin, tools, towels, surfaces and floors. A pedicure on a foot with athlete's foot can put the fungus into the foot bath, the files and the towels, which is how it reaches the next person. Treatments away from the affected patch are fine. Sort the infection out first: a pharmacist can sell you clotrimazole or terbinafine cream over the counter without a prescription, and once the skin has been clear for a week or two you are back to normal.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsNHSNHSNICEPrimary Care Dermatology Society

Not yet reviewedBed bug bites

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedBody lice

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

A responsible salon will decline thisBoils

This is a bacterial infection, and it needs antibiotics from a GP rather than anything a salon can do. Treating over or around it spreads the bacteria across your own skin and onto towels and tools, makes the infection worse, and — with anything that breaks the skin, such as microneedling or electrolysis — risks pushing the infection deeper, which is how a skin infection turns into a serious one. That is why the answer covers the rest of you too, not just the infected patch. Book back in once you have finished the course and the skin has healed. Nobody will think anything of it.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsNHSNHSNHSNHSNICEUKHSA

Not yet reviewedBronchitis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

A responsible salon will decline thisCOVID-19

You are unwell and you are infectious, and a treatment room is a small space with someone leaning over you for an hour. Going in while you have symptoms passes it to your therapist and to whoever is booked in after you. It is also a miserable way to spend an appointment you have paid for: you cannot lie still through a facial with a cough, or face down on a massage couch feeling sick. Move the booking to once you have been free of symptoms for a couple of days. A good salon would far rather rebook you than have you turn up poorly.

Sources: NHSNHSNHSNHSUKHSA

A responsible salon will decline thisCellulitis

This is a bacterial infection, and it needs antibiotics from a GP rather than anything a salon can do. Treating over or around it spreads the bacteria across your own skin and onto towels and tools, makes the infection worse, and — with anything that breaks the skin, such as microneedling or electrolysis — risks pushing the infection deeper, which is how a skin infection turns into a serious one. That is why the answer covers the rest of you too, not just the infected patch. Book back in once you have finished the course and the skin has healed. Nobody will think anything of it.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsNHSNHSNHSNHSNICEUKHSA

A responsible salon will decline thisChickenpox

Chickenpox is about as contagious as an infection gets: it travels through the air as well as by touching the spots, so one person with it in a salon can expose everyone who comes through afterwards. That matters most for anyone pregnant in the first half of their pregnancy, for whom exposure carries a risk to the baby. Stay home until every spot has crusted over, then book back in.

Sources: NHSRoyal College of Obstetricians and GynaecologistsUKHSA

Not yet reviewedChlamydia

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

A responsible salon will decline thisCommon cold

You are unwell and you are infectious, and a treatment room is a small space with someone leaning over you for an hour. Going in while you have symptoms passes it to your therapist and to whoever is booked in after you. It is also a miserable way to spend an appointment you have paid for: you cannot lie still through a facial with a cough, or face down on a massage couch feeling sick. Move the booking to once you have been free of symptoms for a couple of days. A good salon would far rather rebook you than have you turn up poorly.

Sources: NHSNHSNHSNHSUKHSA

Not yet reviewedConjunctivitis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedConjunctivitis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedConjunctivitis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedDemodex mites

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

A responsible salon will decline thisErysipelas

This is a bacterial infection, and it needs antibiotics from a GP rather than anything a salon can do. Treating over or around it spreads the bacteria across your own skin and onto towels and tools, makes the infection worse, and — with anything that breaks the skin, such as microneedling or electrolysis — risks pushing the infection deeper, which is how a skin infection turns into a serious one. That is why the answer covers the rest of you too, not just the infected patch. Book back in once you have finished the course and the skin has healed. Nobody will think anything of it.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsNHSNHSNHSNHSNICEUKHSA

Not yet reviewedEye herpes

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

A responsible salon will decline thisFacial ringworm

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

Ringworm, athlete's foot and jock itch are all the same family of fungus, and they spread through contact with infected skin, tools, towels, surfaces and floors. A pedicure on a foot with athlete's foot can put the fungus into the foot bath, the files and the towels, which is how it reaches the next person. Treatments away from the affected patch are fine. Sort the infection out first: a pharmacist can sell you clotrimazole or terbinafine cream over the counter without a prescription, and once the skin has been clear for a week or two you are back to normal.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsNHSNHSNICEPrimary Care Dermatology Society

A responsible salon will decline thisFlu

You are unwell and you are infectious, and a treatment room is a small space with someone leaning over you for an hour. Going in while you have symptoms passes it to your therapist and to whoever is booked in after you. It is also a miserable way to spend an appointment you have paid for: you cannot lie still through a facial with a cough, or face down on a massage couch feeling sick. Move the booking to once you have been free of symptoms for a couple of days. A good salon would far rather rebook you than have you turn up poorly.

