Acne Pregnancy

If the pimples you thought you left behind in junior high have come back with a vengeance during pregnancy, you’re not alone. Hormonal changes in the first two trimesters can cause the skin to produce excess oil – a primary cause of acne – along with bacteria, stress, and hair follicles that get clogged with oil or dead skin cells.

Wearing face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic has also contributed to a bump in breakouts. Friction from the cloth can irritate your skin and built-up humidity under your mask can trap oil and bacteria in your pores. Though masking is essential to stop the spread of COVID-19, research has shown that long-term mask wearing can cause mask-related acne flares (“maskne”).

Pregnancy acne, also known as adult or hormonal acne, can affect any pregnant patient. Celebrity Ashley Iaconetti from “The Bachelor” recently discussed her symptoms and shared photos with US Weekly and on social media.

Severe Acne During Pregnancy

My colleague Melissa Mauskar, M.D., founder and director of UT Southwestern’s Gynecologic Dermatology Clinic, knows the challenges of dealing with acne during pregnancy firsthand.

Patients often say their acne is as frustrating as it is painful. I feel their pain! During my current pregnancy, I have been dealing with inflammatory acne nodules, which run deep below the skin’s surface. Larger and more painful than zits or blackheads, these hot, red nodules are more common during pregnancy. They also can leave post-inflammatory pigmentation behind.

Although masks can help cover up some of this acne, they also make things worse. This isn’t a great look for a dermatologist – part of my job is to help people keep their skin looking good, but even we can have problems with pregnancy acne and maskne!

My Pregnancy Hormonal Acne And How I Dealt With It

In a recent study of women with acne, almost half of patients reported that appearance-related concerns negatively affected their social, professional, and personal lives. Many of them noted symptoms of depression, anxiety, and social isolation. Add these feelings to the other body changes in pregnancy and it can significantly affect your mental health.

But the good news is acne in pregnancy can be treated safely. Here are four tips to help clear up and prevent pregnancy-related acne breakouts.

Instead of playing Dr. Pimple Popper or racing to the drugstore for creams and abrasive cleansers, call the dermatology clinic and we can help you figure out what is causing your breakouts. We’ll also work with your prenatal care provider to recommend pregnancy-safe treatments that will be less irritating and more effective.

Pregnancy Acne: How To Deal With It

If you do tend to pick at your spots, applying the pimple patches that have grown increasingly popular may help you break this habit, which can cause scarring. These little stickers contain hydrocolloid, a gel-like material that dries out superficial whitehead pimples but isn’t strong enough to effectively treat the deep, painful red spots you’re likely to experience while pregnant.

While several face washes contain these ingredients, they also typically contain harsh chemicals that irritate the skin. Gentle washes are better at fighting stubborn acne. Even a mild bar of soap is better than an aggressive cleanser.

If you prefer a wash over a spot treatment, choose one that contains ceramides, fatty acids that already exist within your skin and keep it from drying out.

How To Deal With Acne Breakouts During Pregnancy

Many skin medications and external therapies are safe to use during pregnancy. If topical treatments alone aren’t enough, your dermatologist and Ob/Gyn may recommend one of these options instead of, or in combination with, your skin care routine.

For my nodules, getting a few intralesional steroid injections in combination with using a gentle cleanser helped me look and feel better in a few days. Once I head into my third trimester, I expect my acne to settle down as my hormone levels even out – at least until I welcome the stress and excitement of having a newborn at home!

As wearing a mask continues to be a vital way to reduce the spread of COVID-19, follow these steps to help prevent a maskne outbreak:

Cystic Acne On Chin During Second Trimester Help!

If you’re not already, apply sunscreen to your face daily – even when wearing a mask. Choose a sunscreen that is light and oil-free to reduce the risk of pimples and look for a formula with an SPF of at least 50. Wearing sunscreen is the best way to prevent wrinkles, skin cancer, and darkening of sunspots or acne scars.

If pregnancy acne is affecting your self-esteem or quality of life, we can help. To visit with a dermatologist, call 214-645-2400 or request an appointment online.All What to Expect content that addresses health or safety is medically reviewed by a team of vetted health professionals. OurMedicalReview Board includes OB/GYNs, pediatricians, infectious disease specialists, doulas, lactation counselors, endocrinologists, fertility specialists and more.

