Brazilian Wax Ban? NJ Considers It After Two Women Are Injured

TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey is drawing the line when it comes to bikini waxing. The state Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling is moving toward a ban on genital waxing after two women reported being injured in their quest for a smooth bikini line.

Both women were hospitalized for infections following so-called "Brazilian" bikini waxes; one of the women has filed a lawsuit, according to Jeff Lamm, a spokesman for New Jersey's Division of Consumer Affairs, which oversees the cosmetology board.

Technically, genital waxing has never been allowed _ only the face, neck, abdomen, legs and arms are permitted _ but because bare-it-all "Brazilians" weren't specifically banned, state regulators haven't enforced the law.

"The genital area is not part of the abdomen or legs as some might assume," Lamm said.

Officials with the National Cosmetology Association and National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology said they were unaware of another state that has banned genital waxing.

Regular bikini waxes would still be allowed.

Genital waxing can be dangerous in that the hot wax can irritate or tear delicate skin in the bikini area, resulting in infections, ingrown hairs and rashes, according to skin care experts.

Despite such risks, millions of American women _ and some men _ choose to have the hair down there ripped away, and a majority of salons in New Jersey offer the procedure for between $50 to $60.

The state Board of Cosmetology meets next on April 14 and will decide whether to move forward with banning the procedure, made popular in Brazil to accommodate skimpy thong bikinis.

The earliest the ban could take effect would be sometime in May, Lamm said, and salons that continue to perform it could be fined.

For salon owners, discontinuing the popular service could mean a substantial drop in business, especially as summer swimsuit season nears.

Spa owner Linda Orsuto, who owns 800 West Salon & Spa in Cherry Hill, estimates that most of 1,800 bikini waxes performed at her business last year were Brazilian-style.

"It's huge," she said, adding that her customers don't think their bikini lines are anyone's business but their own. "It's just not right."

She said many customers would likely travel across state lines to get it and some might even try to wax themselves.

Comments

[BeautyEditorPost]

08:57 PM on 03/24/2009

Ok, so and update from New Jersey. Consumer Affairs Director, David Szuchman, 'banned the ban'. In short, he has suggested there are other ways of taking care of the problem with the "hair down there" businesses in order to encourage safe procedures. Simple, really. More training, (which never hurt anyone), proper protocols, and health related safeguards. There is a great sigh of relief amongst those in the hair removal business. And, it is BIG business.

[BeautyEditorPost]

12:17 AM on 03/24/2009

Pretty tough to ban . . . it's a big, big part of the industry. In the wrong hands it can be a disaster, but in the hands of a professional, . . . smooth sailing. As always, it is worth taking the time to find the right spa/salon. Beauty Editor Post is running a series on "waxing" to share tips on what to expect, how to wax, where to wax, wax care . . . and who should avoid it altogether.
http://www.beautyeditorpost.com

[lynninny]

09:00 AM on 03/22/2009

This is seriously the funniest thing I have read in a long, long time.

[MadHeart]

06:10 AM on 03/22/2009

People can do stupid things in the name of "fashion" IMHO. There's a reason people have pubic hair. Besides, the whole world doesn't need to see everything a person has in public and wearing "bathing suits" that are not much more than dental floss won't keep you from developing skin cancer, either, esp. in places that maybe shouldn't even see the sun. But I guess everyone wants to look like a "porn star" (where all this started to make them look "little girlish"). Real adults don't do this, only the vain attention seekers. It's all about them, you know.

[MadHeart]

07:08 AM on 03/22/2009

P.S. Doctors say pubic hair serves a biological purpose. It acts as a barrier to bacteria and viruses, reduces friction during sex and disseminates pheromones, the scents that scientists think may trigger sexual attraction in people.

[sarahmp]

01:00 PM on 03/22/2009

it might be silly to get it all waxed. but you really are missing the point.

[sarahmp]

01:25 AM on 03/22/2009

this is really silly. make women sign a statement of awareness of the risk. done. more women are injured by plastic surgery. but that's still legal. and what about cigarettes? that's still legal. this is silly sh t. silly sh t I tell you.

[LeftLeanWing]

10:50 PM on 03/21/2009

SO FOLKS.

