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I need help. My husband and I really want to have a baby, but my acne has been a problem for a while now - and we've been putting off having a baby for me to try and take care of my acne (because not many acne treatments are safe to use while pregnant or breastfeeding). Is there any sort of permanent solution? Here are some thoughts/situations I'm in:
- From my understanding, benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid are not safe to use while pregnant/breastfeeding
- I'm kind of scared of Accutane -I worry what even the smallest dose would do to my body, and I've heard how anxious or depressed some people feel on it and I don't want that. Plus, I talked to a derm about this and they said they'd want to put me on the lowest dose possible for the longest amount of time - so we wouldn't be able to try to have a baby for another 9 months at the shortest.
- I can't go on hormonal birth control, because of my family's heart history/blood clotting history - and this wouldn't be a real solution anyway, since I'd have to go off of it to try to have a baby and then stay off of it while pregnant.
Any other solutions you know of that are permanent, or at least safe to use when pregnant/breastfeeding?
Thank you in advance. I've been so discouraged about all of this, and we keep putting off having a baby while I've tried every acne remedy under the sun (oral antibiotics, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, clindamycin, chemical peels, etc etc.).
It's a difficult position you are in...
Definitely Accutane and hormones are off the table while considering pregnancy but I think Accutane is currently the only real potentially permanent solution. I'm not sure whether there are studies that show BP or SA are unsafe during pregnancy or if it is more that there are a lack of studies at all on pregnant women....I think I may have seen some posters on the forum saying they used these while pregnant so scan around a bit. Even if some had no problems you may feel the risk is just not worth taking....only you can make that decision for you.
You could look at a variety of natural product options that would be safe like honey or the epiology product my family is using.
Who knows, you might even find that pregnancy agrees with you and the acne dissipates while you are pregnant!
Good luck in your decision.