Sources: NHSNHSNHSNHSUKHSA

Not yet reviewedGenital warts

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedGonorrhoea

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedGreen nail

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

SafeHIV

Every treatment is open to you, done exactly the way it is done for anybody else. That is the whole point of universal precautions, the principle salons have worked to since 1985: every person's blood is handled as though it could carry an infection, so nobody's safety depends on what anyone has disclosed. With single-use needles, proper sterilisation and gloves, the risk of passing anything on is essentially zero. In the UK the Equality Act 2010 makes HIV a protected disability from the day you are diagnosed, so refusing you a service because of your status is against the law. Modern treatment brings HIV to an undetectable viral load, which means untransmittable, and hepatitis B and C are treatable and often curable. Telling your technician is entirely your choice — it helps only with practical things, such as local anaesthetic and appointment timing around your medication.

Sources: CDCNHSNational AIDS TrustStatPearls / NCBIUK Parliament

Not yet reviewedHead lice

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

SafeHepatitis B

Every treatment is open to you, done exactly the way it is done for anybody else. That is the whole point of universal precautions, the principle salons have worked to since 1985: every person's blood is handled as though it could carry an infection, so nobody's safety depends on what anyone has disclosed. With single-use needles, proper sterilisation and gloves, the risk of passing anything on is essentially zero. In the UK the Equality Act 2010 makes HIV a protected disability from the day you are diagnosed, so refusing you a service because of your status is against the law. Modern treatment brings HIV to an undetectable viral load, which means untransmittable, and hepatitis B and C are treatable and often curable. Telling your technician is entirely your choice — it helps only with practical things, such as local anaesthetic and appointment timing around your medication.

Sources: CDCNHSNational AIDS TrustStatPearls / NCBIUK Parliament

SafeHepatitis C

Every treatment is open to you, done exactly the way it is done for anybody else. That is the whole point of universal precautions, the principle salons have worked to since 1985: every person's blood is handled as though it could carry an infection, so nobody's safety depends on what anyone has disclosed. With single-use needles, proper sterilisation and gloves, the risk of passing anything on is essentially zero. In the UK the Equality Act 2010 makes HIV a protected disability from the day you are diagnosed, so refusing you a service because of your status is against the law. Modern treatment brings HIV to an undetectable viral load, which means untransmittable, and hepatitis B and C are treatable and often curable. Telling your technician is entirely your choice — it helps only with practical things, such as local anaesthetic and appointment timing around your medication.

Sources: CDCNHSNational AIDS TrustStatPearls / NCBIUK Parliament

A responsible salon will decline thisImpetigo

This is a bacterial infection, and it needs antibiotics from a GP rather than anything a salon can do. Treating over or around it spreads the bacteria across your own skin and onto towels and tools, makes the infection worse, and — with anything that breaks the skin, such as microneedling or electrolysis — risks pushing the infection deeper, which is how a skin infection turns into a serious one. That is why the answer covers the rest of you too, not just the infected patch. Book back in once you have finished the course and the skin has healed. Nobody will think anything of it.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsNHSNHSNHSNHSNICEUKHSA

Not yet reviewedInfected nail fold

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

A responsible salon will decline thisJock itch

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

Ringworm, athlete's foot and jock itch are all the same family of fungus, and they spread through contact with infected skin, tools, towels, surfaces and floors. A pedicure on a foot with athlete's foot can put the fungus into the foot bath, the files and the towels, which is how it reaches the next person. Treatments away from the affected patch are fine. Sort the infection out first: a pharmacist can sell you clotrimazole or terbinafine cream over the counter without a prescription, and once the skin has been clear for a week or two you are back to normal.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsNHSNHSNICEPrimary Care Dermatology Society

A responsible salon will decline thisMRSA

This is a bacterial infection, and it needs antibiotics from a GP rather than anything a salon can do. Treating over or around it spreads the bacteria across your own skin and onto towels and tools, makes the infection worse, and — with anything that breaks the skin, such as microneedling or electrolysis — risks pushing the infection deeper, which is how a skin infection turns into a serious one. That is why the answer covers the rest of you too, not just the infected patch. Book back in once you have finished the course and the skin has healed. Nobody will think anything of it.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsNHSNHSNHSNHSNICEUKHSA

Not yet reviewedMeasles

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedMeningitis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedMolluscum

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedMpox

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedMumps

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedNail fungus

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedPityriasis versicolor

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedPneumonia

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedPubic lice

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

A responsible salon will decline thisRingworm

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

Ringworm, athlete's foot and jock itch are all the same family of fungus, and they spread through contact with infected skin, tools, towels, surfaces and floors. A pedicure on a foot with athlete's foot can put the fungus into the foot bath, the files and the towels, which is how it reaches the next person. Treatments away from the affected patch are fine. Sort the infection out first: a pharmacist can sell you clotrimazole or terbinafine cream over the counter without a prescription, and once the skin has been clear for a week or two you are back to normal.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsNHSNHSNICEPrimary Care Dermatology Society

Not yet reviewedRubella

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedScabies

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedScalp ringworm

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

A responsible salon will decline thisShingles

Shingles is the chickenpox virus waking up again, and while the blisters are open the fluid in them can give chickenpox to anyone who has never had it or been vaccinated — including the person treating you and everyone in the room. The rash itself is painful and fragile, and shingles on the face can involve the eye, which is an urgent matter for a doctor rather than a salon. Everything waits until every blister has crusted over and healed. Rest is genuinely the treatment here.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsNHSUKHSA

Not yet reviewedSkin thrush

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedStrep throat

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedStye

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedSyphilis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

A responsible salon will decline thisTuberculosis (TB)

Active TB in the lungs spreads through the air, which makes an hour in a treatment room exactly the wrong place to be. If you have active TB you should be under a specialist team, and the first stretch of treatment is about getting you to the point where you are no longer infectious. Beauty treatments wait until your TB team confirms you are not. Once you have completed your course, everything is open to you again.