Sure, the only skin change for some moms-to-be is a gorgeous, rosy glow. But at some point or another during your pregnancy, some pimples (or maybe more than a few) will start to pop up.

Pregnancy Acne: What Causes It, How To Treat It

It’s not guaranteed that your face will break out during pregnancy, but there’s a good chance that zits or splotches will strike even if you’ve never been plagued by pimples before.

The breakouts, which tend to hit sometime aroundweek 6 of pregnancy, have to do with hormone surges, of course. Specifically, progesterone causes your glands secrete more oil, called sebum.

All that extra sebum can clog up pores and cause bacteria to build up, leading to breakouts.How do you treat pregnancy acne?

Acne During Pregnancy

Lifestyle changes are your best bet these days. Many of the conventional treatments used to get rid of acne are off limits during pregnancy.

Many of the creams and meds that are typically used to zap zits contain ingredients that could potentially harm your growing baby, so you’ll want to steer clear. Acne products to avoid during pregnancy include:

Topical salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide, two chemicals found in a huge range of skin care and drugstore products, are generally okay to use in small amounts during pregnancy, according to American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) as well as the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).

Prenatal Vitamins: Do They Cause Acne?

However, not all experts consider them safe for expecting women. If you’re considering using a product containing one of these ingredients, talk with your doctor first.Does pregnancy acne predict a baby’s sex?

Probably not. While one very, very small study tied worse pregnancy acne to having a girl, much more research is needed before experts can say if those pimples are related to your baby’s sex.

Still want to play the guessing game? These other pregnancy symptoms might be just a little bit more reliable.Does pregnancy acne go away after birth?

A Guide To Pregnancy Acne

It would be nice if those pesky pimples went poof the moment your baby was placed into your arms. While pregnancy acne does eventually get better as your hormones return to their pre-pregnancy state, it doesn’t always happen overnight.

In some cases, postpartum hormonal fluctuations paired with sleep deprivation and the stress of caring for a newborn can be yet another acne trigger.

Try to stick with the same healthy skin care habits you had during pregnancy (easier said than done, we know). And ask your doctor about the acne treatments that were off-limits during your pregnancy. Even if you’re breastfeeding, some topical treatments may now be okay.

How To Safely Treat Your Postpartum Acne

Hormonal birth control may help too. If the pill had helped keep your acne in check before becoming pregnant, you’ll likely notice an improvement in your skin once you start taking it again.

Keep in mind, though, that the mini-pill — a progestin-only birth control pill often recommended for breastfeeding moms — won’t help acne and can actually make it worse.

Above all, try to be patient. A fresh wave of postpartum pimples (or ones from pregnancy that never seemed to go away) isn’t fun. But eventually, your skin will settle back down.Pregnancy-safe acne products to try

Post Pregnancy Acne: A Treatment That Actually Works

What to Expect selects products based on real-life testing conducted by staff, contributors and members our user community, as well as independent research and expert feedback; learn more about our review process. Prices and details are accurate as of the published date. We may earn commissions from shopping links.

. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading ourmedical review and editorial policy.

What to Expect When You're Expecting, 5th edition, Heidi Murkoff., PregnancySkin Care: Dealing withAcne, July 2018., Is This Skin Care Product Safe for Baby?, August 2018., Postpartum Skin Woes: Where’d That Glow Go?, December 2018., Best Acne Treatments for Pregnancy, January 2021.Jessica Wu, M.D., Dermatologist, Los Angeles, CA, and Member of the What to Expect Medical Review Board.American Academy of Dermatology, Is Any Acne Treatment Safe to Use During Pregnancy?, 2021.American Academy of Dermatology, Sunscreen FAQs, 2021.American Academy of Dermatology, Stubborn Acne? Hormonal Therapy Can Help, 2021. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Skin Conditions DuringPregnancy, June 2020.American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Postpartum Birth Control, May 2020.Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, Treatment ofAcneinPregnancy, March 2016.March of Dimes, Isotretinoin and Other Retinoids DuringPregnancy, June 2019.Mayo Clinic, Minipill (Progestin-Only Birth Control Pill), December 2020.Mayo Clinic, Acne, September 2020.NationalInstitutesof

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