Good morning everyone and welcome to another update of our glycolic acid blog – one of our readers recently sent in the following interesting question that I thought would make a really interesting piece for a blog post…
“Hi Dylan, I stumbled across this blog a couple of weeks back and found your information on glycolic acid to be really beneficial. I have since found out that I am pregnant however and was wondering, is it safe to use glycolic based products during my pregnancy? Thanks for taking the time to update me on this and keep up the good work with the blog – Marianne.”
Read on to find out the answer…
Firstly I’d just like to say thank you to Marianne for engaging with us here at AGA, we encourage you to [contact us] if you have any questions or general comments regarding the blog. We love hearing from our readers.
Being an expecting mother is one of the most exciting and daunting times of our lives. Most mothers to be realize that what they put into their bodies (or dont put) is incredibly important to the health of their unborn baby. Whether it be monitoring protein and carbohydrate intake, watching how much caffeine is ingested or being cautious of the mercury content of fish products – most women instinctively take into account these considerations and react accordingly.
However, there is one thing that many new mothers seem to overlook that can be just as important. Ingredients that you place on your body are just as important as the ones you place in your body. This is because lotions and creams used can penetrate the skins natural barriers and be absorbed by our blood stream – and this will have a direct impact on the health of your unborn baby.
Skin Changes During Pregnancy
Pregnancy is one of those things that will affect your entire body – including hormones, skin and hair condition, emotions and mood, as well as a whole host of other things both good and bad. What we are most concerned with for this article is our skin condition. Pregnancy triggers an increase in production of the hormones progesterone and estrogen, this in turn leads to many women having oilier skin than usual and an increased amount of breakouts.
It is a natural reaction to want to apply a topical glycolic acid based cream or lotion in order to help control these skin issues. These types of skin care products help improve the skins pigmentation, while also helping your body shed dead skin to be replaced with healthy, vibrant and rejuvenated new skin.
So Is It Safe to Use Glycolic Acid During Pregnancy?
Ok so it’s time to get nerdy and to explain to you just why it is actually safe to use a glycolic acid during your pregnancy – in moderation of course. I always like to err on the side of caution as well and would suggest that you consult your regular family physician prior to tryng anything new on your body during your pregnancy. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
In order for any ingredient to be absorbed into our bloodstream it needs to penetrate through to our skins dermal or subcutaneous layer, which is a very deep absorption. Most consumer grade pharmaceuticals such as glycolic acid are designed to not penetrate this deeply within our skin layers. And since the epidermal (outer most) layer of our skin is not vascularized with any lymphatic or blood vessels, then these lotions and creams are never going to get anywhere near your blood stream.
So in a nutshell – yes it is safe to use glycolic acid products topically (never orally) during your pregnancy. So I would continue to use these beauty products as you have been in the past, however be sure to monitor how your body is reacting to these items. And as always if you still have any reservations in using these products either stop, or take the time to talk to your local GP.
We wish you all the best with the rest of your pregnancy.