Sources: NHSNICEUKHSAUKHSA

Not yet reviewedTuberculosis (TB)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

SafeTuberculosis (TB)

Once you have completed the full course of TB antibiotics you are not infectious, and every treatment is open to you on the same terms as anyone else. There is nothing to declare and nothing that needs adapting.

Sources: NHSNICEUKHSAUKHSA

A responsible salon will decline thisTummy bug

You are unwell and you are infectious, and a treatment room is a small space with someone leaning over you for an hour. Going in while you have symptoms passes it to your therapist and to whoever is booked in after you. It is also a miserable way to spend an appointment you have paid for: you cannot lie still through a facial with a cough, or face down on a massage couch feeling sick. Move the booking to once you have been free of symptoms for a couple of days. A good salon would far rather rebook you than have you turn up poorly.

Sources: NHSNHSNHSNHSUKHSA

Not yet reviewedVerrucas

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

A responsible salon will decline thisWarts

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

Warts and verrucas are caused by HPV, which usually needs broken skin to pass on — so this is a local restriction, not a reason to cancel. Nothing should work directly over the wart: no files, no blades, no wax, nothing that could nick it and spread the virus across your own skin or onto the tools. A good technician will work around it, or file it last with a disposable file that goes straight in the bin. Away from the wart, treatments carry on as normal. Most warts clear up on their own within a year or two, and salicylic acid from the pharmacy is the standard way to speed that along.

Sources: NHS Scotland (Scottish Dermatology Society)NICEPrimary Care Dermatology Society

Autoimmune & inflammatory conditions

30 conditions · 1 safe · 3 to avoid · 26 not yet reviewed
Autoimmune & inflammatory conditions — BHA Peel (Salicylic)
What we foundCondition
Not yet reviewedAddison's disease

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedAlopecia areata

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedAnkylosing spondylitis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

SafeAutoimmune disease in remission, off medication

An autoimmune diagnosis on its own is not a reason to go without beauty treatments. When your condition is in remission and you are on no medication or on hydroxychloroquine alone, the ordinary things — facials, manicures, pedicures, waxing and other hair removal, massage, lash and brow treatments — are as safe for you as for anyone else. What restricts treatments is active disease and immune-suppressing medication, not the label on your notes. A great many people with controlled rheumatoid arthritis, mild lupus or inflammatory bowel disease in remission have been told the opposite, and have gone years avoiding things they could have enjoyed. If your condition flares, reassess. If you have lupus, the light and laser guidance still applies to you even in remission. Otherwise: book it.

Sources: EULAR (European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology)Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology

Not yet reviewedBehçet's disease

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedBroken capillaries from steroid use

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidBullous pemphigoid

Autoimmune blistering diseases make the skin extraordinarily fragile — in pemphigus, gentle sideways pressure on normal-looking skin is enough to lift it and start a new blister. Beauty treatments in that situation can set off a flare, cause painful blistering, let infection in and make the disease itself worse, and that is true of gentle treatments as much as strong ones. These conditions are looked after by dermatology and immunology teams, and most people are on high-dose steroids and other immune-suppressing medicines at the same time, which adds infection risk on top. Treatments wait until the disease is in stable remission and your dermatologist has said yes. Nothing about this is contagious — it is about protecting your skin, not anyone else's.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsInternational Pemphigus and Pemphigoid Foundation

Not yet reviewedCrohn's disease

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidDermatitis herpetiformis

Autoimmune blistering diseases make the skin extraordinarily fragile — in pemphigus, gentle sideways pressure on normal-looking skin is enough to lift it and start a new blister. Beauty treatments in that situation can set off a flare, cause painful blistering, let infection in and make the disease itself worse, and that is true of gentle treatments as much as strong ones. These conditions are looked after by dermatology and immunology teams, and most people are on high-dose steroids and other immune-suppressing medicines at the same time, which adds infection risk on top. Treatments wait until the disease is in stable remission and your dermatologist has said yes. Nothing about this is contagious — it is about protecting your skin, not anyone else's.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsInternational Pemphigus and Pemphigoid Foundation

Not yet reviewedDermatomyositis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedDiscoid lupus

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedGranuloma annulare

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedGraves' disease

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedGuillain-Barré syndrome

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedJuvenile arthritis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedLichen planopilaris

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedLupus

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedLupus

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedMultiple sclerosis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedMyasthenia gravis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidPemphigus

