There’s a not-so-secret secret in the beauty world you may know of for glowing and gorgeous skin. The way your friends may be glowing and supple may be due to pre-natal vitamins. In this wellness-focused world, they may not be fessing up. But women are still taking them, long after they give birth. If you’re concerned with possibly taking these for glowing skin, don’t worry. We asked an OBGYN if it’s safe to do so.
Dr. Lucky Sekhon is a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist, a board-certified obstetrician, and a gynecologist. She has particular expertise in fertility preservation (egg freezing), LGBTQ family building, and in-vitro fertilization. While Dr. Sekhon maintains a busy clinical practice, she continues to publish and present cutting edge clinical research in reproductive medicine. She is passionate about educating women about their reproductive health and family building options and often volunteers at various Women’s’ Health outreach events throughout the city. We asked her your most-asked questions about all things prenatal vitamins and the amazing things they do to our bodies. She answered. Keep reading for more according to Lucky Sekhon, leading OBGYN.
Prenatal Vitamins For Beautiful Skin and Hair
Prenatal vitamins contain a multitude of vitamins and minerals that are found in multivitamins – but the dosages tend to be higher as your body’s requirements increase during pregnancy. The formulations in prenatal vitamins are made specifically with supporting optimal fetal growth and development in mind – which is why they contain extra elements such as 400mg folic acid per day, which is important to take for at least one-month preconception to greatly reduce the risk of spinal cord (neural tube) issues such as spina bifida. It is true that components such as biotin and vitamin B complex vitamins can also boost hair and nail health. But you don’t have to take a prenatal vitamin to obtain these nutrients.
Also, a lot of the beauty benefits attributed to the use of prenatal vitamins may actually be stemming from the hormonal effects of normal pregnancy (slowed hair loss leading to lustrous, thick hair during pregnancy and the pregnancy ‘glow’ which is due to increased blood flow to the skin). Rather than taking a prenatal vitamin, I would recommend nonpregnant women and those who are not trying to conceive to take a regular multivitamin (which will lower their chance of toxicity from taking excess levels of vitamins) and to make lifestyle modifications such as staying well hydrated, avoiding cigarette smoking, getting adequate sleep (lack of sleep leads to high cortisol which can impair collagen function and lead to physical aging of the skin and body tissue).
If there are specific concerns, such as hair and nail health, you can take special supplements that contain certain combinations that will help to support hair and nail growth/strength.
