Pregnancy often brings unexpected hair growth in areas such as breasts and nipples due to hormonal fluctuations that stimulate dormant follicles to grow into active ones.
Postpartum is recommended before starting laser hair removal treatments; alternative methods like shaving, waxing and plucking can be safe alternatives.
Pregnancy & Sensitive Skin
Pregnancy can be an experience unlike any other. Not only is a mother’s body trying to support an increasing child, but hormone fluctuations may cause increased skin sensitivity that makes a Laser Hair Removal treatment uncomfortable at best and potentially painful at worst. Hormonal changes also influence melanin production making it more difficult for the laser to distinguish between skin and hair and may reduce effectiveness as well as cause burns or hyper-pigmentation of areas treated.
However, laser hair removal has been found to have no adverse impact on an unborn baby and thus should be undertaken during pregnancy without worry. Since laser hair removal requires multiple sessions over months and there have been no long-term studies regarding laser hair removal during gestation yet, it may be prudent to wait until after your due date before starting laser treatment.
Some pregnant women experience an increase in hair growth during gestation due to hormones released during gestation, which may cause these areas of rapid hair growth. While this is normal, if you want to keep unwanted hairs at bay and under control you should rely on basic shaving methods rather than waxing, plucking or depilatory creams.
If you are currently receiving laser hair removal treatments and discover that you are pregnant, contact the clinic as soon as possible. They should have clear policies in place regarding what happens if someone becomes pregnant while still going through treatments. Most medical experts agree that delaying further treatments until after giving birth is best, in order to minimize potentially dangerous side effects. This is particularly crucial if the treatments being performed on breasts or nipples that may become sensitive after breastfeeding. Furthermore, laser hair removal treatments on either should also be avoided once pumping milk as this could pass onto your baby through blood supply and cause irreparable harm to their delicate systems.
Pregnancy & Hair Growth
Due to lack of research, it’s impossible to say with any certainty if laser hair removal is safe for pregnant women, so it is wise to proceed cautiously. Pregnancy hormones may alter pigment in your skin, making treatments less effective than usual and increasing pressure against stomach and legs which makes treating areas that tend toward hair growth difficult.
Your body’s blood supply increases during gestation, making the skin more delicate than usual and increasing sensitivity for laser treatments to become uncomfortable or painful.
Another concern related to laser treatment is hyperpigmentation, or skin darkening caused by medications and conditions (including pregnancy ). If hyperpigmentation occurs during a laser session, this could prevent light reaching hair follicles and restrict future growth.
When considering laser hair removal while pregnant, make sure the doctor you select is certified and experienced performing the procedure. When searching for providers, ask for recommendations from friends and family, read reviews online and visit their websites to check what qualifications they possess.
Avoid at-home laser hair removal devices as these are unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration and could expose you to dangerous radiation levels more quickly than if visiting a professional salon for their procedure.
Other methods for hair removal during pregnancy include shaving, waxing and tweezing – though these don’t provide permanent solutions like laser hair removal do – are safe alternatives that could potentially work just as effectively. If opting for these methods during your gestation period, treatments should begin several months prior so as to allow enough time in case something goes awry and your pregnancy doesn’t go according to plan.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Pregnancy can bring with it many changes, and many women discover they’ve begun growing extra hair in places they didn’t previously. Some individuals become concerned by this development and consider laser hair removal treatment; however, due to risks involved with this method as well as alternative strategies available for eliminating excess hair, this should generally not be recommended during gestation.
Laser hair removal is a non-invasive treatment that uses light energy to target individual hair follicles. While the procedure does not require anesthesia, it may still be uncomfortable. Results typically take five or six treatments before optimal results are reached. Pregnancy drastically alters hormone levels which could prevent effective laser hair removal treatments from working optimally.
Pregnancy may impede your ability to achieve ideal results when it comes to skin and hair color changes, with hyperpigmentation often becoming more evident during gestation, making it harder for laser hair removal treatment to distinguish hair from skin, which could reduce efficacy.
Concerns have also been expressed over the possible risk of radiation exposure during laser hair removal during pregnancy. While radiation levels involved are relatively small, most reputable clinics will refuse to treat pregnant women as it remains unknown how it might impact their unborn babies.
Can I have laser hair removal while breastfeeding?
While laser hair removal should generally be safe after giving birth, you should wait three months after delivery for optimal hormone levels to return before commencing treatments again. In the interim, other safer means such as shaving, waxing or plucking may provide effective hair removal solutions.
If you had not started laser hair removal prior to becoming pregnant, treatment can continue as planned; just be sure to inform your provider so they can monitor both your health and progress during gestation.
Postpartum
Pregnancy-safe hair removal options exist for women looking to shed that additional fuzz, however it’s important to remember that hair growth will return to its usual rate three to six months postpartum when hormone levels settle back down to their usual levels.
Because no studies have been done to establish whether bleaching, tattooing or permanent hair reduction treatments are safe during gestation, it’s wise to delay their use until after giving birth. Laser and electrolysis hair removal methods should also not be undertaken during gestation as both utilize an electric current to destroy hair roots; since amniotic fluid serves as an electrical conductor this could have adverse consequences.
If you decide to have laser hair removal prior to trying for pregnancy, make sure that you consult with and adhere to the advice of your healthcare provider. Aim to schedule your initial session about one month prior to beginning fertility treatments so any possible hormonal fluctuations won’t interfere with its efficacy.
Before getting laser hair removal while pregnant, another thing to keep in mind is that it may not be best to remove hair from the pubic area until after giving birth, since doing so could potentially lead to painful cesarean sections. As an alternative solution to excess leg hair growth during gestation, waxing could offer safer and temporary relief from unwanted body hair growth.
When it comes to managing unwanted hair growth after you become pregnant, shaving is generally considered the safest approach. While special razors with numbing cream may work more effectively, most experts advise waiting until breastfeeding has finished before trying this again; otherwise your hormone levels could become imbalanced again and the growth of hair could accelerate again if done too early. Biotin supplements may also help decrease hair growth; many shampoos and conditioners even come fortified with this essential vitamin!