Autoimmune blistering diseases make the skin extraordinarily fragile — in pemphigus, gentle sideways pressure on normal-looking skin is enough to lift it and start a new blister. Beauty treatments in that situation can set off a flare, cause painful blistering, let infection in and make the disease itself worse, and that is true of gentle treatments as much as strong ones. These conditions are looked after by dermatology and immunology teams, and most people are on high-dose steroids and other immune-suppressing medicines at the same time, which adds infection risk on top. Treatments wait until the disease is in stable remission and your dermatologist has said yes. Nothing about this is contagious — it is about protecting your skin, not anyone else's.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsInternational Pemphigus and Pemphigoid Foundation

Not yet reviewedPsoriatic arthritis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedRheumatoid arthritis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedSarcoidosis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedScleroderma

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedSjögren's syndrome

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedSubacute cutaneous lupus

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedType 1 diabetes

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedUlcerative colitis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedVasculitis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Eye conditions

22 conditions · all 22 not yet reviewed
Eye conditions — BHA Peel (Salicylic)
What we foundCondition
Not yet reviewedBlepharitis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedBlepharitis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedBlocked eyelid oil glands

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedContact lens wearer

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedDroopy eyelid

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedDry eye

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedDry eye

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedEye allergy

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedEyelash pulling

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedEyelid cyst

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedGlaucoma

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedIngrown eyelashes

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedLash and brow loss after chemotherapy (madarosis), 6+ months on

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedLash glue allergy

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedRaised eye pressure

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedRecent cataract surgery

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedRecent eyelid surgery

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedRecent laser eye surgery

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedRecent retinal surgery

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedSevere short-sightedness

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedTurned-out or turned-in eyelid

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedWatery eye

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Nail conditions

28 conditions · all 28 not yet reviewed
Nail conditions — BHA Peel (Salicylic)
What we foundCondition
Not yet reviewedBeau's lines (deep grooves across the nail)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedBrittle nails

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedBruised nail (subungual haematoma)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedChronic hangnails

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedClubbed fingers (digital clubbing)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedDark stripe down the nail (longitudinal melanonychia)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedGrooves across the nail (transverse grooves)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedHabit-tic nail dents (median nail dystrophy)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedHalf-and-half nails (Lindsay's nails)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedHealthy nails

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedIngrown toenail

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedLengthwise ridges (longitudinal grooves)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedNail biting (onychophagy)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedNail biting (onychophagy)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedNail lifting off the nail bed (onycholysis)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedNail pitting (small dents in the nail)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedNail shedding (onychomadesis)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedPaired white bands (Muehrcke's lines)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedPincer nails (nails that curl inwards)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedRacquet nails (short, wide thumbnails)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedRidged nails (onychorrhexis)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedSkin growing into the nail (nail pterygium)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedSplitting, peeling nails (onychoschizia)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedSpoon nails (koilonychia)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedTerry's nails (white nails with a dark band at the tip)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedWhite bands across the nails (Mees' lines)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedWhite spots on the nails (leukonychia)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedYellow nail syndrome

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

General health conditions

47 conditions · 2 safe · 9 caution · 3 to avoid · 1 under review · 32 not yet reviewed
General health conditions — BHA Peel (Salicylic)
What we foundCondition
A responsible salon will decline thisA high temperature (fever)

A high temperature means the appointment gets rescheduled, for two reasons. The first is other people: a fever usually means an infection, and an infection you can pass on does not belong in a room where someone leans over your face for an hour and then treats the next person. The second is you — your body is busy, you will tolerate the treatment badly, and lying still while you feel awful is nobody's idea of a treat. Phone ahead rather than turning up: most salons will move you without a cancellation fee if you tell them why, and the ones worth going to would far rather you did.

Sources: General Medical Council (UK)UK legislation

Not yet reviewedADHD and autism

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedAcid reflux (GERD)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidAlcohol intoxication

If you have been drinking, the appointment should be rescheduled, and a salon that says so is protecting you rather than judging you. Consent has to be informed to count, and alcohol takes that away — which matters most for the treatments you cannot undo: nobody should wake up to permanent makeup or filler they agreed to after a couple of drinks. There is a physical reason too. Alcohol thins the blood and dilates your vessels, so you bruise and bleed more, and anything involving a needle marks worse. Come back another day, sober, and you will get a better result and a decision you still agree with next week.

Sources: General Medical Council (UK)UK legislation

Not yet reviewedAnxiety

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedAsthma

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedBipolar disorder

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedCOPD (long-term lung disease)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedChronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

CautionChronic kidney disease (CKD)

At stage 4 or 5, your kidneys are no longer clearing drugs and chemicals from your blood the way they used to, and that is what makes these particular treatments a conversation rather than a booking. Anything injected, and anything spread over a large area of skin and absorbed through it, puts a load on the system that clears it. There is a second reason too: advanced kidney disease affects how platelets work, so you bruise and bleed more easily than the same treatment would suggest. None of this is an outright no. Tell your kidney team what you are considering, tell the person treating you which stage you are at, and if you are on dialysis, book for a non-dialysis day when you are least depleted. At stages 1 to 3, with function still reasonable, none of this applies in the same way.

