Acne during Pregnancy

Posted on March 9, 2008 in Latest News

Pregnancy brings along a lot of hormonal changes besides visible symptoms like morning sickness, loss of appetite, back pain etc. Among those symptoms which cause the most disgust and which is often a long-forgotten problem is acne. This is persistent during the first three months of pregnancy when hormonal levels are changing at an increased pace.

Why acne breaks out?

During pregnancy, progesterone is more androgenic (male hormone-like) than oestrogen. Such higher levels of hormones called androgens can prompt the sebaceous glands in your skin to get bigger and boost production of an oily substance called sebum. After the first trimester, progesterone is produced by the placenta and not the ovaries. So acne in the later months is normally visibly reduced.

Tips to keep acne at bay

The ways to control acne during pregnancy is no different from what is done to prevent acne outbreak in teenage. As a rule, the following tips useful:

Treatment

A variety of medications are prescribed for the treatment of acne, some taken orally, others topically. When assessing the possible risk of these medications during pregnancy, the route of the exposure is important to consider.

Benzoyl Peroxide (Benzac, Benzamycin, Beroxyl, Desquam, Triaz, Vanoxide)

Benzoyl peroxide is a topical treatment for acne that has antibacterial effects and induces skin peeling. Benzoyl peroxide is commonly used, and there are no case reports about benzoyl peroxide and birth defects in the literature.

Retin-A

Since not many studies have been done on Retin-A, it is best to avoid during pregnancy and follow the same guidelines as Accutane while consulting with your health care provider.

Tetracycline

 Tetracycline should not be used during pregnancy unless recommended by your health care provider. The American Academy of Pediatrics has approved tetracycline safe for use during breastfeeding.

Erythromycin (A/T/S 2% acne gel, Benzamycin, Emgel, Erycette, T-Stat, Theramycin)

Erythromycin is an antibiotic that is commonly prescribed in pregnancy. Although often taken orally to treat infection, it is also used topically for acne. Erythromycin crosses the placenta minimally; the fetal blood concentration is only 2-10% of the maternal serum concentration, and the medication is quickly metabolized by the body.

Comments

One Response to “Acne during Pregnancy”

  1. Daphne Says:
    March 9th, 2008 at 7:53 pm

    Great post, but I have to contradict you. Benzoyl Peroxide is a teratogen, this means it has, in fact, been linked to birth defects in published medical research. Many studies have been done on Retin A (or ANY vitamin A derivitives). It is very easy to overdoese on vitamin A, and the restults can be devastating to a fetus. The bottom line for choosing a skin care brand during pregnancy: only use a line that has been teratology screened.

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