Sunday, January 14, 2007

Dealing with Pregnancy Induced Acne

Regardless of what medical problems you develop during pregnancy, you have to really think about the medicines that you take to treat them, and what effect they might possibly have on your unborn fetus. Many pregnant women suffer from heartburn, swollen feet and legs, morning sickness, and sinus infections, but did you also know that pregnancy also can cause acne breakouts as well? Even women who have never had a zit in their life may suddenly have to deal with acne, on top of all the other common pregnancy problems they have to muddle through as well. Unfortunately, pregnancy related acne is not easy to treat, as you can’t just run out and get the first over the counter acne medication you see and start treatment, since you don’t know if it could cross the placenta, possibly causing harm to your unborn baby in the process.

In fact, many prescription and over the counter acne treatments are completely off limits during pregnancy, as they either pose a clear risk to the baby, or there is not enough proven research to say definitely either way. If you get pregnant while taking or using acne medication, you must tell your obstetrician immediately, so that they can advise you on the safety of the medication, and possibly give you a comparable, safe substitute, if the acne medication clearly needs to be continued during pregnancy. You are better off not taking any medication during pregnancy that is not just absolutely medically necessary, as you never really ever know what medication is truly safe. You may take a medicine now, only to find out ten years from now that it is no longer suggested for use by pregnant women, and find yourself sitting there wondering if your child could have suffered some unknown harm when you took it while you were pregnant with him.

Pregnancy induced acne is almost always caused by hormonal fluctuations, and the acne usually disappears once the baby is born and everything has time to return to normal. If your pregnancy induced acne is severe or particularly bothersome for you, talk to your doctor about safe treatment options. You can always practice non-medication based acne treatment methods, such as cleansing routines, facial masks made from fruits or other foods, drink more water, etc. You can find many recipes for natural facials online; some are as simple as boiling a cup or so of milk, and then adding some fresh lime juice, and once the mixture cools, applying it to your face. You aren’t using any kind of chemicals, so you should be fairly safe with this type of acne treatment. Before you try anything, you should talk to your doctor, since you not only have to be concerned with your own health, but that of your unborn child as well.

You most likely will not enjoy having to deal with acne during your pregnancy, especially if you have never had it before, but take heart, as soon it will all be over and forgotten once you hold that sweet new babe in your arms. Your feet won’t swell anymore, you won’t have constant indigestion, and yes, your face will clear up and you will be acne-free once again!

Acne Treatment Advice is a new site covering some new angles of treatment for different types of acne.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Haygarth


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