Pregnant women advised not to apply chemicals on hair, skin

Head of the Optometric Centre at the Nsawam Government Hospital, Dr Alfred Gardemor, has advised pregnant women against the intake or use of medications or chemicals on both the hair and skin.

That, according to him has the potential to cause problems with the eyes of the unborn child.

Speaking to the Ghanaian Times, Dr Gardemor added that when pregnant, there was a connection between the mother and baby through the placenta, so any harmful substance applied on the body or hair of the Mother automatically connects to the bloodstream of the child.

“Pregnant women are therefore to avoid using chemicals that would be harmful to themselves and the babies in their wombs,” he stated.

He said such products contained certain chemicals that when absorbed into the body could go a long way to have effects on the unborn baby.

He mentioned that very high doses of chemicals contained in such products when engrossed into the skin could cause harm to both the pregnant woman and the unborn baby.

He noted that during the process of the hair being bleached, some of the harmful substances penetrate into the skin to the body and that could affect the baby.

“The act can lead to premature babies, babies with low birth weight, longer periods to conceive, and pregnancy loss among others.

He added that skin bleaching agents increase the susceptibility to infections and viruses making it easy for the skin to react.

Dr Gardemor expressed concern that most eye infections among babies were usually not detected early, and that led to major issues during the growth of the child.

Dr. Kwame Oben-Nyarko, Optometrist Third Eye Care and Vision Centrespeaking on: “Acquiring a pair of spectacles: What you need to know” explained that it may sound like an easy task but there are several factors that need to be considered before a spectacle is actually dispensed.

He identified some of the factors as professionals responsible for dispensing spectacles; places to acquire it; the processes involved; different spectacle options available depending on the unique needs of the individual and different types of materials used for making lenses and frames.

Others include the accessories for spectacles and the cleaning processes of spectacles.

BY BENEDICTA GYIMAAH FOLLEY