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If you are pregnant, and you have been flooded with advice or information on how to take care of yourself, then you might also want to get some tips on what skin care ingredients you must avoid. Did you know that the skin care products you use might have a direct or indirect effect on your baby, although as much as not more than the foods you consume. But having the tips might help you gauge what might not be good for your baby in the first place:
1. Retinoids
Retinoids are used as anti-acne and anti-aging agents. They are found in Retina-A and Accutane. Retinoids are in fact variants of vitamin A that can speed up cell division and renew the cells. This way they help in reducing wrinkles and tone the skin.
Oral retinoids are sure to cause birth defects. One thing to remember is that high doses of vitamin A can be harmful to the developing baby. Topical application may not harm the baby, but there is no substantive evidence that can suggest that retinoids are absolutely safe during pregnancy.
However, most doctors warn patients not to conceive at the time when they are on retinoids. But if you do conceive, then you must stop taking retinoids at once.
2. Tetracyclines
Tetracyclines are antibiotics, and it’s the best to avoid them during pregnancy. While Tetracyclines are used to treat a wide variety of conditions, they may not be an excellent choice while you are pregnant. Tetracyclines can damage a woman’s liver when pregnant and might also discolor her baby’s teeth to yellow-gray-brown and cause enamel hypoplasia. Tetracycline has been categorized at D by the FDA. Though there is no human pregnancy data available that can tell how tetracycline can affect the fetus, animal studies have shown that they can cause embryotoxicity and teratogenicity with effects on skeletal formation. Therefore, tetracyclines are simply not recommended, especially during the second trimester.
Tetracyclines could also include doxycycline and minocycline. If you wanted a safer bet, your doctor would prescribe safer alternatives such as erythromycin or amoxicillin.
3. Hydroquinone
If you have been using skin-lightening agents, bear in mind, they might have hydroquinone that is a total no-no until for you to use until your baby is born. Studies have revealed that about 45 percent of the hydroquinones are absorbed into the skin through topical application. Hydroquinones are normally used to treat dark patches of skin. If you have been using this chemical before pregnancy, then you might be tempted to continue using them or start using them in case you develop the ‘mask of pregnancy’ or the dark patches that appear during pregnancy. But you might want to avoid them considering that the residual hydroquinone in the blood stream are just too much to rule out any possibilities of a risk to the fetus.
4. Phthalates
If you love applying perfumes, then think twice. Most of these fragrances contain phthalates. Phthalates are known to be hormone-altering and can interfere with pregnancy hormones.Whether there is any malicious link to abdominal fetal development? Studies have found evidence to link abnormal fetal development and phthalate exposure. Over-exposure to phthalates may also adversely affect male babies’ genitals.
Phthalates are in fact chemicals that are added to plastic to enhance their elasticity and increase their strength. Once added to other plastic, phthalates bear the chemical formula as in perfumes or nail polish. Regarding how they can affect your health, phthalates have been known to cause high blood pressure, diabetes, and ADHD.
To avoid phthalates, look for labels showing ingredients like diethyl, dibutyl or benzyl butyl phthalates and BzBP, DEP, DBP, DMP.
5. Thioglycolic Acid
Most hair-removal creams or depilatories contain thioglycolic acid. The effect of this chemical on the fetus has not been established. However, both EU and the US have suggested limitations to 5 percent and 15.2 percent respectively. While it’s a huge divide, it might be wise to apply caution while using them when you are pregnant. The fact that thioglycolic acid reacts with the disulfide bonds in hair, it could be suggestive of toxic effects on the fetus as well. Therefore, precaution is the ideal way to avoid harm to the growing baby.
You can identify thioglycolic acid on labels that read mercaptoacetate, mercaptoacetic acid, acetyl mercaptan and thiocyanic acid.
6. Botulinum Toxin
Or Botox. Sounds very familiar, yeah? Most of the aging actresses look stunning with the application of Botox. But should you take them while pregnant? Although there aren’t any conclusive studies on the effect of Botox on the fetus, think about the procedures that are involved in the Botox application. It’s far from gentle. It involves paralyzing the muscles around wrinkles to make them less prominent. So, think twice if you will like the feeling and whether it will be any pleasant for your developing baby. Moreover research on mice, rats and rabbits have shown a decrease in the fetal body weight, abortions, fetal malformations, and delayed ossification. So just how good could it get with human babies?
7. Ammonia
Heard about ammonia based hair dyes? Most of them are! Remember, ammonia a compound that can cause skin irritation (and irritate the lungs too). So while the direct link between using them and their effect on your developing baby haven’t been established, a 1998 study does suggest that the fetal heart could be affected if the expectant mother breathes the fumes of ammonia containing hair-dye. It’s best to stay away from ammonia-containing beauty products or dyes until your baby is born. Recently ammonia-free dyes have been on a rise. They scale between low ammonia to no ammonia at all. So just watch out and pick the right dye when you go the saloon next time.
8. Dihydroxyacetone
Also abbreviated to DHA, dihydroxyacetone is found in many spray self-tanners. DHA is a kind of sugar that can react with the dead layers of skin in a non-toxic way and tan the skin. DNA may not directly be absorbed by the body, but it may be inhaled during application – for instance while using a spray – thereby making it unhealthy for your fetus. Try avoid tanning booths and sprays while you are pregnant.
These and more compounds could be dangerous for a developing fetus. The next time you go exploring your range of products from beauty to house-keeping make sure you read the constituents on the label and keep your baby out of exposure to the hazards of these ingredients.
