If you’re pregnant or thinking of getting pregnant and have been suffering with acne, it is always wise to do your research in advance especially if you plan on using any form of acne medication. Because plans often change unexpectedly – for example, one may begin their period without realising they are pregnant – the reality is that one can’t afford to be totally unprepared anyhow. But trying to become more prepared as much as possible is a better alternative than foregoing prevention altogether.
If you’re an expecting mother, then you probably it’s a good idea to be careful about certain medications which can stay in your system long after the treatment course has concluded. The greatest risk to your baby is during the first month or two, because these are the stages where he or she is still developing his or her organs. For example, some women take birth control pills while they’re pregnant. They think that they can quit taking them within 5 days of giving birth and that it’s perfectly safe for their baby. This isn’t exactly true, because some of those medications can take longer to fully leave their system and could have serious consequences on their health.
A lot of women are confused about what acne treatments are safe during pregnancy. Make sure you consult your doctor before taking any medications or over-the-counter remedies because some may be harmful to a growing baby .
Safe Medication During Pregnancy for Acne
Over-the-counter medications that help treat acne are considered safe for expecting mothers and include erythromycin, clindamycin, azelaic acid, birth control pills because it offers additional benefits for acne.
Erythromycin and clindamycin are drugs that can be taken for severe acne. The pills can only be prescribed as oral forms, but there do exist topical creams of these antiobiotics with the same active ingredients, though they may not work as well to prevent breakouts since bacteria might build a resistance to them in time. What’s more is that some people simply don’t like taking pills, which is why topical treatments are preferable.
Azelaic Acid is a type of cream that you can put on your skin when you have acne. There isn’t much risk to the baby, but there haven’t been any human tests done so we don’t have a lot of information about it.
The use of oral contraceptive pills for acne is commonly believed to harm a baby if taken while pregnant, however there is no evidence pointing to any defects developing in the fetus.
Unsafe Medication During Pregnancy for Acne
If you are pregnant, and have acne then don’t use topical or oral retinoids, antibiotics or other prescription medicines.
Some topical retinoids, like tretinoin and adapalene are derived from Vitamin A and should not be used during pregnancy. Two of the most common topical retinoids that people use for acne treatment are tretinoin (Retin-A) and adapalene (Differin). It is believed these ingredients are absorbed into the skin and might cause defects to an unborn baby during pregnancy. But we don’t know exactly how they would be absorbed by skin.
Oral retinoinds like isotretinoin (Accutane) can seriously harm a fetus and should be avoided at all cost during pregnancy. Isotretinoin is commonly used to treat cystic acne but it’s banned during pregnancy because it causes malformations to the fetus. It also increases the chances of miscarriage and infant death.
If you are pregnant, you should stop taking the drug immediately. If you plan to become pregnant, medications like these should be stopped a month before your next cycle. The mission of the Organization of Teratology Information Services (OTIS) is to ensure that women are fully informed about drugs and their potential effects during pregnancy so they can make an informed choice about their family planning decisions.
Oral Antibiotics
As a general rule of thumb, women who are pregnant or nursing should avoid most oral medications unless approved by their physician because some antibiotics can be extremely dangerous to a developing fetus.
Acne treatment comes in many different forms. Two particularly common types of oral antibiotic are Tetracycline and Minocycline, which are commonly prescribed to sufferers of Acne Vulgaris. Although commonly prescribed for acne, both tetracyclines and Minocycline should be avoided during pregnancy or while breastfeeding because they can cause bones in developing fetuses or infants to not grow correctly.
Other Prescription Medication
Sodium Sulfacetamide is a topical anti-infective medication used to treat acne and seborrheic skin conditions. There are no clinical data regarding the safety of this drug in pregnancy so it should be avoided unless absolutely vital.
