Why laser tattoo and PMU removal is not done while pregnant

This topic matters both to clients and to specialists. People do ask about it, and it is a relevant question, but whether removal is allowed or not is far from clear.

To work it out, let's start from afar. First, let's look at what happens to pigment after it has been treated with a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The pigment does not simply disappear on its own. It is a long process!

During the procedure, an ultrashort flash shatters the pigment. Its small particles are carried by the immune system into the lymph flow, and then either leave the body or stay in the lymph nodes.

The original size of the pigment particles is about 50–500 nm, and after the laser treatment it is 5–7 nm. In other words, the beam hits the pigment with very high power and high energy and breaks it into small particles.

These particles are captured by immune cells and transported into the lymphatic vessels and capillaries, entering the lymph flow. Our lymphatic system is built in such a way that it joins the circulatory system. There are two main ducts: the thoracic duct and the right lymphatic duct. They drain into the general bloodstream, which means that some of the broken-down pigment does too.

Don't panic. The same thing happens when pigment is put into the skin. About 30% of the pigment is "washed out" by the body. When removing a tattoo, the laser simply speeds this process up considerably.

So how is all this connected with pregnancy and breastfeeding?

Obviously, during pregnancy the bodies of the mother and the baby are very closely linked. A special organ forms: the placenta. It is a fairly complex system that allows the foetus to receive everything it needs from the mother's body and to return all metabolic products back into the mother's bloodstream. That is why the bloodstreams of the mother and the foetus are very closely connected.

But! The bloodstreams do not mix. There is a blood–placental barrier between them. Without going into detail, the point is that it separates the two bloodstreams and protects them from each other.

The problem is that nobody has studied how permeable this blood–placental barrier is to heavy metals, tattoo ink breakdown products and so on. This has to be taken into account.

So it turns out that the processes of both putting pigment into the skin and removing it have not been studied, and their effect on the development of the foetus is not fully understood. No guarantees can be given here.

Important! For the safety of the mother and the foetus, pregnancy and breastfeeding are absolute contraindications to tattooing and to tattoo removal. There are no studies, but there are some concerns, so it makes sense to recommend avoiding the procedure.

An interesting point: women quite often want to change something about themselves during pregnancy, in particular to remove tattoos or PMU they are tired of, or to get new ones.

In such cases the main and indisputable argument is this phrase: "What matters more to you? Your baby's health and development, or your eyebrows or tattoo?"

This phrase usually brings clients back down to earth very effectively, and all such procedures are postponed until breastfeeding is over.

Use this information to cool the enthusiasm of such clients and avoid harming the baby's health!