Anyone else have terrible acne?

australianshepherdlover

I have had the worst acne of my life the past few weeks! I'm not really complaining since it's pregnancy related But, it is kind of embarrassing. I seriously have a spot on the side of my face where I literally have a cluster of at least 20 zits. It's all over my face and neck. I really feel worse for my husband because he has to look at it, haha. Not that he complains, either, he's a sweetie. My OB said there's nothing you can really do for it except for natural remedies. Anyone have anything that works?

carries2018

I've heard hydrogen peroxide helps. 

lola4411

this happened during my first and i bought a clarisonic to use in the shower every other day. it helped and i have used it ever since.

rochellejohn

Omg, me too, it's so horrible and I sometimes have presentations to make...ugh embarrassing 

kmornelas29

Yes, but I've always had pretty bad skin. It's a curse. 

MamanBee

I feel like I'm back in highschool. I've always struggled with it but it's gotten bad the last 2 weeks or so. I've started using Neutrogena naturals acne cream cleanser and it seems to help.

roo_baby

Mine's pretty bad, too. My dr said I can use anything over-the-counter since it will have low potency, but I've been trying not to overuse it because I've heard even salicylic acid can cause birth defects. 

MamanBee

It says on the bottle that it uses products with naturally occurring salicylic acid. So it's not strong at all.

bluejeanbabi05

Ugh, acne. I had it bad growing up until I took accutane in hs. My skin is mostly clear now, but it's super sensitive to any new products. Sometimes it will also decide to be randomly sensitive to a product I've used for awhile already. 

On that theme, I recommend taking a look at your facial moisturizer and cleanser and maybe trying a new one for sensitive skin. I really like Sephora's basic moisturizer for this. 

Eta: here it is. The "hyaluronic acid" part on it sounds chemical-ly, but I researched it and it's safe for pregnancy and just aids in moisturizing.

https://m.sephora.com/product/P276329?skuId=1259621

crazypuglady

I've been dealing with greasy skin and breakouts. Lucky for me, most of my breakouts are isolated to my forehead and hairline. I've never had greasy skin and even as a teenager I would have one bad pimple here and there. You could read braille off my forehead right now. Guess it could be worse.

ChocolateIsLife

Hugs to all of you ladies dealing with acne right now!! I have dealt with severe hormonal acne since jr. high so I know your pain. For some reason the extra hormones while pregnant have seemed to level my skin out (knock on wood). In my experience, gentle products worked much better than products marketed for acne. I can confidently say that I have tried almost every over the counter product for acne, as well as most dermatologist prescriptions (which most that worked are banned while pregnant). I know each persons face is different, so what works for me may not work for you, but I'll tell you what I use in case you want to try. I use Purpose face wash, which is a really gentle face wash that takes my make up off easily. I then wash with it again with the face wash, but I add one drop of Dr. Bronners Castille soap-lavender. After that, I use either Eucerin daily moisturizer for sensitive skin with spf, or Shiseido Ibuki refining moisturizer and I add one drop of Laurel anti-inflammatory serum. After my face is settled down, I put a light layer of Burts Bees tee tree oil on problem areas (hormonal acne is mostly on jawline and chin areas). Over the years I have learned, that harsh scrubs or acne products generally make my skin worse, and a lot of that is related to stripping your skin of its natural oils. When your hormones are in overdrive, your skin produces more sebum, which causes clogged pores and inflammation. When you use products that strip the sebum, your skin reacts and produces more than it normally would, so it then has a great chance of breaking out. I have also noticed when I cut out sugar and bread, that my skin clears up quickly (and coffee, but thats just not realistic). Sorry for the novel, I just really love skin care regimens and researching skin care products. I hope everyone dealing with acne right now finds a regimen that works for them!

aprilsarahjune

+1 for the lifetime acne sufferers.  +1 for gentle products (not directly marketed for acne) work best.  I am currently using Cedaphil face wash and CoverGirl tinted moisturizer with sun screen.  Over the counter and cheap and currently, steadily working!

emwj10187

Arbonne products saved my life. Ive always had terrible acne, and have been able to keep it under control during pregnancy with arbonne   

PizzaMonster3

Don't have any advice because my acne has flared back up and I've not had success taming it. Thank you to everyone who posted tho - definitely going to try some gentle products recommended. 

joforyoga

Clean with something gentle and no soap as it strips the skin of moisture. Exfoliate gently 2-3 times a week and hydrate as much as possible. A simple lightweight moisturizer for hydration as opposed to a moisturizer for dry skin which will be adding oil's into your skin. That is a key point to keep in mind because a lot of people with bad breakouts use moisturizers for the wrong skin type and it only adds to the problem but everyone's skin no matter what they are dealing with needs hydration . Avoid any products that contain alcohol because it stripped the natural acid mantle of your skin leaving your skin more vulnerable and your body will try and produce more oil to protect itself .

shan24

+1 for gentle cleansers!  I've had acne and oily, flaky skin my whole life. I'm now using Arbonne's Calm line (which is not for acne at all) and I rarely get a breakout now. Plus, it seems to have balanced out the oils on my skin. No more greasy flakes!

australianshepherdlover

Thanks everyone for your responses! I haven't even been using any moisturizer or anything to treat the acne because I wasn't sure what was safe and what wasn't. I am going to go look for some natural products today and see if that helps!