Sources: Kidney Care UKNHSNICE

Not yet reviewedChronic kidney disease (CKD)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedCoeliac disease

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedCushing's syndrome (steroid excess)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedDementia and Alzheimer's disease

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedDepression

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

CautionDialysis

At stage 4 or 5, your kidneys are no longer clearing drugs and chemicals from your blood the way they used to, and that is what makes these particular treatments a conversation rather than a booking. Anything injected, and anything spread over a large area of skin and absorbed through it, puts a load on the system that clears it. There is a second reason too: advanced kidney disease affects how platelets work, so you bruise and bleed more easily than the same treatment would suggest. None of this is an outright no. Tell your kidney team what you are considering, tell the person treating you which stage you are at, and if you are on dialysis, book for a non-dialysis day when you are least depleted. At stages 1 to 3, with function still reasonable, none of this applies in the same way.

Sources: Kidney Care UKNHSNICE

Not yet reviewedEating disorders

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedEating disorders

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedEpilepsy

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedFibromyalgia

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Caution · patch-test-48hFood allergies

If you already react to things, the answer here is almost always the same one: patch test, 48 hours before, every time you meet a product for the first time. Reactions to salon products run from a bit of redness to anaphylaxis, and the ingredients that cause most of them are predictable — PPD in hair and brow dyes, the preservatives in creams, the cyanoacrylate in lash glue, latex in gloves, nickel in tools, fragrance in almost everything, and formaldehyde releasers in some nail products. Two things people get wrong. A patch test is not a formality to be waived because you are in a hurry, and having had something before does not make you safe: sensitisation builds with exposure, which is why lash adhesive should be retested every six to twelve months and why people react to a dye they have used for years. Tell your therapist exactly what you react to, and take an allergy history seriously enough to say it out loud before, not after.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsBritish Contact Dermatitis SocietyUK legislation

Caution · patch-test-48hFragrance allergy

If you already react to things, the answer here is almost always the same one: patch test, 48 hours before, every time you meet a product for the first time. Reactions to salon products run from a bit of redness to anaphylaxis, and the ingredients that cause most of them are predictable — PPD in hair and brow dyes, the preservatives in creams, the cyanoacrylate in lash glue, latex in gloves, nickel in tools, fragrance in almost everything, and formaldehyde releasers in some nail products. Two things people get wrong. A patch test is not a formality to be waived because you are in a hurry, and having had something before does not make you safe: sensitisation builds with exposure, which is why lash adhesive should be retested every six to twelve months and why people react to a dye they have used for years. Tell your therapist exactly what you react to, and take an allergy history seriously enough to say it out loud before, not after.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsBritish Contact Dermatitis SocietyUK legislation

Under reviewHashimoto's thyroiditis

We have a draft answer for this, but we are still checking it against a source we trust. We would rather show you nothing than something we cannot stand behind. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Sources: British Thyroid FoundationNHSNICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries

Caution · patch-test-48hHay fever and seasonal allergies

If you already react to things, the answer here is almost always the same one: patch test, 48 hours before, every time you meet a product for the first time. Reactions to salon products run from a bit of redness to anaphylaxis, and the ingredients that cause most of them are predictable — PPD in hair and brow dyes, the preservatives in creams, the cyanoacrylate in lash glue, latex in gloves, nickel in tools, fragrance in almost everything, and formaldehyde releasers in some nail products. Two things people get wrong. A patch test is not a formality to be waived because you are in a hurry, and having had something before does not make you safe: sensitisation builds with exposure, which is why lash adhesive should be retested every six to twelve months and why people react to a dye they have used for years. Tell your therapist exactly what you react to, and take an allergy history seriously enough to say it out loud before, not after.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsBritish Contact Dermatitis SocietyUK legislation

Not yet reviewedIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Caution · patch-test-48hLatex allergy

If you already react to things, the answer here is almost always the same one: patch test, 48 hours before, every time you meet a product for the first time. Reactions to salon products run from a bit of redness to anaphylaxis, and the ingredients that cause most of them are predictable — PPD in hair and brow dyes, the preservatives in creams, the cyanoacrylate in lash glue, latex in gloves, nickel in tools, fragrance in almost everything, and formaldehyde releasers in some nail products. Two things people get wrong. A patch test is not a formality to be waived because you are in a hurry, and having had something before does not make you safe: sensitisation builds with exposure, which is why lash adhesive should be retested every six to twelve months and why people react to a dye they have used for years. Tell your therapist exactly what you react to, and take an allergy history seriously enough to say it out loud before, not after.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsBritish Contact Dermatitis SocietyUK legislation

Not yet reviewedLiver cirrhosis (advanced liver scarring)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedLong-term (chronic) pain

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedLong-term back pain

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

SafeMenopause and perimenopause

Menopause restricts nothing. It is not an illness and it is not a contraindication — the average age in the UK is 51, perimenopause can start in your late thirties, and every treatment on this site stays open to you. What changes is the skin, the hair and the nails you bring to the appointment: drier, thinner, less collagen, more shedding, and sometimes the first pigmentation you have ever had. So the useful adjustments are small ones. Shorter, cooler facials if hot flushes are part of your day. Gentler exfoliation on skin that has thinned. Extra moisture, everywhere. And if you have started on HRT, say so — it changes two small things worth knowing about.

