What Ingredients To Avoid In Skin Care Products When Pregnant?

Skin care during pregnancy is very important, the skin representing a barometer for your health. Everything you eat or apply on your body comes in contact with your skin, so it can affect not only you, but your baby as well. Find out what products contain harmful ingredients for you and your fetus while pregnant.

Pregnancy produces important changes on the skin: female hormones are responsible for changing the normal sebum secretion, so lots of women have seborrheic excess and acne issues. The hormones of the adrenal glands will lower the skin`s strength while thyroid hormones will stimulate the sweat gland secretion, so expecting mothers sweat quite a lot and generate important water loss. These particular processes will lead to acute skin dehydration, followed immediately by loss of firmness and elasticity.

Because some of the lotions or creams you used until conceiving are absorbed into your bloodstream, now you should really consider avoiding them. The more products you use on a particular body component (face cream, hand cream, etc), the more you have to be very careful what products you use in the skin care regimen while pregnant. – Visit more!

What Ingredients to Avoid In Skin Care Products When Pregnant?

While the most frequently used skin care products are considered to be safe, there`re some ingredients seen as potentially harmful for a developing baby:

Retinoids

These substances are very powerful and are found in a few moisturizing anti-wrinkle lotions and creams. They are popular for improving skin tone and helping reduce wrinkles. Retinoids represent a vitamin A type which accelerates cell division which specialists advise for expecting mothers to stay away. Certain studies have proven that high vitamin A doses assimilated while pregnant might be harmful to the baby. Oral retinoids, like anti-acne treatments, need to be avoided as they lead to congenital malformations.

If you`ve used a lotion or a cream that contained a retinoid by now, don`t worry just yet! There`s no evidence to prove that these specific ingredients are harmful when placed on the skin; doctors are only cautious. However, read the product label and try to avoid any products that contain these particular substances:

• Renova, Retin-A.
• Retinol acid.
• Retinyl palmitate.
• Diferin.
• Tazorac.

Soy

Some pregnant women are searching for natural ingredient-based skin care products, like soybeans. Most of them consider they are completely safe for their pregnancy, which isn`t completely true. While particular creams and facials based on soy are usually safe for future mothers, the estrogenic effects on these products might lead to the dark colored spots during pregnancy, known as melasma, become even darker.

If you have melasma or dark skin, you need to avoid these certain products, or at least choose products that contain “active soy:”enriched vegetable protein, lecithin, phosphatidyl choline.

Salicylic Acid

This acid is generally used for treatments involving specific skin conditions, which include acne, and can be found in a large selection of skin care products, like toning or cleansing products. This acid aids in reducing inflammation. Beta hydroxyl acid, a form of salicylic acid, is generally used in topical exfoliants to slow down the symptoms of aging.

However, salicylic acid represents another ingredient that can be harmful for expecting mothers. High acid doses can lead to birth defects as well as various pregnancy complications.

It`s safe for a pregnant woman to add small amounts of tonifying gel, which is based on salicylic acid, on the skin. The concern is stronger when it comes to face or body exfoliants that contain this acid. This type of skin softening is similar to taking one or several aspirins while pregnant, so it`s not allowed. You would better want to talk to a professional dermatologist. He`ll have the proper knowledge on how to exfoliate the skin in a safely manner during pregnancy.

Other Substances You Should Avoid

When it comes to what you are allowed to eat and what you aren`t, probably things seem a bit clear to you. However, when talking about what beauty and skin care ingredients you should avoid, you may feel a bit lost. You aren`t to blame, as such lists of ingredients can seem daunting. Here`s our little research simplified:

• Beta hydroxyl acids – Tropic acid, salicylic acid and trethocanic acid.
• Formaldehyde – It can be found in nail polishes, eyelash glue and treatments for hair straightening.
• Parabens – You should avoid butyl, isobutyl, methyl, propyl and isopropyl parabens.
• Diethanolamine – It can be found on products for hair and body care.
• Toluene – It can be found on nail polishes.
• Aluminum chloride hexahydrate – It can be found in antiperspirant.
• Chemical sunscreens – oxtocrylene, Avobenzone, octisalate, oxybenzone, oxtinoxate, homosalate, menthyl anthranilate and octocrylene.
• Dihydroxyacetone – It can become harmful if it`s inhaled.
• Phthalates – It can be found on nail polishes and products that have synthetic fragrances.
• Thloglycolic acid – It can be found in chemical removers for hair.
• Hydroquinone – You should avoid idrochinone and hydroquinone.

Hormones during pregnancy are often associated with changes involving blood circulation and skin microcirculation through the entire body. These particular changes usually weaken the skin layers, making it more likely for stretch marks and irritations to occur. The feeling of harsh and dry skin along with itchiness will also appear. A sure way you could avoid all these discomforts is to follow a healthy diet with sufficient fluid intake to offer your skin the necessary moisture. Additionally, it`s recommended to use products that are especially designed for the pregnancy period to hydrate and nourish your skin.