Pregnancy and Acne Medications

Pregnancy is a delicate stage. You can't do a lot of things, and you can't eat or drink a lot of things, either! For your baby's safety, most doctors recommend that you eliminate risky substances from your system, and minimize your intake of such substances. There are a couple of hundred medicines you should not be taking while pregnant - acne medications among them.

You may think that acne medications are safe for all kinds of use, since acne is such a common condition. But pregnancy is a special state and the effects of most drugs - even medications for common ailments - may be amplified to dangerous levels. The sad thing is, this is the time when you feel like taking the most medications. For most women, the state of pregnancy comes with a world of discomfort, especially if it's their first time to get pregnant!

Acne is just one of those discomforts. When you're pregnant, your body undergoes severe hormonal changes. And just as these hormonal changes caused acne when you were a teenager, they're likely to cause acne again when you're pregnant. So don't be surprised if as an expectant mother, you find yourself suddenly having to put up with acne alongside the hot flashes, cravings and mood swings!

Contrary to popular belief, acne is not caused by poor hygiene, a bad diet or stress - these things may only aggravate an acne condition, they do not cause it per se. Acne is caused by hormonal changes in the body. The overproduction of hormones affects the production of oil on the skin, and an excess of oil in turn clogs our pores, which causes acne in various stages of inflammation.

Birth control pills are used to treat some acne outbreaks. This in itself already speaks volumes about why one shouldn't take acne medications while pregnant! Birth control pills combined with other topical drugs (that is, medicine in ointment form directly applied to affected surfaces) make for effective acne control medicine, too, as long as they were prescribed to non-pregnant people by a certified dermatologist. The best thing to do is to consult a dermatologist regarding an acne outbreak during pregnancy, and to stick to a healthy diet and daily routine.