SalonCompass

Treatment category: Hair Removal

Electrolysis

Also known as: needle electrolysis, permanent hair removal, galvanic electrolysis

Fine needle inserted into each follicle to deliver electrical current — the only FDA-approved permanent hair removal method.

In short

Across the 330 conditions we cover so far, Electrolysis is marked safe for 9, caution for 19, avoid for 43 and actively helpful for 1. 228 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.

Electrolysis — During pregnancy and breastfeeding

What this actively helps with

These are not simply allowed — they are recommended for this condition by the sources we cite.

  • Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

    Hair removal is not a vanity project when you have PCOS — it is treatment for one of the symptoms that affects daily life most, and the guidance treats it that way. Around one in ten women of reproductive age has PCOS, and unwanted facial and body hair is one of its commonest features. Every route works: threading and waxing and sugaring for the short term, laser and IPL for long-term reduction, electrolysis for permanent removal one follicle at a time. The thing to plan for is that the hormones driving the growth do not stop, so laser and IPL take more sessions than average and need topping up — that is the condition, not a failure of the treatment or of you. Laser hair removal is available on the NHS in some areas for severe unwanted hair, so ask your GP what is funded where you live before you pay privately.

    Sources: NHSNICEVerity (UK PCOS charity)

Every condition we have checked

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

6 conditions · 3 under review · 3 not yet reviewed
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding — Electrolysis
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.

Under reviewFirst trimester (weeks 1–12)

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 Pregnancy Association

Under reviewSecond trimester (weeks 13–27)

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 Pregnancy Association

Under reviewThird trimester (week 28 to birth)

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 Pregnancy Association

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 · 6 caution · 8 to avoid · 6 under review · 14 not yet reviewed
Heart & circulation — Electrolysis
What we foundCondition
CautionAnaemia (mild)

Anaemia means less haemoglobin, so your blood carries less oxygen around your body. That makes you more likely to feel dizzy when you stand up, slower to heal, and more tired after a long appointment. This is a precaution rather than a barrier: mild iron-deficiency anaemia, which is what most anaemia is, sits comfortably with most treatments. Eat beforehand, say if you feel light-headed, and get up slowly at the end.

Sources: British Heart FoundationNHS

AvoidAnaemia (severe)

With severe anaemia your blood is carrying markedly less oxygen: healing is slower, and fainting is more likely. Deep-tissue work and anything that breaks the skin are avoided until your GP has cleared you for them.

Sources: British Heart FoundationNHS

CautionAngina (stable)

Heart conditions usually come with medication that affects bleeding or the tone of your blood vessels, even when none of it is a blood thinner. The body's stress response to needles can also set off symptoms if your heart is susceptible. That makes injectables a caution rather than a no: if you are stable and well controlled on standard heart medication such as statins, beta-blockers or ACE inhibitors, you can usually go ahead with a note from your GP.

Sources: British Heart Foundation

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.

Under reviewBlood thinners (anticoagulants)

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.

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.

CautionCongenital heart disease

Heart conditions usually come with medication that affects bleeding or the tone of your blood vessels, even when none of it is a blood thinner. The body's stress response to needles can also set off symptoms if your heart is susceptible. That makes injectables a caution rather than a no: if you are stable and well controlled on standard heart medication such as statins, beta-blockers or ACE inhibitors, you can usually go ahead with a note from your GP.

Sources: British Heart Foundation

Not yet reviewedDizziness on standing (postural hypotension)

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

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

CautionHeart attack (recovery, after six weeks)

Heart conditions usually come with medication that affects bleeding or the tone of your blood vessels, even when none of it is a blood thinner. The body's stress response to needles can also set off symptoms if your heart is susceptible. That makes injectables a caution rather than a no: if you are stable and well controlled on standard heart medication such as statins, beta-blockers or ACE inhibitors, you can usually go ahead with a note from your GP.

Sources: British Heart Foundation

CautionHeart failure

Heart conditions usually come with medication that affects bleeding or the tone of your blood vessels, even when none of it is a blood thinner. The body's stress response to needles can also set off symptoms if your heart is susceptible. That makes injectables a caution rather than a no: if you are stable and well controlled on standard heart medication such as statins, beta-blockers or ACE inhibitors, you can usually go ahead with a note from your GP.

