What to Do About Unwanted Hair While Pregnant
While you wait, we suggest that you continue shaving. Pregnant women shouldn’t use depilatory creams, waxing, or any other hair removal techniques besides shaving.
I advise patients to postpone laser hair removal for a few months after giving birth. For best results, wait until your body has had time to adjust its hormones (and get some rest!) before beginning Laser Hair Removal therapy. I guarantee it will be worth the wait!
Many women can experience unwanted hair growth during and after their pregnancy – including the belly, chin, upper lip, buttocks and breasts (often around the nipples). Some of it will go away on its own once your hormones return to normal (about six months after giving birth), but other times it may become a permanent, unwanted new feature. This is another great reason to wait to do Laser Hair Removal until after your pregnancy when you can see which new hairs are likely to stay around. Then, we can help you reduce them permanently.
Is laser hair removal safe during pregnancy?
The majority of providers advise women to wait until after childbirth to undergo the procedure because there is not enough information on the safety of laser hair removal during pregnancy. While this does not necessarily imply that laser hair removal is dangerous while pregnant, it also does not prove that it is safe. It is best to err on the side of caution in the absence of adequate research and findings regarding the safety of laser hair removal during pregnancy.
What Are the Potential Risks of Having Laser Hair Removal While Pregnant?
Your skin is working harder than all the other systems in your body to support your pregnancy. Despite being a low-risk procedure, laser hair removal has some possible side effects that could complicate pregnancy. For instance, a skin burn may take longer to heal, result in infection, or even leave behind permanent scarring when the immune system is weak.
The laser works to target and destroy the pigment in your hair follicles, but it cannot distinguish between pigmented skin and pigmented hair. During pregnancy, there are several hormonally triggered types of hyperpigmentation (where the skin darkens in patches), with melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation from acne being the main offenders. The energy from the laser may mistakenly be absorbed by these darkened areas rather than the hair follicle, which could lead to a burn or discoloration. The same reason that we constantly stress avoiding the sun both before and after Laser Hair Removal procedures. It’s just safer that way.