Work around them, not over them. Varicose veins are weakened, raised veins close to the surface, so direct pressure, heat, or pulling over them can be painful, can bruise, and in fragile cases can damage the vein. It's a "restricted area" contraindication rather than a flat no — you adapt, you don't necessarily cancel.
The practical standard:
- Massage: avoid deep or firm pressure directly over varicose veins; light, gentle work around the area only. No vigorous effleurage straight over a raised vein.
- Leg waxing: don't wax directly over a prominent varicose vein — the pull and the bruising risk aren't worth it. Wax the surrounding skin and leave the vein.
- Heat treatments: keep heat off the area; it can aggravate the swelling and discomfort.
- Refer the red flags. Sudden swelling, heat, hardness, or pain in one leg is not a beauty contraindication to manage — it can signal a clot (DVT), so stop and tell the client to seek urgent medical advice.
Spider veins and simple varicose veins are common and usually just mean "adapt your technique." The job is to spot them, note them, and know which ones are a refer-now situation. Ask, record what you observed, and date it — under UK GDPR that's health-related data and needs a secure record.
Every client, remembered — safely.
SAY-OS keeps each client's contraindications, allergies and history in one place, and flags them at booking — so the right call happens before they're in the chair.
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