Sources: British Heart Foundation

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.

CautionHigh cholesterol (hyperlipidaemia)

Heart conditions usually come with medication that affects bleeding or the tone of your blood vessels, even when none of it is a blood thinner. The body's stress response to needles can also set off symptoms if your heart is susceptible. That makes injectables a caution rather than a no: if you are stable and well controlled on standard heart medication such as statins, beta-blockers or ACE inhibitors, you can usually go ahead with a note from your GP.

Sources: British Heart Foundation

AvoidImplantable defibrillator (ICD)

Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators are sensitive to electromagnetic interference. Any treatment that delivers an electrical current or a strong electromagnetic field can disrupt how your device works, trigger an inappropriate shock from an ICD, or reset the device altogether. Every cardiology authority treats this as an absolute contraindication, and it holds even when the treatment is nowhere near your chest — an EMS session on your legs is still avoided, because the electromagnetic field travels.

Sources: American Heart AssociationLeeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

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.

Under reviewIrregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation)

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 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.

AvoidPacemaker

Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators are sensitive to electromagnetic interference. Any treatment that delivers an electrical current or a strong electromagnetic field can disrupt how your device works, trigger an inappropriate shock from an ICD, or reset the device altogether. Every cardiology authority treats this as an absolute contraindication, and it holds even when the treatment is nowhere near your chest — an EMS session on your legs is still avoided, because the electromagnetic field travels.

Sources: American Heart AssociationLeeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

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 · 9 to avoid · 1 under review · 46 not yet reviewed
Skin conditions — Electrolysis
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.

Not yet reviewedContact dermatitis

We have not found a 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 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.

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.

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.

AvoidKeloid scars

Keloids are raised scars that keep growing beyond the original wound, and the tendency to form them runs in families and is more common in deeper skin tones. If you have that tendency, any treatment that injures the skin can start a new one: needling, RF microneedling, PRP, ablative fractional laser, strong peels, injections and permanent makeup all create exactly the kind of micro-injury that triggers it. Earlobe piercings and lip permanent makeup are common culprits. Existing keloids can be treated — with steroid injections, cryotherapy or pulsed dye laser — but that is dermatology, not a salon.

Sources: American Academy of DermatologyBritish Association of Dermatologists

AvoidKeloid-prone skin

Keloids are raised scars that keep growing beyond the original wound, and the tendency to form them runs in families and is more common in deeper skin tones. If you have that tendency, any treatment that injures the skin can start a new one: needling, RF microneedling, PRP, ablative fractional laser, strong peels, injections and permanent makeup all create exactly the kind of micro-injury that triggers it. Earlobe piercings and lip permanent makeup are common culprits. Existing keloids can be treated — with steroid injections, cryotherapy or pulsed dye laser — but that is dermatology, not a salon.

Sources: American Academy of DermatologyBritish Association of Dermatologists

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.

Not yet reviewedPerioral dermatitis

We have not found a 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 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.

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.

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.

Not yet reviewedSeborrhoeic dermatitis

We have not found a 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 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.

Not yet reviewedSensitive 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 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 — Electrolysis
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 · 18 to avoid · 32 not yet reviewed
Infections & contagious conditions — Electrolysis
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

A responsible salon will decline thisGenital warts

Avoid over the affected area — other areas are fine.

Genital HPV passes on through skin-to-skin contact, and hair removal in the affected area is the worst possible moment for it: waxing or sugaring can spread the virus into the surrounding skin, tear the warts themselves — which hurts, bleeds and can get infected — and transfer HPV onto tools and surfaces. Get the warts treated first. A sexual health clinic (also called a GUM clinic) will do that free and without a referral, using a prescription cream or freezing, and most warts clear either with treatment or on their own. Waxing anywhere else — legs, arms, face — is unaffected.

Sources: NHS (Devon Sexual Health)NHS (Sexual Health Sheffield)NHS (West of Scotland Sexual Health Managed Clinical Network)NHS Scotland (Right Decisions)

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.

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

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.

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

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 · 4 caution · 3 to avoid · 23 not yet reviewed
Autoimmune & inflammatory conditions — Electrolysis
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.

