Can IPL freckle removal be done when you are pregnant?

Thank you for your
question.It is not recommended to perform any lasers or have any cosmetic treatments performed while pregnant. It is best to wait until after birth and until you are done breastfeeding. To be sure, see two
or more board-certified providers in your area for a complete evaluation to
make sure you are a good candidate and that it is safe for you to have
treatment.

I hope this helps.

Our office specializes in facial treatments and IPL. We do not perform IPL or laser treatments during pregnancy as the risks on the fetus have not been properly studied. If you feel that you might be pregnant, inform your skin specialist. Best, Dr. Karamanoukian Los Angeles

It is a contraindication and we would not recommend IPL treatments during pregnancy. Wait until after delivery to see where you are and have IPL then. 

Great question. Here at Stillwater Plastic Surgery, we cautiously recommend our lovely pregnant patients to wait until after pregnancy to receive any type of light therapy treatment. We also recommend that you wait to receive these treatments until after you have stopped nursing. Melasma can be triggered by fluctuations in hormone levels. Therefore hormone levels will not return to normal for several months after pregnancy and nursing. Receiving IPL or BBL while hormone levels are not at normal levels. This can actually cause Post Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation (PIH) and make the pigmentation issues worse.

It's always best to wait until after giving birth to consider cosmetic treatments. You never know how IPL may affect the fetus. After giving birth, your skin may experience many changes. You may notice spots and blemishes that you've never had, and other complexion irregularities. If you have your treatment before, you may find that you'll need another treatment again after. 

IPL treatment during pregnancy has not really been studied. It islikely safe when you are pregnant, but I would still recommend waiting until after you deliver. The reason for this is that pigmented skin lesions such as freckles often get darker during pregnancy, and lighten up naturally afterward. So the IPL treatment will be more effective if it's done after you are pregnant.

The reality of your question is that while we all know this can be safely done while pregnant, we all would recommend that you wait until after pregnancy to have IPL treatments, unless there is a medical reason to have it done, which there is not here. There is no formal studies that ever have been done on pregnant women with IPLs and although we have all probably treated pregnant people with these devices, the best bet is to wait.We also would not recommend using a topical medicine with hydroquinone either – again, these studies have not been done. Having said that, there are several cosmeceuticals that can be used during pregnancy that can have an effect on pigment – one of these is Neocutis’ Perle. This product has several actives in it that can affect the pigment pathway and because it only has actives in it, can be used at any time. But stay away from lasers and light.