Pregnancy Acne

Posted by John

April 6, 2010

Here at acne treatment advice we are lucky to have the support of Rachel Goodworth who has experienced Pregnancy Acne and did a lot of research at the time. This is her “what you need to know about Pregnancy Acne” article which I am sure will help those with concerns.

When I got the news that I was pregnant I was so exited as my husband and I had been trying for a while. It was such a magical time and I couldn’t wait to start telling people once the right amount of time had passed. However, during my first trimester I started to develop Pregnancy Acne which was a little annoying as I couldn’t tell people yet why I was getting acne so people just assumed that it was a resurgence of my Teenage acne days. I didn’t consider this the end of the world and was just so happy that I had a baby on the way.

As time passed and I could start telling people that I was pregnant the acne issue was lessened as it is quite common when expecting and a few of my friends had it when they were pregnant. I only really started to resent it again when I went to pregnancy classes and most of the other expecting mothers there had a glow about them and this is something I wanted, not spots and pimples. This is when I decided to do a bit of research about it and see if there was a safe acne treatment to use when pregnant. At this point I should say that if you are unsure your skin condition is acne you can go to our “Do I have Acne?” page to be sure.

From my research I found that many woman experience adult acne (up to 50%) at some point and pregnancy acne is actually considered quite common. There is no way of predicting those who will experience the symptoms but research suggests that those who have had it in their teens and those have experienced slight hormonal acne around their period are more prone to pregnancy acne. It is more common around the first trimester as the hormonal changes are more rapid and the body needs time to adjust. For some woman the symptoms of acne start to subside after this time.

So what is pregnancy acne? Well, as I have briefly mentioned, it is due to the hormonal changes that the body goes through. As with most acne, hormones are the culprit because this causes the sebaceous glands in the hair follicles to start producing more oil (or sebum as it is technically known). When this increased production of sebum gets blocked under the skin surface it can causes spots or pimples. For more information about this you can see the causes of acne post.

Pregnancy Acne Control

There are some things that you can do to help without using harsh acne treatments.

Drink plenty of water. This should be done as a foundation of pregnancy skin care whether you have acne or not. It will keep the skin hydrated and healthy and keeping hydrated has so many other benefits that you should always look to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day
Use Oil Free moisturisers. Oil in moisturisers can increase the symptoms of acne as the cause of it is increased oil production in the first place
Wash with gentle fragrant free soaps. Your skin needs a certain amount of oil in order to function properly so using harsh cleansers will cause more harm than good. Wash twice a day.
Gentle exercise. You should consult your medical adviser about what exercise you should and shouldn’t do but I found gentle swimming a real help. Exercise reduces stress and although acne is not caused by stress it can make the symptoms worse.

Pregnancy Acne Remedies

If you are finding it difficult to get your acne under control there are some safe acne treatments that you can use but you should always consult your medical adviser before using any. There are some that you should stay away from too.

Acne treatments to avoid

Oral antibiotics
Salicylic Acid (an active ingredient used in many acne treatments)
Retinoids
Accutane (or Isotrentinoin)

The last one in this list, accutane, should be avoided at all costs when pregnant or even trying for a baby. There have been studies that show it to significantly increase the chances of birth defects and even miscarriages. I would confidently say not even to bother consulting a doctor on this one, just don’t take it.

Safe acne treatments when pregnant.

Again you should consult your medical adviser when using any products when pregnant but there are some things that helped me

Benzoyl Peroxide. As Salicylic acid is deemed a little risky, this is another very effective acne treatment. It works to unblock your pores and lower the amount of oil on your skin
Natural products. There are some great natural products that you can use that will help kill bacteria and keep the skin looking its best (examples include Tea Tree oil, Honey, Aloe Vera, birch leaf extract)
Holistic & Home Remedies. The are some great ways that you can improve your acne during pregnancy that go further than the few that we have listed above. Please see below

Normally when treating acne we would recommend an Acne treatment with scientific ingredients and internal cleansing but these are not 100% safe acne remedies. Therefore, for those who are suffering from acne during pregnancy, here is a safe system that can be used when pregnant

Here is why:

100% pregnancy Friendly
Totally natural
And the best thing is that it comes with a 30 money back guarantee which means that if it doesn’t work in 14 days, as claimed, just get a refund. Nothing lost

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