Can You Use Red Light Therapy While Pregnant?
We have not found a trial of a home red light device that included pregnant women. That gap is the reason for our rule. Pregnancy sits on the do-not-use list in both manuals and on our precautions page, for the mask and for the panel, and we keep to it. Nobody can tell you the devices are safe in pregnancy, and nobody can tell you they are not; when the answer is "we do not know", the answer for a pregnancy is "wait". If you are expecting and want to plan ahead, what follows covers what we do and do not know, and what to do with a device you already own or were about to buy.
Can you use red light therapy while pregnant?
Not with our devices. Pregnancy is on the do-not-use list for both the mask and the panel, and we follow the manufacturer's rule instead of second-guessing it.
Our precautions page lists pregnancy under "do not use" for every Kivorla device, alongside epilepsy, thyroid conditions, photosensitising medication and broken skin. The list comes straight from the manuals, and a blog post is not the place to soften it.
Is there evidence that red light is harmful in pregnancy?
No. There is no evidence that it is safe either, because the trials did not include pregnant women, and that absence is what the rule rests on.
The skin trials we cite elsewhere, the 2014 controlled trial of 113 volunteers and the 2007 split-face study of 76, enrolled healthy adults for cosmetic outcomes, and neither reports pregnant participants. Full paper, study summary. The muscle and soreness reviews pooled trials of athletes and active adults. Study summary. Cosmetic and sports trials exclude pregnancy as a matter of routine ethics, so none of this is surprising. It is still a gap.
What about the second or third trimester?
The rule does not change by trimester. It covers pregnancy from start to finish.
There is no trimester clause in our manuals, and we have no data that would justify writing one in. If your doctor or midwife takes a different view for your particular situation, that is between you and them, and we would ask you to have that conversation before switching a device on rather than after.
What about trying to conceive, or breastfeeding?
Not with the panel. Its manual lists breastfeeding and preparing for pregnancy on the do-not-use list, alongside pregnancy itself.
The mask manual does not mention conception or breastfeeding, which leaves us unable to tell you it is fine and equally unable to tell you it is not. For the mask, take the question to the person who knows your circumstances, and if they say wait, wait.
What if you already own a Kivorla device?
Put it away for the duration. Both devices keep, so pausing costs you nothing.
For the mask, wipe the inside following the care instructions and store it in the bag it came with, away from heat and direct sun. For the panel, unplug it; if it is mounted you can leave it where it is, since a panel on a wall is not doing anything to anyone, and cover it if it is likely to gather dust.
Your partner can carry on using either device. The rule is about the person wearing the mask or sitting in front of the panel, not about sharing a house with one.
What if you were about to buy one?
Wait. A device bought now and set aside will be past the 30-day return window by the time you can use it, so buying when you can start is the easier choice.
Our returns policy covers 30 days: an unopened device with its seals intact is refunded less a 10% restocking fee, and one that has been opened or tried, if undamaged and complete, is refunded less 20%. If you buy now anyway, keep the box sealed until you are ready. Buying when you can use it is the choice we would make ourselves.
What can you do for your skin in the meantime?
The ordinary things. Sunscreen every morning, a gentle cleanser, moisturiser, and some patience with skin that is changing anyway.
Dark patches appearing on your face during pregnancy are a question for your midwife or a dermatologist. Bear in mind for later that blue light darkened skin in one clinical study, and red light did not, which is a reason to be careful with any blue mode once you do start, pregnant or not. For now, sunscreen is the most useful thing on the shelf, and for anything beyond that, a dermatologist who knows you are pregnant is the right person to ask.
When can you start after the birth?
When your doctor or midwife says so, and once the breastfeeding question above has been answered. Then start as a beginner would: low brightness, short sessions, a photo at week zero.
The schedule is the one everybody starts on, two to four sessions a week, judged at eight weeks. If your skin has become drier or more reactive than it used to be, begin at 50 percent brightness and step up from there.
Both the Kivorla 4-Wavelength Red Light Therapy Mask and the 9-Spectrum Red Light Therapy Panel carry their full precautions on their product pages as well as on the precautions page, and pregnancy is on both. When the time comes, standard shipping to the US, UK and Germany is free.
Kivorla devices are general wellness devices, not medical devices. If you are pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding, speak to your doctor or midwife before using any light therapy device.