Women who have gone through the experience of pregnancy know their body can go through dramatic transformations during the gestation process, as evidenced by weight gain as well as unexpected hair growth in areas they didn’t previously possessing it.
There have been no long-term studies to assess the long-term safety of laser hair removal for pregnant women, so it would be prudent to postpone treatment until after giving birth.
Increased Sensitivity
Pregnancy can be an incredible journey for most women, yet some discomforts remain. Hormones fluctuate significantly during gestation and this can cause mood swings as well as unsightly hair growth in unexpected places – which usually resolves itself postpartum. Therefore, many medical professionals advise expecting mothers against seeking laser treatments during this period.
At this stage, it is wise to opt for temporary methods of hair removal such as shaving, waxing, plucking or threading so as to avoid irritating sensitive areas that are already experiencing significant changes. This way you can avoid further aggravating them.
Medical experts often suggest waiting until breastfeeding has concluded before starting laser hair removal treatments to avoid pregnancy hormones affecting the outcome of treatment.
When it comes to breastfeeding, stressing over chest and nipple areas of the body could potentially have detrimental results for baby. Any unnecessary pressure could have serious repercussions for breastfeeding success and negatively affect baby.
Once your postpartum hormone levels have stabilized, the safest time to resume laser treatments may be three months post-birth. Before then, temporary hair removal methods can provide enough benefit until laser technology comes back into play.
Additionally, it is often not advised to perform laser hair removal treatments above the pubic bone or on the lower abdomen – an area commonly associated with C-sections – as doing so could increase risk of infection or lead to other complications later.
While it remains to be determined if laser treatments pose any threat to an unborn baby, most doctors and clinics err on the side of caution in light of limited research on this subject and any procedures involving highly concentrated beams of light could potentially present risks that doctors are unaware of at present.
As science continues to progress, this may change over time; until then, however, elective treatments like laser hair removal should be kept out of consideration until after giving birth.
Infections
Pregnancy brings many changes to your body, including an increase in hair growth. While this might seem positive at first, some women can find this discomforting if the hairs appear in areas they cannot reach with razor or wax.
After giving birth, pregnancy hormones will eventually cause excess hair growth to subside as anagen phase hair follicles remain active for longer than usual – eventually returning back into their resting stage called telogen.
Due to changes in hair follicles, laser treatments may not be as successful due to hormonal fluctuations during gestation; lasers rely on contrast between your skin color and that of your hair in order to be successful; when pregnant your skin may darken more than normal and this could make all the difference in terms of successful treatments or less successful ones.
Since pregnant women tend to experience more sensitive skin, laser treatments could pose an increased risk of infection during gestation and could prove hazardous for both mother and baby. If having undergone a C-section is in your future, it might be particularly prudent to wait until after scar healing has taken place before undergoing any laser treatments.
Electrolysis, an alternative form of hair removal, should generally not be undertaken during pregnancy due to the risk of electric current passing through amniotic fluid and harming an unborn fetus.
Therefore, traditional methods of hair removal – shaving, waxing or depilatory creams – should be utilized during gestation.
Changes in Hormones
Pregnancy hormones can become imbalanced, leading to many physical changes – including changes to hair growth. Some women even notice hair growing where it never had before – like belly, chin and breast hair! This is perfectly normal as your levels of androgen and estrogen increase; but the good news is it usually subsides once your postpartum hormones return to normal after you give birth.
Unfortunately, pregnancy increases hair growth temporarily which makes it more challenging to shave, wax and pluck all unwanted hair. Depending on how far along you are in gestation, laser treatments may need to be postponed until after giving birth – it would be wise to discuss this matter with both your physician and laser clinic before beginning therapy sessions.
Laser hair removal should generally not be attempted during pregnancy due to potential risks to both mother and fetus from laser treatment. Should laser light reach the placenta, it could damage cells that provide nutrition from mother to child and have an impact on their heartbeat rate – something laser hair removal cannot achieve.
This can be particularly dangerous during the first trimester when your fetal heart rate is already at its highest risk for abnormalities.
Though the risk of harming a fetus may be minimal, it’s wisest to exercise extreme caution by forgoing laser treatments while pregnant. If you do decide to undergo any treatments during gestation, be sure to work with both a qualified laser technician and dermatologist in order to minimise complications.
Laser hair removal is generally safe for most pregnant patients and may be combined with other treatments at various points during their gestation. Consult with your doctor first, as well as finding a laser center with transparent policies regarding pregnancy and postpartum laser treatments so that you feel secure about using one during your gestation.
Premature Delivery
Pregnancy can bring many changes to a woman’s body, including unwanted hair growth. While many turn to laser hair removal during gestation for treatment purposes, not enough research has been conducted yet on its safety for baby. Therefore, women may prefer traditional forms of hair removal as an alternative solution.
Laser hair removal works by targeting dark pigment in each hair follicle and heating it up to destroy it, making it a popular method of hair removal for facial, leg, underarm and bikini areas. Furthermore, its safeness for breastfeeding moms as the laser heat does not transfer onto breasts or nipples during treatment.
However, many doctors and laser technicians do not recommend laser treatments during pregnancy due to increased skin sensitivity and hormonal fluctuations that make laser treatments difficult for the mother’s body to handle. A premature delivery could also pose risks, while any miscarriages due to laser treatment could affect her health too significantly.
As well, some technicians do not advise performing electrolysis while pregnant due to its electric current which could harm both mother and baby due to amniotic fluid acting as an electrical conductor. Furthermore, topical anesthetics used during the treatment may not be safe; while lidocaine and prilocaine may be safe options while tetracaine is considered potentially unsafe.
After giving birth, laser hair removal should ideally take place after three months have passed in order to restore normal hormone levels and safely perform treatments. Most medical practitioners also advise waiting until after weaning of your baby has taken place before beginning treatments.
Women must stay healthy during pregnancy while also maintaining their sense of self. Traditional hair removal methods, like shaving, can be an excellent way to preserve appearances and remove unwanted hair without risking the health of expectant mother or unborn baby. There are other safe forms of hair removal such as waxing threading and tweezing available as alternatives which should all be safe options during gestation.
