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07 January 2009

Answer to Question #2648 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Pregnancy and Radiation

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

I am currently receiving laser hair removal treatments on my bikini line and under my arms. At each office visit, I have to sign a release stating that I have not been in the sun for four weeks prior to the treatment and that I am not pregnant. I am currently trying to conceive and have an appointment scheduled before I will find out my results. If I did conceive, it would have been last week. Is it safe to keep my appointment? Will laser treatments to my bikini area harm a fetus? I would appreciate any insight.

The laser radiation is electromagnetic radiation in the light wavelength and is nothing like x rays. Furthermore, the exposure is only to your skin and would penetrate only a few millimeters beyond the skin and would never expose the embryo or fetus. Of course every healthy pregnant woman has a 3 percent risk of birth defects and a 15 percent risk of miscarriage. Neither you nor I can alter that risk. Good luck with your pregnancy.

Robert Brent, MD, PhD, DSc

Answer posted on 9 May 2003. The information and material posted on this Web site is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Web site. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.