You absolutely can still come see us when you are pregnant, in fact we encourage it. We have a special acne treatment designed specifically with pregnant mamas in mind.
Just because your oil production may be up and you’re noticing more pimples than you usually have doesn’t mean you have to just sit back and watch them pop up.
There are ways that you can still maintain the health and appearance of your skin without worrying about harming your baby. Your best resource is your healthcare provider, so always check with them before making any changes.
Change Your Pillowcases
While changing your pillowcases won’t “treat” pregnancy acne, per se, it will help to prevent breakouts from occurring. The buildup on your face (oil, dead skin cells and skin care products like moisturizers and serums) transfers to your pillow when you sleep.
If you don’t wash your pillowcase frequently, that buildup has a much higher chance of transferring back onto your skin and clogging your pores. Try to toss it in the wash at least a few times a week, especially if your skin is more oily than usual.
In addition, if you’ve had your pillow for more than a year or two, you may want to consider buying a new one or at least washing it if possible. No matter how frequently you change your pillowcase, some of that debris will still get past it and embed into your actual pillow.
Our Acne Safe Products to Use While Pregnant
Your skin is one giant organ; everything it comes to contact with gets passed through your bloodstream and therefore down to your baby through the placenta. Babies are very sensitive and studies show that using some anti-aging skin products such as retinol and vitamin A during pregnancy can lead to birth defects, so it’s best to avoid these ingredients. But, that doesn’t mean you have to suffer through pregnancy with acne. We can safely treat acne during pregnancy.
Safe ingredients: mandelic serum (found in our clarifying lotions), lactic acid, oxygen cream, and low dose benzoyl peroxide.
What Is Mandelic Acid?
Mandelic acid is a natural, non-toxic alpha-hydroxy acid derived from almonds.
It’s unique among AHAs because of its larger molecular structure, which slows its absorption rate, making it the gentlest of all the acids.
The slow absorption rate means it won’t trigger an inflammatory pigment response even in darker skin tones prone to hyperpigmentation. That’s super important during pregnancy when hormones are already acting as a trigger for pigment issues like melasma.
Prenatal Vitamins and Acne
We have yet to find a prenatal that doesn’t contain iodine, biotin and B12. However, the best choices we have found are Mother’s Select which contains a low dose of B12 and iodine and no biotin.
And Vitafusion, which contains low doses of B12, biotin and iodine.
Check the labels on your prenatal vitamins. B12 and Biotin with less than 100mg and iodine under 150mg are generally safe.
The Takeaway
The right pregnancy acne treatment for you will be unique to your own body, and working with both your doctor and our direction will help you manage your skin so you can look and feel your best throughout your pregnancy.
If acne does happen, just remember: It will very likely clear up after you have your baby and your hormone levels readjust.
Schedule your initial consultation today so we can get you started on your clear skin journey. Let’s talk about how to get rid of acne during your pregnancy safely.
Cheers to clear!
Rene