IPL: Q&A
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Is It Safe to Get IPL Treatments when Pregnant?
I just found out that I'm about 5 to 6 weeks pregnant. I have an IPL session scheduled, for my face, in 2 weeks. I am mainly having it done for sun damage and I've never had this done before. Can/should I still have this procedure done?
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14 Doctor Answers |
Asked by
anon
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I do not recommend IPL for pregnant women. The hormonal...
I do not recommend IPL for pregnant women. The hormonal changes of pregnancy can alter the effect of the broad band light therapy and result in stimulation of pigmentation, and accelerate or precipitate melasma.
There is no danger to the baby.
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IPL during pregnancy
There are no studies indicating whether it is safe or not in pregnancy. During pregnancy hormones flucuate and there is more risk of hyperpigmentation from the laser. That being said, I recommend waiting to do IPL until after pregnancy.
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It Is Not Safe To Get IPL Treatment During Pregnancy
I do not recommend an IPL treatment during pregnancy. Hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy can induce dilation of blood vessels, resulting in more redness, as well as a darkening of pigmentation. Therefore results from an IPL treatment at this point may not be as long-lived. In addition, it is generally not advised to perform such treatments during pregnancy, as there are no studies to corroborate whether it is safe or not.
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IPL is a safe procedure, but should be deferred until after pregnancy.
IPL is in theory and in practice completely safe during pregnancy. There is no harmful energy or ionizing radiation involved. My preference is not to treat patients during pregnancy, particularly for melasma, because the pregnancy hormones could exacerbate the pigmentation anyway. In addition, even if this is a perfectly safe and mostly comfortable, well-tolerated procedure, there could be a patient who reacts differently to the treatment, feels more discomfort than the the usual for example...
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It is recommended to wait...
There are no studies proving it is safe or harmful. It is recommended to wait until after you have delivered.
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IPL during pregnancy
Pregnancy causes skin alteration in unpredicted ways. IPL has not been tested in pregnant women and as such we cannot say with certainty that it would affect you adversely. However, I urge you to wait after pregnancy as your skin is likely to react to the laser in a way it may not normally do if you were at your baseline hormone levels. If it is performed on your face there is unlikely to be harm to the fetus though OBs advise against it.
New Haven Dermatologic Surgeon
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IPL while pregnant
IPL is not recommended once you find out you're pregnant. The worse case scenario is you run into complications post IPL and you're unable to take the proper antibiotics because of the pregnancy.
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Laser treatments are not recommended during pregnancy
It is best to wait until several months after delivery to get laser or IPL treatments. Hormonal changes during pregnancy change skin pigmentation and the way skin responds.
Also, laser and IPL treatments have not been tested for safety in pregnant women, so such data is not available.
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Pregnancy and IPL
It would be difficult to imagine why an intense light on your face would put your baby at risk. That being said, the laser companies will let you know that using any laser during pregnancy is contraindicated. So the message may be mixed and without any studies to back one of the positions it is still an unknown. As for the results and timing of the treatment you should know 2 things.. 1. You may get changes in your skin throughout pregnancy that will need an IPL after you...
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Boulder Dermatologist
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IPL is best deferred until after pregnancy
Hi there-
I don't think most physicians believe that the IPL will put you or your baby at risk, but most would agree that the hormones of pregnancy DO alter the way your skin will respond to the light of the IPL, making the outcome a bit unpredictable.
Better to wait until after you deliver.
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Pregnancy is a CONTRAINDICATION to having IPL
Pregnancy is a contraindication for IPL and BBL (Broad Band Light) treatments. The effect on the fetus is unknown and the hormonal shifts of pregnancy make the response of pigmented lesions very unpredictable. It is best to have the treatment after the pregnancy when you reach a normal pre-pregnancy hormonal state.
Dr. P. Aldea
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Wait until after pregnancy for IPL
Although there is no scientific evidence relating to potential damage to the fetus, it is recommended that you forego any laser treatment while pregnant or lactating. This is purely a precautionary measure.
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IPL treatments during pregnancy should be avoided
In my opinion, the IPL treatments should be avoided due to the increase in surging hormones in your body. While it is unlikely there would be any direct harm to the developing child, your melanocytes or pigment producing cells in your skin can react unexpectedly to trauma and hyperpigment or you may get additional broken blood vessels. For this reason, I caution my pregnant patients to wait until the end of pregnancy before beginning treatment. However, when breastfeeding, there probably is...
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IPL While Pregnant
Because very few treatments of any sort have been studied in pregnant or lactating women, most dermatologists would advise waiting till after the pregnancy.
Besides, a variety of brown blemishes or burst blood vessels may develop during pregnancy, which can then be cleaned up by the IPL afterwards safely.
While the risk of treatment would be remote, why have any risk?
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