Not yet reviewedAutoimmune disease in remission, off medication

We have not found a 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 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.

CautionDiscoid lupus

Lupus-prone skin can flare where it has been injured, so anything that scrapes, strips or pulls at your face is worth doing gently. Most people with lupus manage facial hair removal perfectly well — the usual advice is threading or electrolysis rather than waxing, because they are kinder to the skin around them, and some clinicians suggest threading specifically for sensitive lupus skin. Whichever you choose, ask for a light touch, moisturise generously afterwards, and keep the area out of the sun.

Sources: Lupus Foundation of America

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.

CautionLupus

Lupus-prone skin can flare where it has been injured, so anything that scrapes, strips or pulls at your face is worth doing gently. Most people with lupus manage facial hair removal perfectly well — the usual advice is threading or electrolysis rather than waxing, because they are kinder to the skin around them, and some clinicians suggest threading specifically for sensitive lupus skin. Whichever you choose, ask for a light touch, moisturise generously afterwards, and keep the area out of the sun.

Sources: Lupus Foundation of America

CautionLupus

Lupus-prone skin can flare where it has been injured, so anything that scrapes, strips or pulls at your face is worth doing gently. Most people with lupus manage facial hair removal perfectly well — the usual advice is threading or electrolysis rather than waxing, because they are kinder to the skin around them, and some clinicians suggest threading specifically for sensitive lupus skin. Whichever you choose, ask for a light touch, moisturise generously afterwards, and keep the area out of the sun.

Sources: Lupus Foundation of America

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.

CautionType 1 diabetes

Anything that breaks the skin asks more of your body's healing than it would in someone without type 1 diabetes. Wounds close more slowly, infection takes hold more easily, and the small punctures left by needling, injectables and permanent makeup are wounds like any other. This is a caution, not a refusal: if your blood glucose is well controlled and you have no problems with your feet or your circulation, plenty of people with type 1 diabetes have these treatments safely. Tell your practitioner, expect a careful aftercare conversation, and get anything that is slow to heal looked at.

Sources: American Diabetes AssociationDiabetes UKNHSNICE

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 — Electrolysis
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 — Electrolysis
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 · 1 actively helps · 2 safe · 6 caution · 3 to avoid · 6 under review · 29 not yet reviewed
General health conditions — Electrolysis
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.

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.

Under reviewChronic kidney disease (CKD)

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: Kidney Care UKNHSNICE

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.

Under reviewDementia and Alzheimer's disease

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: Alzheimer's SocietyDementia UKNICEUK legislation

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.

Under reviewDialysis

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: 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.

Not yet reviewedMigraine

We have not found a 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-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.

Under reviewOveractive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)

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

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.

Under reviewPTSD and trauma history

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: MindNICEPTSD UKRape Crisis England & WalesSAMHSA (US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)

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.

Actively helpsPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Hair removal is not a vanity project when you have PCOS — it is treatment for one of the symptoms that affects daily life most, and the guidance treats it that way. Around one in ten women of reproductive age has PCOS, and unwanted facial and body hair is one of its commonest features. Every route works: threading and waxing and sugaring for the short term, laser and IPL for long-term reduction, electrolysis for permanent removal one follicle at a time. The thing to plan for is that the hormones driving the growth do not stop, so laser and IPL take more sessions than average and need topping up — that is the condition, not a failure of the treatment or of you. Laser hair removal is available on the NHS in some areas for severe unwanted hair, so ask your GP what is funded where you live before you pay privately.

Sources: NHSNICEVerity (UK PCOS charity)

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 · 3 caution · 2 to avoid · 15 not yet reviewed
Rare conditions & special situations — Electrolysis
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.

CautionBeauty treatments at 75+, living with frailty

Frailty changes what a treatment asks of a body. Skin is thinner, healing is slower, bruising comes easily — often helped along by blood thinners — and lying still on a couch for an hour is genuinely tiring. None of that makes an injectable or a hands-on body treatment off-limits; it means shorter sessions, gentler handling, easier access on and off the couch, and a practitioner who knows what else you are taking. Frailty is individual: the question is how this person is doing, not how old they are.

Sources: Age UKBritish Geriatrics SocietyNICE

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.

CautionEhlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS)

Ehlers-Danlos syndromes are inherited differences in collagen, the protein that holds skin and joints together. In practice that means skin that tears and bruises easily, healing that takes longer and scars that spread thin, and joints that move further than they should. None of that rules out mechanical, injected or light-based treatments, but all of it changes how they should be done: gentler handling, less traction on the skin, more support under hypermobile joints, and an expectation of more bruising than the practitioner is used to seeing. How much caution you need depends on your EDS type, so bring that detail with you.

Sources: American Journal of Medical Genetics Part CEhlers-Danlos Support UKNHSThe Ehlers-Danlos Society

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

CautionRecent vaccination

Leave two weeks between a vaccination and an elective injectable treatment. A vaccine deliberately stirs up your immune system, and injecting something cosmetic into that window does three unhelpful things: it adds inflammation where the needle goes, it overlaps with the rare delayed swelling reactions reported in hyaluronic acid fillers after COVID-19 vaccination, and if something does go wrong nobody can tell which of the two caused it. Fourteen days is the standard separation. Nothing about a vaccination affects non-injectable treatments.

Sources: JAMA Dermatology

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

The guide for this treatment is still being written.

Aftercare guides

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 Pregnancy AssociationHair removal and pregnancy
  2. British Heart FoundationHeart Matters — patient information, massage and complementary therapy guidance
  3. NHSIron deficiency anaemia
  4. BMC Pregnancy and ChildbirthFatal pulmonary embolism following leg massage in undiagnosed deep vein thrombosis (case report)
  5. American Heart AssociationDevices That May Interfere with ICDs and Pacemakers
  6. Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation TrustFacial Hair Reduction for Gender Dysphoria (patient information leaflet)
  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 DermatologyKeloid management guidelines
  15. British Association of DermatologistsGuidance for skin of colour
  16. British Association of DermatologistsPsoriasis guidelines
  17. National Institute for Health and Care ExcellenceClinical Knowledge Summary — Psoriasis
  18. National Psoriasis FoundationKoebner phenomenon and trigger management
  19. American Academy of DermatologyIsotretinoin and cosmetic procedures — patient guidance
  20. British Association of DermatologistsIsotretinoin: patient information and prescribing guidance
  21. 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.)
  22. Peer-reviewed dermatology (PMC)Standard guidelines of care: procedures in patients on isotretinoin
  23. British Association of DermatologistsTinea (dermatophyte infection) management
  24. NHSRingworm and other fungal infections
  25. NHSAthlete's foot
  26. NICEClinical Knowledge Summary: fungal skin infection
  27. Primary Care Dermatology SocietyFungal skin infections
  28. British Association of DermatologistsBacterial skin infection management
  29. NHSImpetigo
  30. NHSCellulitis and erysipelas
  31. NHSMRSA
  32. NHSBoils and carbuncles
  33. NICEClinical Knowledge Summary: impetigo
  34. UKHSAUK Standards for Microbiology Investigations
  35. NHSDiarrhoea and vomiting (gastroenteritis)
  36. NHSFlu (influenza)
  37. NHSCommon cold
  38. NHSCOVID-19
  39. UKHSALiving safely with respiratory infections, including COVID-19
  40. NHSChickenpox
  41. Royal College of Obstetricians and GynaecologistsChickenpox in pregnancy
  42. UKHSAChickenpox (varicella): guidance
  43. NHS (Devon Sexual Health)Genital warts — patient information
  44. NHS (Sexual Health Sheffield)Genital warts — patient information
  45. NHS (West of Scotland Sexual Health Managed Clinical Network)Anogenital warts guidance
  46. NHS Scotland (Right Decisions)External anogenital warts
  47. CDCUniversal precautions for prevention of transmission of bloodborne infections
  48. NHSHIV and AIDS — how HIV is transmitted
  49. National AIDS TrustHIV guidance for hairdressers and beauty professionals
  50. StatPearls / NCBIUniversal precautions (Kopitnik & Kahwaji)
  51. UK ParliamentEquality Act 2010, Schedule 1
  52. British Association of DermatologistsHerpes zoster management
  53. NHSShingles
  54. UKHSAImmunisation against infectious disease (the Green Book), chapter 28a — Shingles (herpes zoster)
