Are lash lifts safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about lash lifts during pregnancy?

1. MotherToBaby's overview of cosmetic exposures in pregnancy takes a consistent stance on spa and salon services that haven't been specifically studied in pregnancy, which includes most lash services: talk with your prenatal provider about any procedure you're considering rather than assuming it's automatically fine or automatically risky. 1
2. Indoor air quality studies in beauty salons have found volatile organic compound levels that vary widely, from about 100 to 1,450 micrograms per cubic meter in one study, depending on the number of chemical services performed and how well ventilated the space is; that data reflects a stylist's repeated, full-shift exposure, not a single client visit for one quick service like a lash lift. 2
3. In animal studies, sodium thioglycolate, a chemical relative of the solution used in lash lifts, given to pregnant rats at high doses on the skin did not raise the rate of pregnancy loss or change how the fetus developed, other than lower fetal weight at the highest dose tested (200 mg per kg). 3
4. Chemically, thioglycolate solutions work by breaking apart the sulfur-based bonds that hold hair's keratin structure in shape and then re-forming them once curled into a new pattern; it's a topical, localized chemical reaction on the hair shaft itself rather than something designed to be absorbed into the bloodstream. 4
5. The same NTP toxicology review that looked at fetal development also found sodium thioglycolate can irritate and sensitize skin, which lines up with why lash technicians are careful to keep the solution off eyelid skin and out of the eyes during a lift, regardless of pregnancy. 3

Is lash lifts safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Some people prefer to hold off on new cosmetic services until after the first trimester simply because it's when a lot is developing, even though there's no lash-lift-specific data pointing to added risk in these early weeks.
• Second trimester. If nausea and smell sensitivity have eased, many find the second trimester the easiest stretch to sit still for the 45 minutes to an hour a lash lift takes.
• Third trimester. Getting comfortable lying back for a lash lift can be harder late in pregnancy; ask for extra pillows or a slight side lean, and speak up if lying flat makes you lightheaded.