Pregnancy and NUrsing safe beauty treatments
can you get aesthetic treatments when you’re pregnant?!
Hellooo all! I am currently pregnant with baby #2 and we are 1 month away from her due date. That being said, as an aesthetic nurse practitioner, I have had to educate myself and my patients what is considered safe and what are absolute “no-nos” in pregnancy and lactation when it comes to skin care and beauty treatments. With all the things I, myself have had to give up, I thought I would shed some light for those of you wondering the same things - can you get botox and fillers when you’re pregnant?! Can I still get facials and laser treatments?!
You can refer to my previous blog post on pregnancy safe skin care ingredients, but I’ll outline which ingredients to AVOID below.
skin care ingredients to avoid during pregnancy and lactation:
retinols or retin-a
Avoid all retinols and Retin-A (tretinoin) during pregnancy and lactation. These are forms of Vitamin A, and although studies of ingesting forms of Vitamin A have been associated with abnormal fetal development/birth defects, there are not enough studies to show it’s safety when applied topically. In 4 published case reports, there were birth defects associated with topical tretinoin use, and thus consensus remains - all forms of retinoids should be avoided:
Adapalene (Differin)
Alitretinoin
Bexarotene
Isotretinoin (Accutane)
retinoic acid, retinol
retinyl linoleate
retinyl palmitate
Tazarotene (Tazorac)
Tretinoin (Retin-A)
hydroquinone
Hydroquinone is a highly potent and effective skin-lightening/bleaching agent used to target hyperpigmentation. This ingredient has not been studied in pregnant humans, but animal studies show the development of issues when given in high doses. It has been estimated that 35% to 45% is systemically absorbed following topical use in humans and because of this, it is recommended to AVOID hydroquinone use during pregnancy and lactation.
Beauty treatments To avoid during pregnancy and lactation:
For those of us that have been diligent with our botox maintenance and other aesthetic treatments, there have been some controversy over whether it’s safe or not during pregnancy. The consensus for the treatments listed below are that these should be avoided because of the mixed studies showing whether it’s safe or not.
Botox, Dysport, Xeomin and other neurotoxins: these are strictly off-limits!
Hyaluronic Acid dermal fillers and other dermal injectables like Sculptra, Radiesse, and Kybella - NO!
Any procedure that requires the use of topical anesthetics (Microneedling, Radio-Frequency Microneedling, and some laser procedures (CO2 lasers) - NO-NO!
The use of anesthetics in pregnant people is restricted to medically necessary procedures.
Chemical Peels: any chemical peels using salicylic acid or TCA should not be used. The use of glycolic and lactic acid peels have been used safely and there is conflicting advice about this, but I recommend avoiding all facial chemical peels until after childbirth.
Sclerotherapy (vein injection treatment)
Body/Cool Sculpting - NOO
Pregnancy safe aesthetic treatments:
There have not been a comprehensive study of laser procedures on pregnant patients; however, these procedures are generally considered safe as long as topical numbing/anesthetic is not required. One thing to keep in mind however, is pregnant women tend to develop melasma and as melasma can worsen from heat/sun exposure, it is advised we don’t do any laser treatments on the face in pregnancy. Laser on other areas below the waist like laser hair removal is technically considered safe - but will be up to your laser technician’s discretion on how comfortable they feel performing the procedure on a pregnant patient.
Facials
Dermplaning
Microdermabrasion
Laser treatments - laser hair removal, BBL/IPL, or V-Beam - but again, these are up to your aesthetic provider and laser technician on how comfortable they are performing the procedure on a pregnant patient.