Sources: British Menopause SocietyNHSNICEThe Menopause Charity

Not yet reviewedMetabolic syndrome

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

CautionMigraine

A salon is a room full of migraine triggers, which is why this sits at caution rather than at yes. Around one in seven adults in the UK has migraine, and the usual suspects are all here: strong fragrance, bright treatment lights, an hour with your head tipped back at an angle it does not like, and hands working across your scalp and temples. None of that makes the treatment dangerous — it makes an attack more likely, sometimes hours later, which is a miserable price for a facial. So book at a time when you are not already fragile, ask for unscented products and dimmed lights, ask for a pillow or a support that keeps your neck neutral, and say at the start that you get migraines so that stopping early is already an option rather than an awkward request.

Sources: NICENational Migraine CentreThe Migraine Trust

Caution · patch-test-48hNickel and metal allergy

If you already react to things, the answer here is almost always the same one: patch test, 48 hours before, every time you meet a product for the first time. Reactions to salon products run from a bit of redness to anaphylaxis, and the ingredients that cause most of them are predictable — PPD in hair and brow dyes, the preservatives in creams, the cyanoacrylate in lash glue, latex in gloves, nickel in tools, fragrance in almost everything, and formaldehyde releasers in some nail products. Two things people get wrong. A patch test is not a formality to be waived because you are in a hurry, and having had something before does not make you safe: sensitisation builds with exposure, which is why lash adhesive should be retested every six to twelve months and why people react to a dye they have used for years. Tell your therapist exactly what you react to, and take an allergy history seriously enough to say it out loud before, not after.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsBritish Contact Dermatitis SocietyUK legislation

Not yet reviewedOCD and body dysmorphia (BDD)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedOsteoporosis (thinning bones)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedOveractive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedOveractive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedPTSD and trauma history

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedParkinson's disease

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedPhotosensitive epilepsy

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Caution · patch-test-48hPreservative allergy

If you already react to things, the answer here is almost always the same one: patch test, 48 hours before, every time you meet a product for the first time. Reactions to salon products run from a bit of redness to anaphylaxis, and the ingredients that cause most of them are predictable — PPD in hair and brow dyes, the preservatives in creams, the cyanoacrylate in lash glue, latex in gloves, nickel in tools, fragrance in almost everything, and formaldehyde releasers in some nail products. Two things people get wrong. A patch test is not a formality to be waived because you are in a hurry, and having had something before does not make you safe: sensitisation builds with exposure, which is why lash adhesive should be retested every six to twelve months and why people react to a dye they have used for years. Tell your therapist exactly what you react to, and take an allergy history seriously enough to say it out loud before, not after.

Sources: British Association of DermatologistsBritish Contact Dermatitis SocietyUK legislation

AvoidSevere dehydration

Badly dehydrated is not the state to have a treatment in, and it is worth rescheduling rather than pushing through. Dehydration drops your blood pressure, which makes fainting much more likely when you have been lying still and then sit up quickly, or when a treatment involves heat, pain or the sight of a needle. Your skin also heals less well when there is not enough fluid in it, so anything that relies on recovery gives a worse result. Drink, eat, rest, and rebook for a day when you feel like yourself.

Sources: General Medical Council (UK)UK legislation

Not yet reviewedSleep apnoea

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedType 2 diabetes

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedType 2 diabetes

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Safe · gentle-nail-care, extra-moisturisationUnderactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)

An underactive thyroid is not a barrier to any beauty treatment. What it does is change the material your therapist is working with: skin is drier, nails are more brittle and split more easily, hair sheds more and grows back slowly, and you feel the cold and tire faster than other people in the room. So ask for the gentle version of everything — no aggressive filing, no harsh removal, plenty of moisturiser, and a shorter appointment if sitting still for two hours is a lot at the moment. One thing worth knowing: if your hair has started shedding all over and your nails have turned brittle and you have not had your thyroid checked, ask your GP for a blood test. Beauty professionals notice this pattern long before anyone else does.

Sources: British Thyroid FoundationNHSNICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries

Rare conditions & special situations

23 conditions · 3 safe · 2 to avoid · 18 not yet reviewed
Rare conditions & special situations — BHA Peel (Salicylic)
What we foundCondition
Not yet reviewedAfter weight-loss surgery (loose skin)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedBeauty treatments at 16 to 18

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedBeauty treatments at 75+, living with frailty

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedBeauty treatments at 75+, mobile and independent

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedCosmetic procedures under 18

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedEhlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidEnd-of-life and palliative care

Treatments that injure the skin so it can rebuild — injectables, chemical peels, microneedling — ask for weeks of healing and give nothing back in the meantime. In palliative care that trade is the wrong way round: the discomfort lands now and the benefit arrives after a point that may not come. A therapist declining this is protecting your comfort, and the gentle treatments in the same list are where the good is.

Sources: Hospice UKLook Good Feel Better UKMacmillan Cancer SupportMarie Curie

Not yet reviewedHereditary angioedema (HAE)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedImmunoglobulin (IVIG) infusions

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedMast cell activation syndrome (MCAS)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedMastocytosis

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Safe · equipment-fit-checkPlus-size clients and equipment that fits

There is no medical reason body size changes what treatments are open to you. What it changes is whether the salon is set up for you, and that is worth checking before you arrive rather than discovering on the day: treatment couches carry a weight rating, gowns and robes come in a range of sizes, and headrests and armrests fit some bodies better than others. A good salon answers that question straightforwardly and has the answer ready. How you are spoken to while they answer it tells you the rest.

