How To Fight Acne During Pregnancy

Sometimes your maternity glow can be dampened by the appearance of pregnancy acne. Read on and find out how to fight acne during pregnancy.

During the first and second trimesters, many mamas experience getting pregnancy acne. More often than not, this is normal and simply a sign that your body is dealing with changes.

However, it can damage a mama’s confidence and self-image. While this may go away eventually, there are still steps that you can take if you want to prevent or remove pregnancy acne.

What causes pregnancy acne?

During pregnancy, a hormone called androgens may increase, which causes the skin to grow and produce more sebum. Sebum is a waxy and oily substance that can block the pores and cause bacteria, inflammation, and breakouts.

If you are the type to get breakouts during your period, then you are also more likely to get pregnancy acne.

And just like how it happens during a regular menstrual cycle, your skin will eventually go back to normal once your hormones settle down.

Acne Treatments to Avoid During Pregnancy

Before anything else, let us first take a quick look at the acne treatments that you should not use while you are pregnant:

1. Isotretinoin

This oral medication helps deal with acne. However, it is dangerous for pregnant women. In fact, in certain countries, anyone who wants to take this must enroll in a particular program that’s part of a risk-management program. In addition, this drug may cause birth defects.

2. Hormone Therapy

To help balance your hormones, you will be introduced to more estrogen and anti-androgens such as flutamide and spironolactone.

3. Topical Retinoids

While retinoids help deal with acne, adapalene, tazarotene, and tretinoin should be avoided at all costs when pregnant. It would also be best to refrain from using products with salicylic acid. All of these are suspected of causing birth defects in babies.

4. Oral Tetracyclines

These are oral antibiotics that can inhibit bone growth and discolored permanent teeth. Examples of these drugs are doxycycline, minocycline, and tetracycline.

Acne Treatments that Would Work

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, here are acne treatments that are both effective and safe for mamas:

1. Shampoo Regularly

Yes. To take care of your face, you should start with your hair. Oil and dirt in the strands of our hair come in constant contact with the sensitive skin on our face. This causes irritation and eventually breakouts. When mixed with the excess oil on our face, you get the perfect recipe for pregnancy acne.

If you don’t have a trusted shampoo for pregnant women yet, you might want to check out Mama’s Choice Treatment Shampoo. Our paraben, silicone, and alcohol-free natural shampoo help mamas with postpartum hair loss. Our shampoo is infused with kiwi, green peas, and candlenut, which promote stronger hair and hair growth.

2. Go Makeup-Free

Now is the time to embrace your natural beauty. After all, nothing can be more captivating than bringing another person into this world. Aside from that, it could also give your face a break it needs to heal your acne.

Unfortunately, even if you use makeup for sensitive skin, it can still cause irritation that would worsen your breakouts.

3. Don’t Pick or Squeeze Your Acne

While breakouts are temporary, scarring from picking or squeezing can be permanent. So while pulling out this acne from your face can be tempting, you must resist the urge to do so at all costs.

Another thing to note is that when you irritate acne by picking or squeezing on it, you can eventually cause abrasions and infection on your face. This will lead to more problems that can be more painful and unpleasant to look at.

4. Eat Healthy and Drink Adequately

As we all know, the key to beautiful skin is to mind what you eat. So when looking for your next meal, look for food rich in vitamin A and zinc. This can include walnuts, chia seeds, fish, and grass-fed beef. You can also go for food that is rich in omega-3s. This is also good for the baby.

On top of that, making sure that you drink lots of water is also essential. This will hydrate your skin and help it deal better with the excess oil.

5. Wash Your Face Regularly

Of course, last but not least, you need to keep your face clean. Since acne is caused by excess oil, using a face wash that can remove that is important.

The Gentle Face Wash from Mama’s Choice can be an excellent option. This is great for all skin types. This is light on the skin but can effectively remove dust, dirt, and makeup residue.

Aside from dealing with acne, this contains rice extract for brighter skin. You will also be pleased that this has hydrolyzed collagen extract for maintaining skin elasticity.

This is free from sulfate, paraben, and other harmful chemicals. This hypoallergenic and dermatologically-tested face wash is safe for pregnant and breastfeeding mamas.