Women often experience excess hair growth during gestation and breastfeeding. Naturally, they would like to eliminate it as soon as possible; however, finding safe and effective methods of hair removal while expecting or breastfeeding can be challenging.
Hormonal changes during pregnancy may alter skin pigmentation, making laser treatments less effective and possibly leading to skin burns that take longer to heal than usual.
1. It’s Safe
Even though there’s no conclusive proof that laser hair removal is unsafe for pregnant women, most reputable clinics do not recommend the procedure during gestation due to no long-term studies analyzing its effects on unborn babies – thus being safer to err on the side of caution. Shaving, waxing and depilatory creams should also not be performed during gestation as alternatives.
Laser hair removal works by penetrating only a few millimeters deep into your skin to target hair follicles and stop their growth, with minimal pain for most individuals; for those experiencing discomfort, technicians can apply numbing creams such as Lidocaine which do not pass into breast milk.
But if you are breastfeeding, any topical analgesic creams applied to your skin could ingest directly into your bloodstream and eventually reach the baby through breastmilk supply. While this should generally not pose any issues, it should still be considered before seeking this form of treatment.
Heat from laser treatments could increase core body temperature, potentially harming an unborn fetus. Furthermore, pregnancy hormones may affect how quickly and effectively skin heals following light treatments.
Be mindful that laser treatments could alter your body’s natural melanin production, which could result in either hyper- or hypopigmentation. While this shouldn’t be considered an immediate concern when making decisions regarding your beauty routine during pregnancy.
As a new mother, it is suggested that you wait six months after giving birth before returning to laser hair removal treatments. This will give your hormones time to return to normal and restore regular hair growth cycles; alternatively you could opt for temporary methods of hair removal such as shaving and tweezing until your hormones stabilize once more.
2. It’s Not Safe
Pregnant or breastfeeding women often worry that laser hair removal could harm their babies in some way. Since no one truly understands how lasers affect fetuses or breastfeeding babies, the safest solution may be to opt out altogether.
Laser hair removal uses light beams to target and destroy hair follicles, stopping them from producing new hair growth. When exposed to light, hair follicles absorb it and produce heat which damages or destroys them – this process works on facial, leg, armpit and bikini zones hair as well as those in other parts of the body such as arms and underarms. Multiple treatments are often necessary before seeing results while some follicles may not respond at all to treatment.
Pregnancy can bring unexpected hair growth on their stomach, chin, upper lip or breasts (particularly around their nipples), which many women wish they could remove right away – especially after feeling like everything has been out of whack for nine months! Unfortunately however, their partners sometimes suggest they refrain from laser hair removal treatments and just let it all grow out naturally instead.
Unfortunately, this approach will cause unwanted hair to return thicker and darker than ever, often appearing where none existed before due to pregnancy hormones altering follicle growth cycles. Therefore, most medical professionals advise women waiting until after giving birth before resume laser hair removal treatments.
Laser treatments can cause several side effects, including itching and irritation. While these won’t transfer to their unborn babies, most women don’t find them an issue; more seriously though, laser treatments may damage skin which leads to rash or blisters after treatment.
Another potential drawback of lasers is that they may lead to hyperpigmentation changes due to hormonal shifts; such changes can sometimes be quite dramatic and even make previously undetectable scars stand out more clearly than ever before.
3. It’s Not a Good Idea
Well-informed pregnant women generally acknowledge that many beauty treatments should be avoided during gestation. Creams and depilatories, in particular, should be avoided due to insufficient research on whether their chemicals absorb into fetuses; furthermore they can cause painful skin reactions for some pregnant women. Temporary methods like shaving, waxing and tweezing tend to be safer alternatives.
Hormonal changes associated with pregnancy can alter hair growth, often leading to unwanted areas where hair sprouts; such as on your face, stomach or breasts. This condition, commonly referred to as the “peach fuzz effect,” usually results from increased testosterone production and often contributes to unwanted facial fuzz growth.
Before making the decision to undergo laser hair removal treatment during your pregnancy, it’s essential that you consult with an obstetrician first. They’ll help determine when hormone levels have returned to normal as well as the best ways to proceed with treatments.
Once your doctor gives the go-ahead for laser hair removal treatments, it’s essential that you inform the clinic you plan on attending that you’re expecting in order for them to postpone them until after you give birth. In addition, it is wise to avoid products designed to lighten skin such as sunless skin creams as these could increase risk of hyperpigmentation and thus hyperpigmentation in future pregnancies.
After giving birth, laser hair removal treatments should be completely safe to resume. Keep in mind that laser only targets active growth phase hairs; once hormone levels return to normal and hair begins regenerating itself normally again, you can have laser sessions whenever desired! One note of caution, though: you should avoid electrolysis while breastfeeding; any form of electrolysis treatment could potentially harm mother and infant alike! Furthermore, laser should never be performed on areas with scars from cesarean delivery or episiotomy surgeries as this could potentially be hazardous.
4. It’s Not a Good Option
Pregnancy changes your body in many ways. From weight gain and extra padding, loss of bladder control, and unexpected hair growth – among many others. While you might be tempted to remove unwanted hair by waxing, shaving or depilatory cream use before giving birth, it’s wiser to wait.
Laser hair removal during gestation remains controversial due to unknown long-term side effects for both mother and fetus. Heat from lasers may potentially raise core body temperature, which could potentially harm both mother and fetus. Furthermore, some anesthetics used during treatment could pass through mother’s milk into the uterine environment and reach fetuses directly.
Pregnancy hormones may interfere with how laser treatments affect hair follicles, leading to irritation or even permanent damage. Furthermore, your immune system becomes compromised during gestation, increasing your susceptibility to infections as well as scarring from skin burns that could leave permanent marks.
Pregnancy hormones may also alter your hair cycle, meaning it won’t shed as quickly post laser treatment. Once hormone levels normalise six months post birth, old hairs should begin falling out again.
If you are planning on having children, then starting laser treatments before pregnancy will give you plenty of time to complete them before your next one begins. When considering what laser treatment would be safest for both you and your unborn baby, always consult a physician first and listen to their advice regarding what can and cannot be safely done in each situation. Specifically avoid cosmetic procedures involving your nipple or areola, as this could put both you and your unborn child in harm’s way – for hair removal on these areas you can opt for electric razor or tweezers rather than laser.