Sources: NHSUK Obesity Federation

Not yet reviewedPorphyria (the light-sensitive types)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedRecent blood donation

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedRecent cosmetic or plastic surgery

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedRecent dental surgery

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedRecent joint replacement

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Not yet reviewedRecent steroid (cortisone) injection

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

AvoidRecent surgery (any operation)

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

Nothing goes over or near the surgical site while it is still healing — no wax, no heat, no needles, no products worked into the skin there. Away from the site the picture is different, and plenty of treatments are reasonable once you are past the first week or two of recovery. Because we cannot know where you were operated on, treat this as a restriction on the area itself rather than on the treatment everywhere, and get your surgeon to confirm when the site is closed and settled.

Sources: British Association of Aesthetic Plastic SurgeonsNHSRoyal College of Surgeons of England

Not yet reviewedRecent vaccination

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

Safe · reasonable-adjustmentsSight loss, deafness and hearing loss

Being disabled is not a contraindication. The treatment itself is usually exactly the same treatment; what has to change is the room, the communication and the equipment — a step-free entrance, an adjustable couch, help transferring, a description of what is about to happen if you cannot see it, writing or BSL if you cannot hear it, plain language and a longer consultation if that is what works for you. Making those adjustments is a legal duty on the salon under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010 in England, Scotland and Wales, and under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as amended in Northern Ireland. It is not a favour, and you do not have to ask for it as one.

Sources: Equality and Human Rights CommissionMencapRNIBRNIDScopeUK ParliamentUK Parliament (legislation.gov.uk)

Safe · reasonable-adjustmentsWheelchair use and limited mobility

Being disabled is not a contraindication. The treatment itself is usually exactly the same treatment; what has to change is the room, the communication and the equipment — a step-free entrance, an adjustable couch, help transferring, a description of what is about to happen if you cannot see it, writing or BSL if you cannot hear it, plain language and a longer consultation if that is what works for you. Making those adjustments is a legal duty on the salon under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010 in England, Scotland and Wales, and under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 as amended in Northern Ireland. It is not a favour, and you do not have to ask for it as one.

Sources: Equality and Human Rights CommissionMencapRNIBRNIDScopeUK ParliamentUK Parliament (legislation.gov.uk)

Not yet reviewedXeroderma pigmentosum (XP)

We have not found a source we trust for this combination yet. Rather than guess, we leave it blank. Ask your practitioner and your own doctor before you book.

How to read the lights

Actively helps
Recommended for this condition, not merely allowed.
Safe
No known reason to avoid this.
Caution
Possible with changes — read the reason before you book.
Avoid
Not recommended for you right now.
Not applicable
This pairing does not arise.
Not yet reviewed
We have no sourced answer yet, so we are not giving one.
Under review
We have a draft answer, but it is not signed off yet.
A responsible salon will decline this
Avoid, because it could pass to other people.
See a doctor first
Avoid, and get this looked at medically first.
Illegal in England (UK law, 2021)
Prohibited by law, whatever the salon says.

Afterwards

What to expect afterwards, and what is worth a phone call.

After a Chemical Peel: Day-by-Day Guide

Editorial write-up in preparation

The verdicts, reasons and sources below are complete and sourced. Anna's longer write-up for this treatment has not been published yet, so this page is not listed in search results until it is.

