Can You Have Laser Hair Removal While Pregnant?
The short answer is no — we do not treat during pregnancy, and nor should any clinic that is being straight with you. The longer answer is more useful, because it explains why, and what to do in the meantime.
Why we say no
It would be easy to imply laser hair removal is dangerous in pregnancy. It would also be dishonest, because nobody has shown that.
The real reason is simpler and less dramatic: it has never been studied. No one runs safety trials on pregnant women for an elective cosmetic treatment, so there is no body of evidence to point at in either direction. Laser hair removal works by targeting pigment in the hair follicle, and the energy does not travel beyond the skin — so there is no obvious mechanism by which it could reach a pregnancy. But “no obvious mechanism” is not the same as “demonstrated safe”.
For a treatment you medically need, you weigh an unknown against a benefit. For hair removal, there is nothing to weigh. It can wait nine months.
If a clinic offers to treat you while pregnant, that tells you something about how they handle the rest of their protocol.
The other reason: it would be wasted money
Even setting safety aside, pregnancy is close to the worst time to run a course of laser hair removal.
Raised oestrogen holds more hairs in the growing phase instead of letting them shed on the normal cycle. That is why so many women notice more hair during pregnancy, often coarser, and often somewhere new — the stomach, the chest, the jawline. It is a hormonal change, not a permanent one.
Most of that hair leaves on its own. As hormones settle after birth, the hairs that were being held in place shed, commonly somewhere between three and six months postpartum. So a course run during pregnancy would be spent chasing hair that was going to go anyway, on a cycle that is not behaving normally.
How it fits around a pregnancy
Before
Trying to conceive is not a reason to stop. Treatment continues as normal — just tell us, so that if anything changes we already know.
During
We pause. If you are mid-course, nothing is lost: hair grows in cycles and a gap does not undo the sessions you have completed. We will reassess spacing when you return rather than picking up the old schedule, because the hair will have moved on in the meantime.
After birth
Resume once your postnatal check has cleared you. There is no fixed week count, and we would generally suggest waiting until the postpartum shed has finished — otherwise you are treating a moving target.
Breastfeeding
Generally not a barrier. Laser hair removal is localised and is not absorbed systemically, so it does not reach breast milk. We avoid the breast and areola area while you are feeding. Mention it at consultation so we can plan around it.
What to use in the meantime
Shaving is completely safe and is what we suggest for most people. It does not make hair grow back thicker — that is a myth about the blunt cut edge, not the follicle.
Waxing and threading are fine. Be warned that skin is often more sensitive during pregnancy, so expect both to sting more than you are used to.
Depilatory creams are the one worth asking your doctor about first. They work chemically rather than mechanically, and how much is absorbed through the skin has not been well studied.
If you had a session before you knew
This is common, and it is not a cause for alarm. There is no known mechanism by which laser hair removal would affect a pregnancy. Mention it at your next appointment with your doctor or midwife for reassurance, and let us know so we can pause the rest of your course.
Questions we hear
Can you have laser hair removal while pregnant?
No. We do not treat during pregnancy, and most reputable clinics take the same position. It is not that laser has been shown to harm a pregnancy — it is that it has never been studied in pregnancy at all, and an elective cosmetic treatment is not where you accept an unknown. We will happily book you in for after.
Is laser hair removal dangerous during pregnancy?
There is no evidence that it is, and that is precisely the problem: there is no evidence either way. Laser hair removal works at the level of the hair follicle and does not reach beyond the skin, so there is no obvious mechanism for harm. But no one runs safety trials on pregnant women for a cosmetic procedure, so the honest answer is that nobody knows, and we are not willing to find out on you.
I had a session before I knew I was pregnant. Should I worry?
This happens more often than you might think, and there is no reason to panic. There is no known mechanism by which laser hair removal would affect a pregnancy. Mention it to your doctor or midwife at your next appointment for peace of mind, and let us know so we can pause the rest of your course.
Why does pregnancy make hair grow more?
Raised oestrogen keeps more hairs in the growing phase for longer instead of letting them shed on the usual cycle. The result is more hair, often coarser, and frequently in places you have not had it before — the stomach, the chest, the face. It is normal, and for most people it is temporary.
Will the extra hair go away after birth?
Usually, yes. As hormones settle, the hairs held in the growing phase shed — often noticeably, somewhere between three and six months postpartum. That is also why treating during pregnancy would be poor value even if it were advisable: you would be paying to remove hair that was likely to leave anyway.
When can I start laser hair removal again after giving birth?
Once you have been cleared at your postnatal check and your cycle has begun to settle. There is no fixed number of weeks. In practice we suggest waiting until the postpartum shed has run its course, because treating before then means working against a moving target.
Can I have laser hair removal while breastfeeding?
Generally yes. Laser hair removal is a localised treatment with no systemic absorption, so it does not reach breast milk. We would avoid treating the breast and areola area while you are feeding. Tell us at consultation either way, so we can plan around it.
What can I use to manage hair during pregnancy?
Shaving is entirely safe and is what we suggest for most people. Waxing and threading are fine too, though skin is often more sensitive in pregnancy so expect it to sting more than usual. Depilatory creams are the one category worth raising with your doctor first, since they work chemically and absorption has not been well studied.
Do I lose my course if I pause?
No. Hair grows in cycles and a gap does not undo completed sessions. You will likely need the remaining sessions respaced once you return, because the hair will have moved through its cycles in the meantime, and we will reassess rather than simply resuming the old schedule.
When you are ready
We treat women only, across twelve clinics in Ontario and British Columbia, and hormonal hair change is a large part of what we see. If pregnancy is behind you and the hair has not gone with it, that is worth a consultation rather than another year of shaving.
We have written separately about PCOS and hair removal and about facial hair at menopause, which are the other two points where hormones change what your hair does. For how the treatment itself works and what a course costs, see our laser hair removal page.
