We do not do laser hair removal during pregnancy. Not because harm has been proven: there are simply no safety studies, and nobody is going to run them on pregnant women. The second reason is practical: pregnancy hormones change hair growth, and a course at this time gives an unpredictable result. Over 7 years many of our clients paused their course, gave birth and came back to us to finish it, and the result was excellent!
Why laser is not done during pregnancy
Laser light goes only a few millimetres into the skin, heats the hair root and stops there. It physically does not reach the baby. But there are no studies confirming safety either: such studies are not carried out on pregnant women. Doctors in this situation advise postponing the treatment until after the birth, and we follow the same rule.
There is a second reason that gets mentioned less often. During pregnancy the skin becomes more sensitive, pigmentation appears more often, and hair grows by different rules. Even if the safety question were settled, there is no point spending course sessions on hair that will fall out by itself in six months.
Sources: American Pregnancy Association
What happens to hair during pregnancy
Pregnancy hormones, above all oestrogen, keep hair in the active growth phase. Normal shedding almost stops, so the hair on your head gets thicker and body hair often appears where it never grew before: the belly, chest, face, back. This is most noticeable in the second half of pregnancy.
After the birth oestrogen drops sharply, and the hair that was held in the growth phase all this time moves into the resting phase en masse. About 3 months after the birth noticeable shedding begins, it lasts up to six months, and by the child's first birthday everything is back to normal. The new hair on the belly and face usually disappears by itself in that time.
For laser the conclusion is simple. Hair that grew during pregnancy usually does not need to be removed with a laser, it is temporary. And the stable growth cycle we build the course intervals around only returns a few months after the birth.
Sources: Cleveland Clinic
What to do if pregnancy comes in the middle of a course
We pause the course. The result of the sessions you have had does not go anywhere: follicles the laser has already destroyed do not recover. You simply continue the course after the birth from where you stopped.
If you found out about the pregnancy a week or two after a session, there is nothing to worry about. There is no data on harm, and the light does not reach the baby. Tell us, and we move the next visit to after the birth.
One thing to be ready for: after the birth you may need 1-2 more sessions than planned. Hormones have woken up some of the sleeping follicles, and they will need to be caught in a new growth cycle.
How to remove hair during pregnancy
Shaving works best: it does not touch the root or irritate the skin, so after the birth the course continues without delay. Wax and sugaring are also fine, but the skin is more sensitive during pregnancy and irritation is often stronger than usual. Depilatory creams and hair bleaching are better put off: they work chemically, and right now the skin reacts unpredictably.
When you are ready to come back to the laser, switch from wax to a razor 3-4 weeks before the first visit (how to prepare for laser hair removal). The laser needs a hair with its root.
Sources: American Pregnancy Association
When to come back after the birth
Our clients come back after they finish breastfeeding. By then the hormones have settled, postpartum shedding is over and the hair growth cycle is regular again: every session works at full strength. If you are not breastfeeding, the guide is the same in spirit: once postpartum shedding has ended, usually 3-6 months after the birth.
Laser hair removal while breastfeeding is not forbidden, but it is better to discuss it with your doctor. The hormones have not yet settled after the birth, and treatment at this time may not give a good result. You can start earlier, but some sessions will go on hair that is about to fall out by itself.
If you are only planning a pregnancy
A course of 6-10 sessions takes from 8 months to a year and a half. If a pregnancy is planned in the coming months, there is no point starting a course now: you will manage 2-3 sessions, then a pause of a year or more, and the course will have to be finished later. It is better to do it in full after the birth.
If your plans are a year or two away, there is enough time. Start now, and you will go into the pregnancy with a finished result, with only maintenance sessions 1-2 times a year left after the birth.
How we handle it
At the first visit we ask about pregnancy and your plans for one, it is part of the free consultation. If you are expecting, we do not talk you into a treatment or set a date, we agree on when to come back. Your course is guided by one specialist from the first visit to the last, so after a pause you do not start from zero: we know where we stopped and continue by your hair growth. We work on a hybrid laser (alexandrite, diode and neodymium) with contact cooling, and after the birth, when the skin is still sensitive, that matters even more.
Reviewed by: MEDULLA team