Sources

  1. American Academy of DermatologyPregnancy and skin care
  2. MDPI (peer-reviewed)The Risk of Using Cosmetics and Cosmetic Procedures During Pregnancy
  3. NHS WalesAromatherapy and skincare in maternity care
  4. BMC Pregnancy and ChildbirthFatal pulmonary embolism following leg massage in undiagnosed deep vein thrombosis (case report)
  5. British Heart FoundationHeart Matters — patient information, massage and complementary therapy guidance
  6. NHSPostural (orthostatic) hypotension
  7. British Association of DermatologistsSkin cancer recognition guidance
  8. NHSMoles and the ABCDE checks for melanoma
  9. National Institute for Health and Care ExcellenceNG12 — Suspected cancer: recognition and referral
  10. American Academy of DermatologyPost-procedure healing guidance
  11. American Academy of DermatologyCosmetic procedure guidelines
  12. British Association of DermatologistsHerpes simplex management guidance
  13. NHSCold sores (herpes simplex) patient information
  14. American Academy of DermatologyAtopic dermatitis guidelines
  15. National Eczema Society (UK)Trigger avoidance and treatment-flare guidance
  16. National Institute for Health and Care ExcellenceClinical Knowledge Summary — Eczema (atopic) in adults
  17. British Association of DermatologistsPsoriasis guidelines
  18. National Institute for Health and Care ExcellenceClinical Knowledge Summary — Psoriasis
  19. National Psoriasis FoundationKoebner phenomenon and trigger management
  20. American Academy of DermatologyRosacea — triggers and treatment
  21. British Association of DermatologistsRosacea guidelines (Hampton et al., British Journal of Dermatology)
  22. National Rosacea SocietyRosacea trigger management and phenotype classification
  23. American Academy of DermatologySensitive skin — care guidance
  24. American Academy of DermatologyIsotretinoin and cosmetic procedures — patient guidance
  25. British Association of DermatologistsIsotretinoin: patient information and prescribing guidance
  26. JAMA DermatologyASDS Guidelines Task Force: consensus recommendations regarding the safety of lasers, dermabrasion, chemical peels, energy devices and skin surgery during and after isotretinoin use (Waldman et al.)
  27. Peer-reviewed dermatology (PMC)Standard guidelines of care: procedures in patients on isotretinoin
  28. British Association of DermatologistsTinea (dermatophyte infection) management
  29. NHSRingworm and other fungal infections
  30. NHSAthlete's foot
  31. NICEClinical Knowledge Summary: fungal skin infection
  32. Primary Care Dermatology SocietyFungal skin infections
  33. British Association of DermatologistsBacterial skin infection management
  34. NHSBoils and carbuncles
  35. NHSMRSA
  36. NHSCellulitis and erysipelas
  37. NHSImpetigo
  38. NICEClinical Knowledge Summary: impetigo
  39. UKHSAUK Standards for Microbiology Investigations
  40. NHSCommon cold
  41. NHSCOVID-19
  42. NHSDiarrhoea and vomiting (gastroenteritis)
  43. NHSFlu (influenza)
  44. UKHSALiving safely with respiratory infections, including COVID-19
  45. NHSChickenpox
  46. Royal College of Obstetricians and GynaecologistsChickenpox in pregnancy
  47. UKHSAChickenpox (varicella): guidance
  48. CDCUniversal precautions for prevention of transmission of bloodborne infections
  49. NHSHIV and AIDS — how HIV is transmitted
  50. National AIDS TrustHIV guidance for hairdressers and beauty professionals
  51. StatPearls / NCBIUniversal precautions (Kopitnik & Kahwaji)
  52. UK ParliamentEquality Act 2010, Schedule 1
  53. British Association of DermatologistsHerpes zoster management
  54. NHSShingles
  55. UKHSAImmunisation against infectious disease (the Green Book), chapter 28a — Shingles (herpes zoster)
  56. NHSTuberculosis (TB)
  57. NICENG33 Tuberculosis
  58. UKHSATuberculosis: guidance, data and analysis
  59. UKHSANotifiable diseases and causative organisms: how to report
  60. NHS Scotland (Scottish Dermatology Society)Viral warts pathway
  61. NICEClinical Knowledge Summary: warts and verrucae
  62. Primary Care Dermatology SocietyWarts and verrucae — patient information leaflet
  63. EULAR (European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology)EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis (Smolen et al.)
  64. Journal of the American Academy of DermatologyCosmetic treatment in patients with autoimmune connective tissue diseases: best practices for patients with lupus erythematosus (Bonnet et al.)
  65. British Association of DermatologistsGuidelines for the management of bullous pemphigoid
  66. International Pemphigus and Pemphigoid FoundationLiving with pemphigus and pemphigoid
  67. General Medical Council (UK)Good Medical Practice
  68. UK legislationMental Capacity Act 2005
  69. Kidney Care UKLiving with kidney disease — patient information
  70. NHSChronic kidney disease
  71. NICEChronic kidney disease: assessment and management (NG203)
  72. British Association of DermatologistsPatch testing — patient information
  73. British Contact Dermatitis SocietyContact allergy guidance
  74. UK legislationThe Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013
  75. British Thyroid FoundationThyroid disorders — patient information
  76. NHSUnderactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
  77. NICE Clinical Knowledge SummariesHypothyroidism
  78. British Menopause SocietyMenopause — clinical guidance for patients
  79. NHSMenopause and perimenopause
  80. NICEMenopause: identification and management (NG23)
  81. The Menopause CharityMenopause symptoms and skin changes
  82. NICEHeadaches in over 12s: diagnosis and management (CG150)
  83. National Migraine CentreBotulinum toxin for chronic migraine — patient information
  84. The Migraine TrustMigraine triggers
  85. Hospice UKComplementary therapies and personal care in hospice settings
  86. Look Good Feel Better UKNail care, skin care and makeup during cancer treatment
  87. Macmillan Cancer SupportComplementary therapies and wellbeing
  88. Marie CurieComfort, dignity and personal care at the end of life
  89. NHSBody image and self-esteem
  90. UK Obesity FederationDignity, equipment and access in service settings
  91. British Association of Aesthetic Plastic SurgeonsPost-operative recovery timelines
  92. NHSRecovering from an operation
  93. Royal College of Surgeons of EnglandRecovering from surgery — patient information
  94. Equality and Human Rights CommissionReasonable adjustments for disabled people — guidance for service providers
  95. MencapCommunicating with people with a learning disability
  96. RNIBServing customers with sight loss
  97. RNIDCommunication tips for serving deaf customers
  98. ScopeMaking services accessible to disabled customers
  99. UK Parliament (legislation.gov.uk)Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (as amended, Northern Ireland)

Written by · London-trained cosmetologist

Last updated