We get it. You came here because you have a few questions about laser hair removal and your baby bump. And we’re super excited to help! First thing’s first—always check with your doctor before making any changes to your skin care routine during pregnancy. Your doctor knows the details about your health and will make sure there are no possible risks involved.
Laser hair removal is a popular treatment for body hair removal. Laser hair removal can be performed on any area of the body, including the face and bikini line. The laser light energy is absorbed by pigment in the hair follicle, causing it to heat up and die.In general, laser hair removal is considered safe during pregnancy due to the low level of risk that has been associated with it. It may however be best to consult your physician before undergoing any type of laser treatment during pregnancy
Read on to learn more about Is Laser Hair Removal Safe In Pregnancy, When Can I Resume Getting Laser Hair Removal? and Risks of Getting Laser Hair Removal While Pregnant
Is Laser Hair Removal Safe In Pregnancy
Laser hair removal is exactly what it sounds like—removing hair with a laser. Most commonly, people get this noninvasive treatment on their face, armpits, legs, pubic area, and trunk.1 And it’s pretty popular. Prior to the pandemic, over one million people got laser hair removal in 2019. (That number dropped slightly due to nationwide COVID-19 lockdowns that occurred in 2020.)2 It works by using highly concentrated light, or lasers, to remove hair.1
“The pigment in the [hair] follicle is targeted,” says Mary P. Lupo, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at the Lupo Center for Aesthetic & General Dermatology in New Orleans. ”When it absorbs the laser’s energy, it generates heat that permanently reduces the follicle.” This inhibits hair from growing, decreasing or eliminating it in the treated area.
However, it’s not a one-and-done kind of treatment. It only affects hairs that are in an active stage of growth. Rachel Nazarian, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at the Schweiger Dermatology Group in NYC explains, “It requires multiple treatments, and works best on darker, thicker hairs.” When the hair grows back, it will be lighter, thinner, and sparser.
Laser hair removal also slows down hair growth, but it’s not necessarily a permanent solution. Some people require maintenance treatments periodically.1
Is it Safe to Get Laser Hair Removal During Pregnancy?
If you’re pregnant or trying to conceive, the question of whether or not something is safe may be a frequent flyer in your mind. And just like the murky, pregnancy-safe waters where things like tea tree oil reside, when it comes to getting laser hair removal while pregnant, there’s just not enough research to definitively confirm its safety one way or the other.3
Whenever you’re faced with a conundrum such as this, the best course of action is usually to practice an abundance of caution—just in case—and speak with your healthcare provider.
When Can I Resume Getting Laser Hair Removal?
Whether you’ve gotten laser hair removal in the past or are a newbie, it’s best to wait until you’re no longer pregnant and your hormones right themselves.
“Laser hair treatments can safely resume three months after delivery, when most hormone levels have normalized,” Dr. Nazarian advises. Even though, to you, you’re no longer pregnant immediately after giving birth, it takes your body a little longer to accept that fact and gradually reset itself.
Pregnancy-Safe Alternatives
Alternatives to laser hair removal while pregnant are fairly simple—back to the basic tried-and-true techniques that have been around for millennia. Both Dr. Lupo and Dr. Nazarian recommend shaving, waxing, or plucking as your go-tos to get rid of unwanted hair.
If you’re still in the pregnancy-planning phase, however, you could try this proactive, strategic approach. “[People] should consider initiation of laser treatment before pregnancy to make grooming and styling habits easier when they’re pregnant.”
Get ahead of the pregnancy curve and start laser hair removal before you become pregnant, if you can. Just remember to give plenty of leeway as you’ll need multiple sessions. The time you need between each one varies on the area being treated, but it is generally a four-to-six week period.6 So, give yourself a healthy buffer, and start a few months before you expect to become pregnant.
Risks of Getting Laser Hair Removal While Pregnant
Although there’s no research into getting laser hair removal specifically while pregnant, there are potential risks that being pregnant can make you more susceptible to. Dr. Nazarian lets us in on why it is strongly discouraged.
“There are risks of complications, specifically skin burns, and given the altered hormonal state in pregnancy, this risk may be theoretically increased,” she shares. “There is also potential for the laser treatments to be less effective during pregnancy.” She stresses that the benefits are far outweighed by the risk of complications.
Other reasons to avoid getting laser hair removal while pregnant also involve the aforementioned pregnancy hormones. “If a burn occurs, you heal slower when pregnant and are more likely to hyper-pigment,” cautions Dr. Lupo. The latter makes sense seeing as how conditions like melasma (a.k.a. the pregnancy mask) tend to arise in pregnant people, as well as those who get hormone replacement therapy or take birth control pills.4
The additional hormones flowing through their systems cause telltale signs of melasma to appear—grayish-brown or brown patches on the face.5 And anything that irritates your skin, like lasers or even harsh skincare products, can also leave dark marks
Risks of Laser Skin Resurfacing During Pregnancy
With every in-office cosmetic treatment comes the potential for side effect risks. And laser skin resurfacing is no exception. Generally, they mimic a mild to severe sunburn—again, according to the intensity of treatment and the skin’s reaction to it—and cause some redness and swelling. In more intense cases, blistering may occur, which shouldn’t be picked to prevent scarring and undoing all that laser resurfacing magic.4
For pregnant people, laser skin resurfacing can pose further risks due to the influx of hormones.5 “Resurfacing has issues of delayed healing and the risk of hyperpigmentation,” explains Mary P. Lupo, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at the Lupo Center for Aesthetic & General Dermatology in New Orleans. This could make the treatment less effective, recovery more drawn out, and ultimately counterproductive, especially if a blister forms.
Deeper skin tones are especially at risk, as they tend to be more susceptible to cell damage and discoloration after laser treatment—though, depending on the device used, the risk can be mitigated in non-pregnant people.
There are also ancillary risks that are possible when getting laser skin resurfacing during pregnancy. “It is wise to avoid topical numbing agents while pregnant,” Dr. Murphy-Rose advises. “Since some of the anesthetic will be absorbed into your bloodstream.”
Numbing formulas, like lidocaine, are considered . This is because, although it’s known to cross the placenta in animal studies, there have been no well-controlled or adequate studies on using lidocaine in pregnant people. Translation: The subsequent effect on your baby is unknown