Is it safe to have laser treatment for melasma while pregnant?

Question

Previously i was using topical creams, however stopped while we were trying to conceive. Now that i am pregnant my melasma is getting worse and would love to know what treatment is safe during pregnancy

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Melasma may be worsened by pregnancy. I would wait until you have delivered your child before beginning any elective cosmetic regimen. Best, Dr. Karamanoukian Los Angeles

Harold J. Kaplan, MD · Answer

Hi Elli. There are two issues here.  The first is that you are pregnant and we never provide cosmetic treatments to pregnant women for liability reasons.  There have been no studies on laser treatments of this type for pregnant women, but also there is no indication that it would be problematic.The much bigger issue is that lasers are not an effective treatment for Melasma.  Yes, they can sometimes provide some initial benefit, but because Melasma is chronic, it will always return and what we have seen with our patients that previously had lasers at other facilities is that the lasers often make the condition "rebound" worse that it was before.  We know how troubling Melasma can be, but we would never suggest laser treatments even if you weren't pregnant because it can make your Melasma worse.

Is it safe to have laser treatment for melasma while pregnant?

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Is it safe to have laser treatment for melasma while pregnant?

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Everything you need to know about Laser Resurfacing

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.