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Is Kim Kardashian putting her baby at risk with cosmetic procedures?

Concern has been sparked that Kim Kardashian is using injectables during her pregnancy, after she tweeted photographs of herself shooting scenes for the new series of Keeping Up With The Kardashians with significantly larger lips.

Her fans were quick to comment on her altered appearance.

One wrote: Why do your lips look 10x bigger than usual?”

Another added: “Not trying to be mean just worried about her. She looked so swollen.”

Kim wouldn't be the first celebrity to blame her fuller lips on maternity. When Jessica Simpson was pregnant with daughter Maxwell, she tweeted: "Woke up looking like the lip injection fairy visited me in the night! Is this how pregnancy face begins?! Yikes!"

Well, pregnancy can cause swelling …

But, if she is using injectables, is it dangerous?

According to the manufacturers of the cosmetic filler Restylane: "Products should not be used during pregnancy, when breastfeeding or in patients under 18 years." 

While no studies have been conducted on the effect it can have on fetuses, most medical professionals refuse to administer it as a precautionary measure. 

The manufacturers of Botox, on the other hand, warn: “There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. BOTOX Cosmetic should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus."

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And to get all technical on you … “When BOTOX Cosmetic (4, 8, or 16 Units/kg) was administered intramuscularly to pregnant mice or rats on gestation days 5 and 13, reductions in fetal body weight and decreased fetal skeletal ossification were observed at the two highest doses.

“When BOTOX Cosmetic was administered intramuscularly to pregnant rats (0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 4, or 8 Units/kg) or rabbits (0.063, 0.125, 0.25, or 0.5 Units/kg) daily, reduced fetal body weights and decreased fetal skeletal ossification were observed at the two highest doses in rats and at the highest dose in rabbits.

“These doses were also associated with significant maternal toxicity, including abortions, early deliveries, and maternal death.”

Roxanne Guy, the former president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons suggests injectables are best avoided by expectant mums: "It's probably not [harmful], but I still think it's bad medicine to do something like that during pregnancy.”

So let's hope Kim just has a case of "pregnancy face" not "injectable face".

Did your lips swell when you were pregnant?

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