Pregnant women really do seem to shine with an inner light. But that doesn’t mean your skin is going to be picture-perfect through all nine months.
Sad to say, pregnancy can mean new and exciting skin problems as well as the return of an old scourge — acne. Plus, there are certain ingredients that you’ll want to avoid now that you’re knocked up, for safety’s sake.
Acne
You can blame your hormones for this one. Pregnancy brings with it waves and waves of hormonal changes and one of the consequences — especially if you had oily skin or problems with pimples in the past — is a resurgence of adolescent-style acne.
Worse, many over-the-counter anti-acne treatments are better avoided while you’re pregnant. Spot treatment with salicylic acid, a relative of aspirin, is OK but soaks and peels are not. Your dermatologist can give you a pregnancy-safe antibiotic cream as an alternative.
Otherwise, practice good acne prevention by washing once or twice a day with a mild cleanser and avoiding irritants such as fragrances or pore-clogging cosmetics. Try using an oatmeal-based facial scrub if needed.
Dry and Itchy Skin
Many pregnant women experience bouts of dry, tight, and itchy skin during pregnancy. These patches can occur on your face but also elsewhere on your body.
Drinking a lot of water can help, although it will also increase the number of your already-too-frequent bathroom trips. Take lukewarm baths or showers, use a mild cleanser or moisturizing soap, and use a fragrance-free moisturizer after you get out of the tub.
You might want to run a humidifier in your home, too. Avoid using any cream containing cortisone to tame the itch; calamine lotion is a good alternative.
Dark Patches
Some women find their facial skin darkens while they’re pregnant. Sometimes the darkened skin appears patchy; other times it’s in a pattern a raccoon would envy.
This is known as melasma or chloasma, a.k.a. the “pregnancy mask.” Again, blame the hormones for this one.
Sun exposure can aggravate the discoloration, so wear sunscreen when you’re outdoors. You’ll be glad to know that all sunscreen ingredients on the market today are considered safe for pregnant women.
The other thing you can do to prevent further darkening is to avoid soy products — and yes, this includes topicals such as soy-based lotions.
Soy contains “estrogenic compounds,” that is, stuff that mimics the hormone estrogen. This means they pile on the hormone wagon and aggravate your melasma. Avoid oil of bergamot, too, which has the same effect.
Another Ingredient to Avoid
Retinols are revered for their anti-aging, wrinkle-erasing properties. But they’re also known to cause birth defects when taken orally. Definitely avoid oral doses of Retin-A and Accutane, which are also used as anti-acne treatments by the way.
Doctors are probably being extra-cautious when they recommend women avoid all retinol-containing skincare products if they’re being used topically — there’s no data showing them to be harmful when used only on the skin.
Nonetheless, it’s better to avoid retinol-containing skincare products entirely until after your baby arrives.