The next time you're on the beach and a woman in a bikini walks by with a Wookie between her legs...
you can ask:

"Don't Tell Me , You must be from New Jersey ?"

[matandch]

09:44 PM on 03/21/2009

"New Jersey: Where fun comes to die."

[gevan]

05:56 AM on 03/22/2009

If they ban this, what will the Brazilian community have left to do in my seaside NJ city? [insert favorite "Garden State" joke here] It's just wild what some regulators try to push themselves into. This probably won't pass. Our legislature couldn't agree on returnable bottles and cans.

[Jerry Pecks]

08:06 PM on 03/21/2009

Why is it so hard to get rid of a Bush in this country?!?

[LeftLeanWing]

10:36 PM on 03/21/2009

lmao

[sarahmp]

01:27 AM on 03/22/2009

you're my favorite.

[Desmond Aboagye]

11:46 PM on 03/21/2009

This is the best comment of all!!!!!!!

[UtahLiberal435]

06:54 PM on 03/21/2009

Uh, perhaps the two women (out of thousands, apparently) who complained after getting infections might actually BATHE once in a while?

And there went the last reason to enter 'Joizee.'

[yman2]

10:06 PM on 03/21/2009

Really?

Was there EVER a reason to enter Utah?

[luckyoldson]

06:45 PM on 03/21/2009

What possible business is it of the government?

[msully]

06:27 PM on 03/21/2009

"Technically, genital waxing has never been allowed _ only the face, neck, abdomen, legs and arms are permitted"

What I want to know is, who sat down and decided which body parts could or could not be waxed.

[lynninny]

08:58 AM on 03/22/2009

What I want to know is, who was the first brave soul to try bikini waxing. OUCH.

[marxmarv]

03:40 PM on 03/22/2009

You'll have to go back several millenia to Egypt to find out.

[Dolphinfan65]

05:48 PM on 03/21/2009

Why not just shave down there? I believe, you should be able to do both. I live in NJ and I have lived in Florida. So I understand, that if you are gonna bare most of yourself, you want to look as good as you can. But what I don't understand is why is one style of leaving yourself hairless Illegal and the other is not? I mean you can get an infection from both.
I'm a man and I shave during the hotter months, not for style reasons , but for hygiene reasons. I have known many women who do it too, for various reasons. I believe that all of the reasons, I have heard of, are good ones. Why is a Brazilian wax , more dangerous, then any other hair removal procedure?

[marxmarv]

06:37 PM on 03/21/2009

They're regulating what licensed cosmetologists can do, not what private individuals can do. You or I can still go out and buy all the Sally Hansen products we like and if we don't follow best practices, it's our own problem.

I don't think it should be banned, by any means, but current best practices to promote safety and hygiene and minimize the risk of spreading STDs should be universally taught and followed.

[NWBrunette]

12:19 AM on 03/22/2009

"Why is a Brazilian wax , more dangerous, then any other hair removal procedure?f"

It's not. It's just the same old testosterone-infested, right-wing, funless fundies all bent out of shape that we're having lots more fun with our bodies than they are.

[sharkon745]

04:07 PM on 03/21/2009

Have you seen http://www.waxwaxwaxformen.com?

Some nice illustrations here (females AND Males), plus a message board to find a waxer close to you

[elizlucinda]

01:53 PM on 03/21/2009

It's scary! Twenty one pages of comments about genital waxing. Seems a lot of people are fascinated by the subject but few want to participate!!!

[marxmarv]

07:05 AM on 03/22/2009

More like a month's supply of razor blades is at most half the price.

[guruglenn]

01:51 PM on 03/21/2009

We have got lots of beavers up here in Canada, but not too many Braziians to concern ourselves with. I wonder what the attraction is to have someone else rip the hairs out of our body. I guess I'm just a do it yourself type of guy.

Glenn Smith Author of Lotus Petal, A Parable to Help You to Overcome The Fear of Death
http://lotuspetalbook.com

[naschkatze]

08:02 PM on 03/22/2009

Up front I will say that it is not the state's business what people do, but personally, I could never deal with perfect strangers handling my private parts. Maybe some people get a thrill out that though. (Yeah, I know, doctors . . . but that is a health issue not a vanity one.)