We get a lot of questions about which skin treatments are ideal to get while pregnant, and to be completely honest, the list is on the shorter side. This can be super frustrating as pregnancy can often throw the skin completely out of whack due to hormonal changes. It’s as though the universe is telling us we can’t have one more very pressing thing that we could really use in this moment, on top of the list of other pregnancy don’ts (foods, drinks, activities—the list is endless).

That being said, the reason that many treatments are off limits during both pregnancy and nursing is not necessarily because they’re unsafe, it’s just that we simply have no concrete evidence to support the safety of these treatments due to a lack of medical research. In other words, it’s not that these treatments are conclusively unsafe, but we don’t have enough studies to tell you that they’re absolutely safe, either.

When it comes to pregnancy and breastfeeding, erring on the side of caution is always the way to go. And thankfully, not everything is absolutely off limits. Here are some popular treatments to avoid, and also a few things you can safely do while pregnant or nursing.

Skin Treatments to Avoid During Pregnancy

Avoid It: Botox and Filler

Sometimes patients call us letting us know they found out they are pregnant, worried that they did harm to the fetus by recently undergoing Botox or injection filler treatments. We always tell them they have nothing to worry about. Since we simply have no concrete evidence to support the safety on these treatments, we do not advise undergoing Botox and/or filler treatments during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, and at our clinic we won’t treat you during this time.

However, if you had these treatments done before you found out you were pregnant you don’t have anything to worry about. Don’t stress yourself out with an endless number of Google searches on the harms of Botox and filler during pregnancy because, to be honest, you won’t find any solid facts out there, only a bunch of mixed messages.

Avoid It: Laser and RF treatments

We don’t recommend undergoing laser and/or radiofrequency (RF) treatments while you are pregnant or breastfeeding. The hormones your body produces during pregnancy and while breastfeeding make your skin extremely sensitive, especially to heat and light.

Lasers especially can burn the skin and cause other damage like hyper or hypopigmentation (meaning patches of skin that are darker or lighter), so you want to be really careful about when you time these types of treatments. Again, we won’t offer you laser or RF treatments during pregnancy or if you’re nursing, and if you find a provider that does, that’s an instant red flag.

Skincare Treatments that are Safe for Pregnancy

Get It: Miracle 10 Peel Treatment for Pregnancy

Finally some good news! After all, you do deserve some much needed TLC. Pregnancy or nursing and taking care of a baby is, needless to say, pretty crazy hard. And you deserve to be pampered. SO, we do have a safe modification of our Miracle 10 facial treatment, which basically gives you our full facial treatment work up without applying an acid concentration to the skin in order to be extra cautious and gentle.

Our Miracle 10 facial peel treatments are always very gentle but super effective, whether acid is applied or not. This treatment will never leave your skin feeling raw. During a standard peel, a concentration of acid is only applied to the skin for about one minute. So without this step, during a 45-minute treatment, you’re not missing a huge component.

When you come in for your pregnancy Miracle 10 facial treatment, we’ll start by applying Cleanser and Toner followed by a fruit enzyme exfoliating scrub. We’ll apply the fruit enzyme scrub instead of dermaplaning to be extra gentle. We’ll skip the acid step and follow it up with our soothing clay mask and give you a chance to rest and relax while it works its magic. We’ll remove the mask with a light massage, followed by a hot towel. Then we’ll very carefully draw dry ice over the skin’s surface, which is antibacterial and refreshing.

The peel treatment ends with a cocktail of luxe skincare totally customized to your needs. This can include products like stem cell serum, eye treatments and sunscreen to protect the skin, and a light massage with either a light serum or a more deeply hydrating moisturizer if you need it.

This is a super nice and relaxing treatment if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, and the best part is that it will help with most of your skin concerns.

Get It: Safe Skincare for Pregnancy

Finally, your skin changes during pregnancy and so your skincare routine might need to change as well. In terms of skincare while pregnant or nursing, we recommend that the one thing you avoid is Retinol, but all other products are fine for use, including glycolic and lactic acids.

If you’re still unsure about what treatments to avoid while pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have a particular skin concern caused by pregnancy that you’d like to address (melasma, we’re looking at you), we’re always ready to hear you out and help you in any way that we can.