A mother goes through a lot more during the process of pregnancy than the father. Not only the mother keeps the baby inside her body for 9 whole months but also she has to change her lifestyle altogether. Whatever she does, affects her baby. Broadly people get ready to give up bad habits like smoking, alcohol, etc. but they do not understand that their actions might have very far-fetched results. Dangers of skin bleaching during pregnancy might not seem big enough but researches have suggested otherwise.
The skin bleaching process needs very strong chemicals to be applied on your skin and they are absorbed by the body through the skin. These dangerous chemicals will not only affect you but also the child growing inside you. The effects on the child are far greater than the ones on the mother because it is still in the developmental process. Even little imbalance can ruin the life of this child, and hence we advise strictly against skin bleaching during pregnancy.
Why skin bleaching during pregnancy is dangerous?
Although it is obvious how harmful chemicals can ruin the development of a child, here are a few strong factual reasons that will highlight the dangers of skin bleaching during pregnancy.
Birth Defects in the child
Baby’s development gets completed in the first trimester of pregnancy and after that, the major thing happening to it is the growth. This is why the first trimester is considered as the worst time to come in contact with harmful chemicals. This might lead to birth defects in babies which will haunt the mother and the child for their whole lives.
Many bleaching agents used in the skin bleaching creams contain a lot of mercury. This harmful and toxic metal will seep into your body and reach the developing baby through the bloodstream. It can adversely affect the development of the nervous system of the body. In some cases, mercury might be responsible for mental retardation and cancers.
Interfering with Melasma
Melasma is a common pregnancy condition in which the skin starts producing extra melanin in some parts of the body. It is normally known as a pregnancy mask and it appears more frequently on face and belly. This darkened skin is normal and this darkness usually goes away when pregnancy is over. If you use any skin bleaching treatment to lighten this skin, you will get light patches on the skin after melasma is gone.
Light patches on the skin are not the only danger of skin bleaching during pregnancy. The chances of melasma getting healed are significantly reduced if you will start using chemicals as strong as bleaches on your skin. Avoid any chemical treatment and wait for the disease to go by itself in order to heal in the best way.
Sickness
Morning sickness is the most uncomfortable and long-lasting symptom of pregnancy. Many women struggle to eat or go out to places because of this problem. It is highly recommended to stay away from anything that triggers morning sickness to prevent discomfort.
Skin bleaches are usually made up of very effervescent chemicals and their smell is unbearable for any pregnant mother. The chemicals that the mother will inhale with bleach are very harmful to herself and her baby. This is yet another reason why bleaching is not recommended during pregnancy.
Low birth weight of the baby
Chemicals like chlorine radicals and other bleaching agents directly interfere with the growth and development of the baby. The dangers of skin bleaching during pregnancy not only include impaired development of the baby but they also include chances of reduced growth speed even in healthy growing babies.
Certain researchers have found that skin bleaching during pregnancy leads to the baby being born underweight. An underweight baby has fewer chances of surviving outside a mother’s body as compared to a normal child. Bleaching can directly be responsible to make your child sick and it should be avoided at any cost.
Allergic Reactions
When a woman is pregnant there are a lot of hormonal imbalances happening in her body. These changes at times make her skin very sensitive even to normal everyday cosmetics. Bleaching, on the other hand, uses very strong chemicals, and the chances of her getting very itchy and red skin are very high after bleaching.
Some women develop allergies during pregnancy and the symptoms of these allergies can persist for days and even weeks. Skin bleaching is directly related to triggering allergies and may give pregnant women rashes, redness, or even hives.
Oral ingestion by the baby – Dangers of skin bleaching during pregnancy
Many women keep on bleaching their skin not only during pregnancy but also after the baby is born. Normally people believe that once the baby is born the dangers of skin bleaching during pregnancy go away. Unfortunately, this is not the case since the baby will stay very close to the mother for a few months after being born.
The mothers who are breastfeeding should also avoid skin bleaching as the chemicals are never completely absorbed by the skin. There are always some residues left on the skin and if a baby sucks onto mother, it might ingest these chemicals. Weight for some time until your baby quits mother’s milk and then you are free to do whatever you want with your skin.
Final word on the dangers of skin bleaching during pregnancy
For many women, a lighter skin tone is a very important part of their life. There are so many cultures that push women to look fair all the time. Bleaching has now become a normal part of the life of many women.
We won’t argue about how harmful it is for her to keep on bleaching her skin regularly, but when you have a baby growing inside you, you have to give up bleaching for some time for the good of your baby. All the things happened to your body will go away naturally without any dangerous chemicals. All you have to do is wait!