AHA moment

The first sign that I was pregnant (and it was my Mom who noticed) was one big zit in the middle of my forehead. I have been one of those lucky women who never had pimples. Suddenly, this reddish spot just appeared out of nowhere. To my horror, I emailed the PR Manager from Murad in Hong Kong to tell her about what happened. I just had a Murad facial at the Elemis Spa and I blamed them for the big ugly thing on my face. I panicked and bought these acne products just to get rid of it.

I have been a fan of Murad for years since I tried this in Manila. I was doing a beauty product review for Metro Shopping and tried the Murad brightening facial at Rustan's. The result was just amazing that since then, Murad became my best friend (my fave was the orange line, perfect for my dry skin).

After a couple of years, I moved to Hong Kong and still wrote some spa reviews (this was one of the perks of my working for a magazine). I had my regular stash of complimentary beauty products. Good friends benefited from this too since I had one too many and felt greedy if I kept them all for myself. Bulgari, Babor, Lancome, Shu Uemura, Giorgio Armani cosmetics, name it! I had all of them but still loved my Murad. I also had the chance to meet Dr. Murad himself at a press conference in Hong Kong in 2006. Great guy! Great stuff!

Going back to my story, I later on found out that the Murad facial was not the culprit for my horrible zit. I was 2 months pregnant! Thanks to the good ol' pregnancy stick. Oops! I had to call my friend from Elemis to tell her the good news (she is not losing her job! kidding!) I had to stop using the anti-acne products because some ingredients are not safe for pregnant women. Retinoids and salicylic acid could be harmful for the baby. I had to choose, healthy skin or healthy baby? I guess I had no choice but choose the latter.

If you are not sure about the products you are using (and that goes for hair too), I suggest you check with your doctor. For more information about ingredients you need to stay clear of, visit the Babycentre website.

The next time you see a zit, think twice, you might be pregnant!