Pregnancy- products and make-up

[lulu1106]

Hello:)
Just recently found out I'm pregnant with 1st child due June 2020... been the docs and they gave me a list of foods to avoid.
However there was no mention of any products or make ups to avoid - just wondering has anyone changed there make up routine when pregnant, I've read a lot about parabens being harmful?

Any advice would be helpful as I don't know whether I'm being extreme or I should actually change them!
Xx

I haven't changed any of my make up or skincare routine, the only thing I have avoided is retinol and products that contain this as apparently that can be harmful.

It’s probably not included on the NHS leaflet because there have been no conclusive studies to indicate a direct link between use of topical retinoids and damage to the foetus in early pregnancy.

Oral retinoids are used to treat acne and other severe skin disorders, these have been linked to occasional developmental concerns, but of course, oral medications usually come in much higher doses and are more likely to cross the placenta via mothers blood. Creams and potions containing similar ingredients with usually have much larger carrier molecules so won’t cross the placenta, but still have the poison.

Summary: no evidence that creams cause defects, but anything that has ever been associated to any level of almost-risk will be publicised in an attempt to allow mothers to make ‘informed’ decisions.

Thanks for posting about the topical retinoids. I currently use an ordinary product which has 2% retinoids and I've just found out I'm around 5 weeks pregnant. Just done a quick google search and the recommendation does seem to be not to use any topical creams with retinoids as a precaution. The bigger worry is the oral medication. I'd never even considered my skin care and I've just had a mild panic that I've already caused some damage! The rational part of me is saying it's fine and there isn't really any evidence to suggest topical use caused harm but this is my first pregnancy and everything is causing me worry definitely won't be using any more of that product for now.

Any oral medication will have warnings on the packaging/inserts, but please don't stop your regular medication before speaking to a pharmacist or your doctor first, it may be more dangerous if you do that. And remember, the placenta is only just forming now, the foetus is still living off the yolk sac. I can't remember when it's fully formed though

Thanks. I have just checked and it does say to avoid when pregnant. It's not a prescribed product and only used to help with the appearance of my skin so will definitely be stopping it for now.

Thank you for this information!
I did read about retinol, I had an eye cream which had it in and have stopped using that.
I've been told to watch out for Parabens in make-up too? Or is that not a huge thing to worry about?

Pats end became the latest concern about 10yrs ago. They’re prevalent in loads of cosmetics. Essentially they mimic oestrogen and are used as preservatives.

Again, there is no scientific link to suggest they can cause specific problems during pregnancy, my personal opinion is it’s a bit of a fad to be anti-paraben, but there may be some evidence of build-up of synthetic oestrogens linked to certain cancers such as breast and ovarian. No guidance has been released because there’s no real research in good enough quality to firm up that theory.

I would liken it to wearing sunscreen. We know that sun causes damage to our skin, so we wear sunscreen....but when the sunscreen is also made up of potentially iffy substances, we have to make a call on whether we wear the sunscreen or we expose ourselves to the sun.... do we brush our teeth with paraben-heavy toothpaste, or forego toothpaste in case parabens are bad??

Parabens*

@devilishlygood those are very good comparisons, thank you for that info. It is a really good way of looking at it!
I sometimes think you can literally go over board and look in to every little thing but exactly like the suncream example, there is usually always going to be something else to worry about!