Can You Get Laser Hair Removal While You're Pregnant?

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Excess hair growth can be one of the many signs you're expecting, but it's not exactly something that may help you feel perfect in your skin. And as a mother-to-be, you'd likely want to get a little bit of aesthetic work done so you at least glow as much as motherhood affords you - but you should be careful about the particular type of hair removal method.

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Can pregnant women get laser hair removal work while they're carrying? While it's true that laser treatment doesn't affect pregnancy hormones or any impact on a developing baby, that's all based on assumption. We don't have any evidence that makes laser hair removal safe for pregnant women - so avoid laser therapy now and look for other options.

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Why Laser Hair Removal Is Risky During Pregnancy

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Laser hair removal for pregnant women is a little bit of a gray area regarding safety. Generally speaking, most scientists and market researchers don't actively put pregnant women through focus testing, especially for something non-essential like laser treatments for hair removal or hair reduction.

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As a result, we can only guess at the potential risks for pregnant women who get laser treatments. Some of the possible ways that laser treatment can affect you include the following:

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1. Hyperpigmentation

Pregnancy can cause many changes to your body, from additional hair growth to hyperpigmentation. Hyperpigmentation, in particular, is extremely risky for laser treatment since it can have severe reactions to the laser used for your procedure.

Laser hair removal treatment focuses light energy on the darker pigments in your hair follicle. This allows light therapy to remove unwanted hair without affecting the surrounding skin and tissue. However, this only works reliably if there's a good amount of contrast between your skin and hair.

With pregnancy-induced hyperpigmentation, patches of your skin or overall skin tone can darken significantly, interfering with the normal results of laser treatment. This doesn't just affect your results - it can also cause severe side effects that can be difficult to recover from.

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2. Changing Hair Growth Cycle

Pregnancy drastically affects your hormones - including the ones responsible for the rate of your hair growth. Laser hair removal isn't a one-and-done deal: on average, it takes a minimum of five to six treatments before you start seeing ideal results.

With a changing hair growth cycle, your laser hair treatment results can be less certain, and any result you might get can be drastically different and more challenging to administer. And even if you do decide to go forward with the treatment, the different hair growth will only guarantee results.

Worst-case scenario, you might find that your chosen appointments for your laser hair treatment fall under the times when your hair isn't growing at all - so you're not getting value out of your treatments! Remember, a typical pregnancy is nine months, and you'll want to get the most value out of your treatments for that long.

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3. Increased Skin Sensitivity

Another one of the changes to your body caused by pregnancy is sensitive skin. Because your body's blood supply has kicked into high gear to support a growing baby, so your skin is far more sensitive than usual.

Sensitive skin is typically not the best to work with any skin treatment, but this is especially true for laser hair removal. At the very best, you'll find the entire process uncomfortable - and at worst, it may be painful depending on which part of your body you get treated.

This can also be particularly difficult for women who already have sensitive skin to begin with. Not only will laser treatments be riskier for you overall, but it's also possible that they may do more harm than good.

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What Alternatives Do Women Have For Laser Hair Removal?

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So if laser hair removal treatment isn't safe, what options do pregnant women have for laser hair removal? Here are some alternatives you can look into:

• Waxing. If the treatment area isn't directly above your stomach or other sensitive parts of your body (for example, the nipples), it's generally safe to wax these areas.
• Shaving. Pregnant women can shave any body part if they take the proper precautions not to cut themselves. Limiting any risks of getting a wound prevents infections that may harm you or your baby.
• Tweezing. Shaving, tweezing, and plucking can be done on any part of your body as long as you're careful to clean and disinfect after you're done. Be sure not to irritate the skin while you're tweezing since that may cause excessive skin irritation.

In general, most providers suggest going for hair removal treatments that don't affect your skin beyond the surface layer - so nothing chemical, laser, or any treatment that puts your skin and body under a lot of strain.

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What About Laser Hair Removal Treatment Before Pregnancy?

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Getting laser hair removal if you're actively trying to get pregnant is a little more lenient where most providers are concerned: most of your treatments won't affect your baby-to-be. Most providers will usually have no problem administering laser hair removal for you at this point.

However, it's best to keep them in the loop regarding your plans for pregnancy. Some providers will not administer laser treatments for you if they know you're expecting, while others have a specific cutoff that they'll follow depending on how far along you are. The vital thing to keep in mind is just to let them know.

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BHRC: Safe and Efficient Laser Hair Removal Treatment, Approved By The Stars

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Pregnancy is never an excuse not to look your best - but for moms-to-be wanting to get rid of unwanted hair, you might want to avoid the laser machine for now. Fortunately, there are plenty of other methods of hair removal and controlling hair growth - ask us here at the Beverly Hills Rejuvenation Center!

Our services, like laser hair treatment, have been seen on the red carpet and big screen, and we have just the type of cosmetic procedure or skincare products to take care of your cosmetic concern. From acne treatment to unwanted hair growth, we can take care of you with the same treatments trusted by Hollywood.

Contact us today if you want to learn more about us and the services we can provide.