Is LHR really harmful during pregnancy?

Hair Removal Methods Laser hair removal
#1

I’m not pregnant but I was thinking about trying some time in the new year. I haven’t read any definitive answer on this subject <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />. It seems to be one of those poorly researched areas. The place where I get LHR done says they won’t do it on pregnant women. However, when I had my consultation elsewhere for IPL they told me it was perfectly safe because it barely penetrated the skin so it couldn’t reach a baby.

It seems like it’s just a legal precaution for my LHR place to not do it on pregnant women. Just in case the woman miscarries for some unknown reason the LHR place doesn’t want to be blamed.

What do you guys think? If you have links to research articles that would be great.

Thanks!

BTW - I’m using the diode laser

#2

yes, it is probably just a legal precaution, but i wouldn’t risk it. first of all, your hormones go crazy during pregnancy, which for a lot of people can affect your hair growth in general. second, there just hasn’t been enough research done on this since lasers for hair removal are relatively new, so why risk it.

#3

You’re right that it’s not worth the risk if you don’t know for sure but I was just hoping that somewhere there was a scientist who had done a research study on this! With pregnancy there is very little or no research regarding the effects of even some more common things such as hair dye that it gets so frustrating <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />. Oh well!

#4

It [color:“red”] [/color] IS very frustrating! However, the reason you hear the word “NO!” to everything for pregnant women is simple: how can you do reseach on pregnant women in the first place and offer assurances that it would not harm the baby? No one could promise no harm would result. I really doubt there would be a line of pregnant mothers to volunteer or even be paid for anything that might risk the health of their baby.

Producing a healthy child is foremost, but second to that is,do we really want to give the lawyers this kind of live bait?

Dee

#5

The main reason that LHR isn’t recommended during pregnancy doesn’t really have to do with how deep the laser penetrates into the skin. It actually has to do with the melanin changes that may occur in your skin while pregnant. Because the laser is attracted to the dark pigment in the hair (melanin) in order to destroy the hair, it is also attracted to melanin anywhere else. Some pregnant women can have darker spots during pregnancy that may not be readily evident to the naked eye, but the laser will see, and thus be attracted to…and then you get the snot burned out of you in this one area.