  55. NHSTuberculosis (TB)
  56. NICENG33 Tuberculosis
  57. UKHSANotifiable diseases and causative organisms: how to report
  58. UKHSATuberculosis: guidance, data and analysis
  59. NHS Scotland (Scottish Dermatology Society)Viral warts pathway
  60. NICEClinical Knowledge Summary: warts and verrucae
  61. Primary Care Dermatology SocietyWarts and verrucae — patient information leaflet
  62. British Association of DermatologistsGuidelines for the management of bullous pemphigoid
  63. International Pemphigus and Pemphigoid FoundationLiving with pemphigus and pemphigoid
  64. Lupus Foundation of AmericaRepairing skin damaged by lupus, and patient guidance on cosmetic procedures
  65. American Diabetes AssociationFoot care and diabetes
  66. Diabetes UKLooking after your feet with diabetes
  67. NHSDiabetes and foot problems
  68. NICENG28 — Type 2 diabetes in adults: management
  69. General Medical Council (UK)Good Medical Practice
  70. UK legislationMental Capacity Act 2005
  71. Kidney Care UKLiving with kidney disease — patient information
  72. NHSChronic kidney disease
  73. NICEChronic kidney disease: assessment and management (NG203)
  74. Alzheimer's SocietyDementia — information and support
  75. Dementia UKPersonal care and wellbeing in dementia
  76. NICEDementia: assessment, management and support (NG97)
  77. British Association of DermatologistsPatch testing — patient information
  78. British Contact Dermatitis SocietyContact allergy guidance
  79. UK legislationThe Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013
  80. British Thyroid FoundationThyroid disorders — patient information
  81. NHSUnderactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
  82. NICE Clinical Knowledge SummariesHypothyroidism
  83. British Menopause SocietyMenopause — clinical guidance for patients
  84. NHSMenopause and perimenopause
  85. NICEMenopause: identification and management (NG23)
  86. The Menopause CharityMenopause symptoms and skin changes
  87. NHSOveractive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)
  88. NICE Clinical Knowledge SummariesHyperthyroidism
  89. MindPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  90. NICEPost-traumatic stress disorder (NG116)
  91. PTSD UKPTSD — information and support
  92. Rape Crisis England & WalesSupport after sexual violence
  93. SAMHSA (US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)SAMHSA's Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach
  94. NHSPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
  95. NICEFertility problems: assessment and treatment (CG156)
  96. Verity (UK PCOS charity)PCOS and excess hair — patient information
  97. Age UKWellbeing, touch and personal care in later life
  98. British Geriatrics SocietyFit for Frailty — recognising and managing frailty
  99. NICENG56 — Multimorbidity: clinical assessment and management
  100. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part CThe 2017 international classification of the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (Malfait et al.)
  101. Ehlers-Danlos Support UKLiving with EDS — skin, healing and bruising
  102. NHSEhlers-Danlos syndromes
  103. The Ehlers-Danlos SocietyEDS types, skin fragility and joint hypermobility
  104. Hospice UKComplementary therapies and personal care in hospice settings
  105. Look Good Feel Better UKNail care, skin care and makeup during cancer treatment
  106. Macmillan Cancer SupportComplementary therapies and wellbeing
  107. Marie CurieComfort, dignity and personal care at the end of life
  108. NHSBody image and self-esteem
  109. UK Obesity FederationDignity, equipment and access in service settings
  110. British Association of Aesthetic Plastic SurgeonsPost-operative recovery timelines
  111. NHSRecovering from an operation
  112. Royal College of Surgeons of EnglandRecovering from surgery — patient information
  113. JAMA DermatologyDelayed inflammatory reactions to hyaluronic acid fillers after COVID-19 vaccination — case reports
  114. Equality and Human Rights CommissionReasonable adjustments for disabled people — guidance for service providers
  115. MencapCommunicating with people with a learning disability
  116. RNIBServing customers with sight loss
  117. RNIDCommunication tips for serving deaf customers
  118. ScopeMaking services accessible to disabled customers
  119. UK Parliament (legislation.gov.uk)Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (as amended, Northern Ireland)

Written by · London-trained cosmetologist

Last updated