As soon as a woman becomes pregnant, her body experiences dramatic transformations. These transformations include hair growing in places it never had before.
Laser hair removal during pregnancy is generally safe; however, for optimal results it’s best to wait until postpartum. Meanwhile, other methods of hair removal like shaving, plucking or waxing may suffice in the meantime.
1. Talk to Your Doctor
Women pregnant and expecting can experience numerous changes to their bodies during gestation, one of the most noticeable being unwanted hair growth on sensitive areas such as their belly or breasts. When hormones fluctuate rapidly it may be challenging to keep up with shaving, waxing, and plucking as before; many opt instead for laser hair removal to combat unwanted growth.
Before beginning laser treatments during gestation, it’s wise to consult your physician first. There have been no studies demonstrating their effects, and doctors typically suggest waiting until after you’ve given birth before proceeding with the process.
After giving birth, it is essential that you consult with your physician frequently so they can provide guidance as to when your hormones have returned to normal and your skin is suitable for laser treatments. They may also offer temporary hair removal solutions until laser treatments can resume.
Some women may notice an increase in hair growth post-birth; this is likely caused by hormonal fluctuations rather than laser treatments destroying follicles. Once hormone levels return to their original levels, much of this new hair growth should disappear.
Depilatory creams should also be avoided during gestation as their chemicals could potentially harm your unborn baby. Electrolysis, which involves passing an electric current over your skin and dismantling hair follicles with electric current, should never be performed without first consulting with a trained professional.
2. Check With Your Clinic
Pregnancy brings with it many physical changes for women. Some of these may include weight gain, less bladder control than before and growing hair in unexpected places (like your stomach and lower back) where none has previously appeared. It is important to remember that any extra hair growth you might notice during this time is entirely normal and no cause for alarm.
However, it’s also important to bear in mind that there has not been enough research conducted on whether laser hair removal during pregnancy is safe. Since laser treatments use concentrated beams of heat for hair removal, there’s always the risk that they might affect an unborn fetus in ways we still cannot comprehend. Reputable clinics usually advise their clients postponing laser treatments until after they give birth if pregnant women plan on receiving laser treatments.
Laser hair removal only works when there is an adequate contrast between the skin color and that of your hair, so pregnancy may alter skin pigmentation levels, meaning laser treatment might not work as intended.
Pregnant mothers must understand there are various safe solutions available for removing unwanted hair during gestation, with shaving being one of the more accessible approaches; however, shaving may prove challenging due to specific areas being more hard-to-reach during gestation. You might consider trying hair dissolving creams but be wary as these contain harsh chemicals which could enter your bloodstream and potentially harm the unborn fetus – therefore traditional forms like waxing or shaving should remain the go-to solutions until postpartum has ended.
3. Postpone Treatments
Pregnancy hormones can send your body into overdrive, often resulting in unexpectedly growing hair in places it usually would not. While this may seem bothersome to some women, it should not be seen as anything other than normal and should not cause you any concern.
Unfortunately, laser treatment during pregnancy may not be recommended due to various reasons. First and foremost, its concentrated beams of light could potentially raise your skin temperature, potentially endangering both you and your unborn baby. Furthermore, hormonal fluctuations during gestation may interfere with its effectiveness by stimulating hair growth.
Additionally, numbing creams used during laser procedures may enter your breast milk and alter melanin pigment levels, potentially leading to hyper- or hypopigmentation in areas such as breasts. Finally, their increased pain sensitivity makes laser treatments even less comfortable and effective for pregnant women.
If you are already participating in laser hair removal when you become pregnant, it is imperative that you inform the clinic as soon as possible about postponing treatments until after your hormone levels have returned to normal. Every clinic has their own policy but should offer some flexibility and advise you when you can resume treatments once hormone levels return to normal.
In the meantime, more conventional means for hair removal such as shaving, waxing and plucking should be sufficient to remove unwanted hairs – shaving, waxing and plucking should do just fine for most people – just make sure that an extra-thick razor and pair of sharp tweezers are used to avoid ingrown hairs; additionally it would be wise to switch up razor blades frequently in order to prevent infections or irritation.
4. Avoid Depilatory Creams
Pregnancy can bring on unexpected hair growth in unexpected places, and many women discover themselves dealing with unwanted body hair in areas previously unaffected. As your body adapts and you find it harder than ever to shave or wax these areas, laser treatment could become tempting as an option.
While there’s no hard scientific evidence linking laser hair removal sessions with pregnancies, most reputable clinics would rather err on the side of caution by declining treatment if pregnant. This decision isn’t made out of spite but instead takes into account that laser treatment could result in hyperpigmentation and even permanent skin damage during treatment.
Pregnancy makes your follicles more sensitive to the heat of laser hair removal treatments and may absorb too much of its heat, leading to permanent scarring and discoloration. Furthermore, anesthetics commonly used during laser hair removal such as lidocaine or tetracaine should not be taken during gestation as they’re considered unsafe.
Pregnancy hormone fluctuations may also trigger unexpected hair growth in unexpected places, often on your stomach, breasts and nipples (particularly during the third trimester). While this issue might go away once your hormone levels return to normal following birth, it could remain permanent as well.
Once your body has fully recovered from childbirth and its hormones have returned to normal, laser hair removal treatments should be safe to resume. Meanwhile, other tried-and-true methods of hair removal like shaving, waxing and tweezing should suffice until you can resume regular treatment sessions once more.
5. Avoid Electrolysis
Pregnancy can be an exciting time of life and change, yet some women experience additional hair growth during the third trimester due to increased levels of estrogen and androgen that come with pregnancy causing excess hair on arms, breasts, necks and faces – this increase will eventually subside once your baby arrives! This temporary change should return back to normal once birth has taken place.
Unfortunately, laser hair removal is not considered safe during pregnancy due to potential burns on the skin and complications from its topical anesthetics used during treatments, which could harm an unborn fetus. Furthermore, electrical currents used during electrolysis could transfer through amniotic fluid and harm its developing fetus.
However, that does not preclude all forms of hair removal during pregnancy. Shaving, waxing, threading and tweezing are generally safe options since they do not involve direct skin contact and there is no evidence suggesting that taking steps like these during gestation will negatively impact fertility.
While pregnant, it’s best to avoid all forms of permanent hair removal such as shaving, waxing and tweezing in favor of more temporary techniques like shaving, waxing and tweezing. Also keep your obstetrician informed as your body changes so they can help determine when hormone levels have returned to normal and you are ready for laser treatments as well as recommend safe salons for pregnant women and babies.
