Everything You Need To Know About Microneedling While Breastfeeding

What You Will Learn:

Microneedling is one of the popular facial aesthetic treatments nowadays especially for women. However, if you are currently breastfeeding, there are certain things you need to know about before you consider having it. While you can potentially be safe to avail Microneedling while breastfeeding, it would still be safe to consult your doctor to make sure that it is safe in your condition.

As soon as you finish reading this article, you’ll get to learn the following:

• You will learn about how microneedling works and how it might affect your body while breastfeeding. This is important especially if you are planning to do microneedling within your chest or breast area.
• You will learn about the appropriate skin care after doing the microneedling and what is the proper routine that you should do for its aftercare.
• You will learn about the different safety protocols when performing microneedling most especially within the breast and chest area.
• You will learn about the different pain management options if there are no numbing creams available.
• You will learn about the aftercare routine that you need to follow to avoid any potential risks and side effects.

What You Need To Know About Microneedling

It is one of the most popular skin treatments nowadays. Microneedling involves creating micro-injuries in the skin’s surface resulting in boosting the skin’s natural collagen production and improves the overall appearance of the skin. This has minimal to no downtime so most people who have tried this said that they can resume to their daily routine afterwards. This treatment mostly focuses on treating scars, wrinkles, and stretchmarks. While it is very popular with women, for women who are breastfeeding, you need to consult with your doctor first before proceeding with the treatment to ensure that it won’t affect you and your child.

This treatment can be done in two ways. You can have microneedling at home through an at-home microneedling roller and in a clinic through professional machines performed by an experienced team. Once you’ve had a thorough consultation with your doctor, they will advise you which between the two might suit your skin condition. Make sure to follow it to avoid any possible risks and to ensure your safety. You also need to be mindful that each body and skin type is different from one person to another so by being fully aware of your body and skin type you should be able to know the proper care you need to be mindful of.

The Importance Of Knowing Microneedling Risks While Breastfeeding

While yes, Microneedling is a generally safe skin treatment, it doesn’t apply every time for breastfeeding moms. It might have any risks to the mom or worst it might affect the child. It is very important that you have a thorough consultation with your doctor so that you could be fully aware and informed about the things that you should know before having it. One of the main reasons why it might not be suitable for breastfeeding moms is its ingredients that may contain retinoids which are not recommended for lactating moms. This could affect the breast milk once it’s absorbed in the skin surface.

Another thing is its active ingredients like hydroquinone and glycolic acid that once it absorbs to the bloodstream, it could possibly create risks for the body. Generally, it has minimal to no downtime but if you experience any side effects that you’d think is not usual and tolerable, make sure to let your clinic provider know about it so it could be resolved right away. This could help you avoid any further serious risks moving forward.

Safe Numbing Cream While Breastfeeding

Microneedling is generally safe and it uses numbing cream too to reduce discomfort since the process is that it will create micro-injuries in your skin surface. Lidocaine-based numbing creams are usually used during the treatment to make you more comfortable and to minimize the pain it may cause. When using it, it should not be anywhere near the nipple area. Make sure to pump your milk beforehand if ever you are getting microneedling within the chest or breast area to prevent any risks. Some people who have high pain tolerance can actually proceed with microneedling without applying any numbing cream. You can also communicate this to your doctor so that it could be an option for you.

What Are The Skin Care You Can Use & What To Avoid

Apart from having a thorough consultation with your doctor, you also need to make sure that you are adhering to an appropriate skin care routine. Some of the skin care ingredients you need to be mindful of are skin care products that contain Vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid, and Tranexamic Acid. These could help your skin when it comes to skin repairing, brightening, and hydrating your skin. However, there are also ingredients that you need to avoid such as Hydroquinone, retinoids, and glycolic acid which could affect the breast milk once it’s absorbed by your skin.

What Are The Treatment Areas For Microneedling

Microneedling is not only done within a specific area of the body but it could be anywhere. However, if you wish to have it within the breast or chest area, there are some precautions that you need to know especially if you are a lactating mom. Most women who choose to have it are dealing with stretchmarks after their pregnancy.

For breastfeeding moms, it is best to pump before undergoing the treatment so that you have enough milk supply while your skin is healing after the treatment. Typically, it would take around 24-48 hours to fully heal the area before you can resume direct breastfeeding. Again, you have to make sure that you’ve had a thorough consultation with your doctor to avoid any complications.

What To Expect in Microneedling without a Numbing Cream And Before Applying It

Using a numbing cream is not for everyone since everyone has different pain tolerance so it really depends on your skin. Generally, if you have a high pain tolerance, you’d be able to go through microneedling without applying any numbing cream especially on cheeks and forehead. Roller devices could also be more gentle and have low pain impact compared with professional machines.

What You Need To Do In Post‑Treatment Aftercare

After microneedling, you need to adhere to proper post treatment after care to make sure that there are no complications especially if you are a lactating mom. Such as proper cleansing of the area using gentle skin care cleanser. Make sure to know your skin type as well, especially if you have sensitive skin. You might also need to apply moisturizer to ensure that your skin is hydrated as it heals. Since you’ve done the microneedling, your skin would be more sensitive to sun exposure so it is highly recommended to always use sunscreen whenever you are going out. This is to protect your skin from harmful sunrays and to minimize the potential risks it may cause.

Most Commonly Asked Questions

• I’m a breastfeeding mom. Would it affect my breast milk production?

For the production itself, no it won’t affect the breast milk production. However, some of the ingredients of microneedling might be harmful to your skin once it’s absorbed. That’s the time that it might affect the quality of the breast milk and might be harmful to your child once it’s directly latched to your skin.

• How soon can I resume breastfeeding after the treatment?

After your microneedling treatment, it is advisable to wait for at least 24 to 48 hours before resuming breastfeeding. This is to allow your skin to heal especially if it’s done within your chest area. This is also to ensure that there are no active ingredients that might be harmful to your child once you resume.

• I’m thinking about doing it at home. Are at‑home microneedling kits safe while breastfeeding?

Yes, it is generally safe to use at-home microneedling kits but it should be done with proper knowledge of using it. You need to have a thorough consultation with an experienced medical practitioner so you’d know which part you should avoid especially if you are a breastfeeding mom. Make sure that before using it you know how to properly use it and what are the steps you need to take for its aftercare.

• Which skincare ingredients should definitely be avoided?

You should be avoiding skin care ingredients that contain active ingredients like retinoid, Hydroquinone, and glycolic acid. Because if these ingredients are absorbed by the skin, it might affect the quality of the breast milk which may be harmful to your child. It is best to have a consultation with your doctor when it comes to your breastfeeding journey and with your chosen clinic provider so that you can be fully aware and informed about the things you need to know from start to finish. The effect of microneedling does not only end with its primary benefits but you should also maintain it by adhering to proper skin care and after care.