Welcome to everything about pregnancy hair!
As women, we are all quite acquainted with the hair removal process. We frequent laser treatment salons, waxing centers, and have our very own DIY waxing kits in our home bathrooms. The depilatory market is one of the biggest global markets, projected to achieve 1.35 billion dollars by 2023. When becoming pregnant, if you notice some alterations in hair growth- don’t be alarmed!
Your hair may grow faster, have different texture, or perhaps appear where there wasn’t any before.
You are not alone!
Hair increase and growth while pregnant are mainly attributed to hormonal changes in your body. You might remember your laser technician telling you hair regrowth may come back while pregnant due to hormonal changes. She wasn't wrong! Due to a rise in the hormone androgen, facial and body hair may grow faster and darker than usual. Androgens include male hormones such as testosterone and, even though they are naturally contained in females, they increase throughout pregnancy. It's the androgens that change where the hair grows on the body, often causing it to look in unexpected places such as around the nipples or on your abdomen. Women often start experiencing pregnancy induced hair growth within the first trimester, once the amounts of androgen within their body increases. Hair usually feels fuller than before due to relatively no hair loss during this period. While pregnant, the increase in hormones causes the hair to stay in the resting phase longer. It thus results in the look of lustrous hair as well as the appearance of more bodily hair. As well as the increase in androgen, the daily intake of vitamins and greater meals may also be conducive to rapid hair regrowth.
Before conceiving a child, hair grows at a rate of about one centimeter (not even half one inch) a month, with 90 percent of it growing and falling out, while the remaining 10 % lies dormant inside a resting phase. However, pregnancy alters this natural cycle. Estrogen can put a higher number of hair into a resting phase. It may seem that it’s becoming thicker, but in reality, not as much locks are falling out.
Additionally, androgen and estrogen will also be responsible for darkening of your skin, most often inside a line called “linea nigra between your navel and pelvis, around your nipples, and on the face – where it’s called chloasma. Not everybody experiences this hyperpigmentation, but if you do, you may feel that it can make your body hair appear more noticeable.
However, it is important to remember these are all very normal biological responses to pregnancy.
Yes, having a fuzzy belly while pregnant is common and perfectly healthy!
To get rid of any stray hairs you might find, you can safely tweeze, wax, or shave. However, avoid chemicals for example bleaches or depilatories, which could be absorbed into the bloodstream. Additionally, laser treatment and epilating products are not safe to continue while pregnant either due to the not enough information around the effects these techniques may have on the fetus. Although waxing is protected, it might be particularly more painful as your skin is much more sensitive during pregnancy, and repeated waxing can cause inflammation.
Your frantic shaving-inducing hair won’t last for long!
Most of the pregnancy-induced hair will fall out right after your child arrives, usually over the following six months. After the baby is born, your hair growth cycle should go back to normal. Most women lose a lot of hair within the postpartum period or after they stop breastfeeding because hormones are returning to normal levels and also the rest cycle also dates back to the previous pattern. However, this hormonal leveling does lead to significant hair shedding. It might take a few growth cycles before the hair returns to normal.
When to call your physician:
If your body hair becomes notably thinner during pregnancy, you should see your doctor, because this could indicate a nutritional deficiency. And, in case your hair hasn’t returned to a normal growth pattern within six months of having a baby, go to your doctor to possess your hormone levels checked.
Some pregnant women also experience severe hair shedding during pregnancy. It might be because of iron, protein, or iodine deficiencies.