Dermatologists can often help women avoid problems during pregnancy. According to Dr. Barbara Reed, Associate Professor, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado, “several medications used to treat skin, hair and nail conditions have been known to result in birth defects.
A good rule is to avoid every drug which is not necessary to maintain health during pregnancy”. These drugs include isotretinoin often prescribed for severe nodular acne can cause low set ears and cardiac problems in a fetus.
The anti-fungal agent fluconazole has been associated with birth defects along with minoxidil during pregnancy and during breastfeeding.
Over the counter agents also pose a threat such as ibuprofen, aspiring and nutritional supplements. The best rule of thumb is for women to work with their physician when they decide to become pregnant.
Finally pregnancy can cause changes in the skin such as melasma or darkening of the skin, pruritic and urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy which is a benign rash arising in the third trimester and Pemphigoid Gestationis which is a rare itchy spread of blisters on the trunk.