Acne Treatments while pregnant

[lmr1101]

Title pretty much says it all. Is there anything I can do to treat acne? It's not horrible, but I've been getting little pimples that my typical over the counter face soaps would treat... now that I'm avoiding those what can I do?

[nrp]

Title pretty much says it all. Is there anything I can do to treat acne? It's not horrible, but I've been getting little pimples that my typical over the counter face soaps would treat... now that I'm avoiding those what can I do?

I know you can't do salicylic acid or retinols, and a quick google search shows that there are some conflicting ideas about benzoyl peroxide. What about glycolic acid or another alpha hydroxy acid? I can't find much online that would suggest that those would be harmful.

[DrSally]

I would consult with your OB, but the general concensus seems to be that Benzoyl peroxide is ok. I avoided everything during my first preg (even lotion with soy), but used some in my 2nd preg.

[cckwmh]

finacea and erythromycin gel are both category B. personally, i have seen better results with finacea -but remember it is hormonal so they will only help not clear completely.

eta: both are prescription meds

[AnnieW625]

I know you can't do salicylic acid or retinols, and a quick google search shows that there are some conflicting ideas about benzoyl peroxide. What about glycolic acid or another alpha hydroxy acid? I can't find much online that would suggest that those would be harmful.

You aren't suppose to injest salicylic acid (aspirin) or use it too much on your skin, but if you are using a cleanser that contains Salicylic Acid and you are simply washing it off then there is no harm. That is what my OB told me with DD1 at the end of the first trimester (after I had started using another "safe" cleanser that broke me out terribly). With DD1 I had been using prescription strength benzoyl peroxide, and Tazorac (a very high level retinol cream) so I stopped using them.

[artvandalay]

I would do a 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide (like Neutrogena On The Spot).

[lmr1101]

Thanks for the tips... it's not horrible, but I would just feel better knowing my face wash was at least trying to help.
I'm almost done with the first trimester so maybe now I'll just get a mild acne face cleaner.

[artvandalay]

Thanks for the tips... it's not horrible, but I would just feel better knowing my face wash was at least trying to help.
I'm almost done with the first trimester so maybe now I'll just get a mild acne face cleaner.

Personally, I don't find facial wash to do much for acne. I would get a mild cleanser and then use a leave on product for the acne.

[luckytwenty]

My OB said I could use any of the over the counter treatments (salcylic acid/benzol). They didn't help much.

Hope yours isn't as bad as mine got--and I still have it...derm says I probably will till I wean. :-( I never had acne as a teen so I guess I was due for it at some point!

[Kymberley]

My OB said I could use any of the over the counter treatments (salcylic acid/benzol). They didn't help much.

Hope yours isn't as bad as mine got--and I still have it...derm says I probably will till I wean. :-( I never had acne as a teen so I guess I was due for it at some point!

Sounds just like me. It was worse when I was pg, but still is annoying.

[AnnieW625]

Thanks for the tips... it's not horrible, but I would just feel better knowing my face wash was at least trying to help.
I'm almost done with the first trimester so maybe now I'll just get a mild acne face cleaner.

I was never a big believer in acne face wash at all (used Dove for the longest time) until about a year before I got pregnant and a friend recommended Kiehl's Blue Herbal Gel Cleanser. The stuff is magic, and I usually can't handle topical SA based products either. It's great. I use it in the morning only.

[fumofu]

I was using 2.5% benzoyl peroxide before pregnancy. At my first prenatal appt I asked my OB about it. He found out it was category B, and advised me to not use anything. So I stopped. My acne was never bad, but it was present during my pregnancy.

I asked my OB again after DS was born, since I'm breastfeeding. He said if my condition is bad then using it is fine. But best to avoid it still, which is what I've been doing. Again, acne is not too bad but I always have a pimple or two.

[LarsMal]

If you want to try something natural, try green tea. Supposedly it works as well as benzoyl peroxide. I've been using it recently and it definitely seems to help.

So far I've just used it to spot treat hormonal blemishes. I think it's supposed to help prevent breakouts, but mine are hormonal so I don't think it will prevent those, but definitely helps them heal faster.

You just make a cup of hot tea and let it cool. You can keep it in the fridge for a week. I just take a little bit out at night and apply it with a cotton ball after I wash my face (before moisturizer). You can also get caffeine free.

[lmr1101]

I love this idea since I'm sure mine is also hormonal. It really isn't bad, more annoying than anything so if I can find a natural treatment that helps at all, I'm willing to give it a try.

[meags]

My midwife recommended tea tree oil and a light, non-greasy moisturizer. My acne is awful, but it has minimized it. Actually it seems to have moved from my face to my neck/back, but I find that preferable. Before I started using it, my acne was huge painful zits, but now they are smaller and heal faster.

My midwife also advised against glycolic acid because it enters your blood stream.

[bisous]

I definitely struggled/struggle with this! I have to say that during my first pregnancy, I was clueless without my usual go tos (I had used Retin-A for acne for years!) I developed some skills that have kept my skin at its best condition ever. (I still get zits, though).

The biggest help to me was "the cosmetics cop" talking about what causes acne. Her site, cosmeticscop.com sells some products but used to have lots of great articles as well. She talked about how acne is caused by bacterial growth, slow rate of exfoliation, and overproduction of oil and sebum. These causes can be combatted by the following:

1. First, use a gentle cleanser. I swear by Cetaphil. For some this is not natural enough but I figure it has to be better than the prescription stuff I'd used for years so I was going with it! She mentions that you don't want your face to feel tight or "toned" after washing. Cetaphil also moisturizes a little so I don't need moisturizer. I found it very hard to find a moisturizer that doesn't cause me to break out!

2. To further cut down on bacteria, she recommended using a 2.5 benzyl peroxide cream. I found that if I just used Cetaphil and then didn't touch my face, I could cut way down on bacteria production.

3. For exfoliation, she talks about two kinds, mechanical and chemical. Normally, salicylic acid is really effective for acne as a chemical exfoliator because it penetrates the pore. However, I couldn't use this in pregnancy. Instead, I used a manual exfoliator of baking soda mixed with Cetaphil. This used occasionally really helped my skin to feel nice!

4. Staying away from products that cause me to break out. As I mentioned before, my skin was really oily and unless I used an overly harsh cleanser, I didn't need moisturizer. By skipping that step, I helped clear my skin. I found foundation with a sunscreen in it worked better than the two products separately. For years now, I've been using Revlon Colorstay (they keep changing the formulations) with sunscreen and I always swear that it actually improves my skin by wearing it!

Bottom line, for me gentle cleanser and gentle exfoliation worked wonders. I needed to really work hard NOT to touch my face. I found products that I left on my skin that didn't cause breakouts. My skin cleared up nicely.

I hope any of these suggestions are helpful!