Can pregnant women breathe in the smell of sulfur or use the products?

During pregnancy, there are usually many rules that advise you to avoid this and that. The goal is of course to keep you and the future baby in the womb healthy and prime. One thing that may be frequently questioned during pregnancy is related to the element sulfur (sulfur). Actually, is it safe for pregnant women to inhale sulfur or use beauty products from sulfur?

Can pregnant women breathe in the smell of sulfur?

Consciously or not, every day pregnant women do not escape the risk of "coming into contact" or being exposed to chemical compounds. Whether it's natural chemical compounds from the environment, or chemicals that are usually contained in household cleaning products. Sulfur, for example.

Sulfur is an element found in nature, especially in soil, plants and water. Thanks to its benefits, sulfur is often processed as a base for skin and hair care products. Sulfur has a distinctive aroma that makes it easy to recognize.

Like chemical substances in general, exposure to sulfur can occur in various ways. Starting from direct inhalation, eaten with food or drink, or absorbed through the skin. It is normal for pregnant women to worry that exposure to sulfur, including inhalation, will affect the condition of the womb.

The good news is, exposure to any chemical does not actually pose a bad risk to the health of you and your baby, as long as the amount is small. Launching from the National Pesticide Information Center page, the toxicity or toxic effects of sulfur are low for humans.

It's just that, it should be noted. Too much inhalation or exposure to sulfur can certainly cause a number of health problems, including pregnant women. Inhaling too much sulfur can cause you to experience irritation of the respiratory tract, skin, eyes, coughing, and diarrhea.

Even when burning, sulfur can change form into sulfur dioxide gas. If humans, especially pregnant women, inhale these substances, it can cause coughing, shortness of breath, sore throat, and eye irritation.

What if pregnant women use beauty products from sulfur?

Besides the safety of pregnant women when inhaling the smell of sulfur, the use of sulfur products is also often a big question. Sulfur is currently found in many beauty products. One that is quite well known is acne medication with sulfur content, for example, topical sulfur drugs.

This product is one of the many acne medications that contain sulfur. Topical sulfur is an external medicine in the form of a lotion, which is used by applying it directly to the skin with acne.

However, according to Drugs, the use of topical sulfur drugs for pregnant women has not been officially authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA is a special agency that handles drugs and food equivalent to BPOM in Indonesia.

Even so, a study published by the International Journal of Women's Dermantology, revealed the opposite results. For pregnant women at 28 weeks of gestation with severe acne, 250 milligrams (mg) of oral metronidazole are given.

Apart from these drugs, topical sulfur or sulfur lotions are also given as an additional treatment. Interestingly, entering the 34th week of gestation, the condition of the pregnant woman's acne looked better.

This can be seen from the number of pimples that are decreasing, accompanied by the size of the acne inflammation that is getting smaller.

In conclusion, the study showed unsatisfactory results, the same as when pregnant women inhaled small amounts of sulfur. The researchers found no adverse effects on mothers and babies associated with treatment using sulfur content during pregnancy.

Unlike the safety of inhalation of sulfur by pregnant women in small amounts, the safety of using beauty products with sulfur content cannot be fully ascertained.

Consult with your doctor first

In order to get clearer information about the safety if pregnant women breathe in sulfur or use its products, you should ask your doctor.

Before using various products while pregnant, it never hurts to ask your doctor first about their safety. The doctor can recommend the best product according to your condition, without having to harm the baby in the womb.

Instead, there are actually various skin treatments that are usually safe to use during pregnancy. If you need antibiotics for your acne, safe products include erythromycin (Erygel) and clindamycin (Cleocin T, Clindagel). But again, you still have to consult your doctor for products that are safe to use during pregnancy.