Tag: benzoyl peroxide

Blemishes during pregnancy

On By Sara Twogood, MDIn Benzoyl peroxide, blemishes, Potion for your problem:, Salicylic acid, skin care, Tea tree oil, Witch hazelLeave a comment
Lisa Eldridge
Lisa Eldridge, beauty guru

(You’re right. She is blemish and pregnancy free. Maybe not the best example!)

During my first pregnancy, one of the nurses I work with on Labor and Delivery came up to me and said “you must be having a girl because you look ugly”. Direct quote.  Yes, I had a few blemishes here and there but nothing that wasn’t corrected by some great concealer.

And I already knew I was having a boy … so I think she was incorrect (and rude!) on a few accounts.

So there are 2 questions to be answered here:
1. What was she talking about? Why would having a girl make me ugly?
2. How can we treat our misbehaving skin during pregnancy? What remedies are safe to use?

Continue reading “Blemishes during pregnancy” →

you care I care skin care

On By Sara Twogood, MDIn medications, preggers, skin careLeave a comment

alligator

Winter’s here, and nobody wants alligator skin. Yes, even in Los Angeles we see our skin suffer with the season.

What about skin care products during pregnancy? Blemishes, zits, peels? What is safe to use?

First, most skin care products are safe to use during pregnancy. Topical benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and azelaic acid have not been studied thoroughly in pregnancy, but are all likely safe to use in small amounts.

There are, however, some major categories to avoid:

  • Tretinoin (Retin-A), if taken by mouth, is associated with birth defects. Using it on the skin might be ok because only small amounts get absorbed, but I would recommend avoiding it completely. There are other safer products you can use for these 40 weeks.
  • Self tanning lotions and professional spray tans use an ingredient called DHA to “tan” the skin.  No studies prove they are safe to use in pregnancy, so it is best to avoid them.

And that’s it for today. Long alligator, short lesson.

 

Source: http://www.otispregnancy.com. Organization of Teratology Information Specialists – Great resource to find out what’s safe and what’s not safe in pregnancy.