You know that “glow” that many pregnant women seem to have? Well, unfortunately the increased oils production that is partially responsible for the glow is also responsible for the acne that many women get during pregnancy.
Breaking out in acne during pregnancy is a fairly common occurrence, and even more so if you’re already prone to breakouts. Changes in hormones and hormone levels during pregnancy result in the skin producing more oils, and thus more acne. During pregnancy, acne can break out not only on the face, but also on the body. Fortunately, there are some things that you can try to use to deal with breaking out in acne during your pregnancy.
Tips For Minimizing Acne
1. Clean Skin
One of the most simple but also the most effective ways to deal with breaking out in acne during pregnancy is to keep your skin clean. Use an oil-free facial cleanser, like Farmaesthetics Fine Herbal Cleanser or Lavender Milk, and avoid soaps that contain oils or other irritating substances. After you clean your skin, rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water to remove any soap residue that might be left over.
2. No Touching
It is important to keep in mind that touching your acne will only make it worse. As tempting as it might be to pop them or pick at them, this can cause the bacteria to spread, and thus create even more acne. In addition, picking at them can create acne scars.
3. Stress Management
During pregnancy, stress management is extremely important, not only in terms of your overall health, but in terms of your acne breakouts. Adding Lavender oil to your bath, or spritzing a Lavender mist on your face can be very calming. Get regular exercise (subject to your doctor’s approval, of course) and get plenty of sleep. And, of course, massage therapy has actually been proven in numerous studies to reduce the level of stress hormones in your body… in addition to helping with back pain, headaches, sciatic pain and sleep problems.
4. Eat healthy!
A healthy diet and regular exercise can help control acne. Regular daily exercise can help to increase blood flow to the skin, and will help it to be more tone and healthier.
5. Use Safe Medications
Finally, you should be very cautious when using acne medications during pregnancy. Over-the-counter Acne treatments that include benzoyl peroxide have been tested as safe to use while pregnant. There are also many natural skin-care products that may be safe for both you and baby. We recommend both the Farmaesthetics and Mama Mio brands for safe, effective skin care. Stay away from any acne medications that contain Tetracycline, Salicylic Acid (a common ingredient in over-the-counter acne treatments), Tretinon (sold under the brand name Retin-A), and Isotrentinoin (sold under the brand name Accutane).
With some extra care and a little patience, you may find that you can avoid or reduce breaking out in acne during pregnancy… and still “glow”!
