{"id":18214,"date":"2021-01-29T14:46:48","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T22:46:48","guid":{"rendered":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/?p=18214"},"modified":"2021-03-01T11:19:59","modified_gmt":"2021-03-01T19:19:59","slug":"cosmetic-treatments-during-pregnancy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/cosmetic-treatments-during-pregnancy","title":{"rendered":"6 Treatments You Might Think Would Be Okay During Pregnancy\u2014But Aren\u2019t"},"content":{"rendered":"

The list of things that are off-limits during pregnancy is a long one. When you start looking into cosmetic treatments or procedures, that list grows even longer. The hard truth of the matter is that aside from a basic facial, there’s really not much you can do while pregnant. “Sadly, pretty much everything is off the table during pregnancy,” says Dr. Janet Allenby<\/a>, a board-certified dermatologist in Delray Beach, Florida. “The big issue is the lack of safety studies. There are inherent risks and potential complications that come with aesthetic procedures, regardless of pregnancy, that many are willing to take, but it’s ethically more of a challenge to justify during pregnancy, when the goal is to do no harm to mom or baby,” she explains. <\/p>

So yes, generally speaking, there simply isn’t enough data to back up the safety of performing most cosmetic treatments on pregnant women. But while some are more obvious no-nos than others (surgery, Botox<\/a>), there are a handful of, seemingly more innocuous treatments that one might think are okay to do while pregnant. Spoiler alert: they’re still not. These experts explain why.<\/p>

Hyaluronic acid fillers<\/h2>

It’s easy to understand why neurotoxin injections are dangerous for pregnant women; there’s a toxin involved, after all. But hyaluronic acid is a substance that’s produced naturally in our own bodies (not to mention, it’s safe to use topically during pregnancy), so what’s the issue with HA fillers<\/a>? “They do have a very low risk of side effects, and theoretically, there should be a small risk to the fetus since the hyaluronic acid is something our skin already has,” says Dr. Allenby. “More commonly, the risk to the pregnant mother is the lidocaine that’s added to most HA fillers, to reduce the discomfort during the injection. Tiny doses of lidocaine are permissible in pregnancy for medically necessary procedures, but larger doses could cause fetal abnormalities,” she explains. (There are non-lidocaine fillers out there, but most doctors don’t keep them on hand.) And lidocaine aside, you should avoid any type of cosmetic injections during pregnancy; anxiety and discomfort during the procedure can cause a sudden spike in blood pressure or make you faint, says Dr. Jessie Cheung<\/a>, a board-certified dermatologist in Willowbrook, Illinois. Plus given that it’s very common for faces and lips to swell during pregnancy, it makes sense just to wait it out, she adds.<\/p>

Interested in dermal fillers?<\/small><\/div>Find Doctors Near You<\/a><\/div>

Dermaplaning<\/h2>

Of all the procedures on the list, this is arguably the safest option for pregnant women, since it removes only the top layer of dead skin, says Dr. Cheung. “In and of itself, dermaplaning<\/a> is fine—the issue is the potential to accidentally cut the skin and [set the stage for] an infection,” adds Dr. Allenby. To that point, pregnant women’s skin is more vascular, so you’re more likely to bleed after an accidental nick; that risk of a cut and infection is why many aestheticians won’t perform dermaplaning on pregnant women, explains Dr. Cheung.<\/p>

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