Acne treatment

scgirl6113 · June 2016

help! I this pregnancy my face is covered in acne! I have read that we should stay away from salicyclic acid to treat acne... So what are you using! I need serious help!!

colleenkevin · June 2016

My OB wrote me a prescription during my last pregnancy. I don't remember what it was but it worked well enough. I'd recommending asking your OB if they recommend something over the counter or can write you a prescription for something safe.

BrennansMom2012 · June 2016

My dermatologist told me he can write me a script for Benzacline (may not be how you spell it, sorry) but it's a real mild topical medication. Given I have/had cystic acne and was on antibiotics before pregnancy it won't do much for me so I've been using plain old Neosporin. Ironically with my first my face was horrible. With this one my face has been clearer. In fact, my friend figured out I was pregnant early on because it had cleared up so much. Good luck!

litzi-2 · June 2016

Azelaic acid is category B

scgirl6113 · June 2016

@BrennansMom2012 with my first two I had perfectly clear skin! I will ask my doctor about that one. Thanks!

agea · August 2016

Is anyone else's acne situation getting worse in the second trimester? Mine started with a bunch of tiny red zits which were easily covered with concealer. They're increasingly red and angry in week 15. Anyone else experience this? Any product recs?

cjs260 · August 2016

My acne has been terrible this entire pregnancy. I just started using Cetaphil wash a couple of days ago, and have seen a pretty dramatic decrease in the breakouts. Coincidence? Maybe, but I'm going to keep going with it.

stumptownmama · August 2016

My acne got really bad at the beginning of second tri. I've been using coconut oil, tea tree oil, lavender oil and frankincense oil. I stay away from harsh ingredients- they tend to dry out my skin and make it worse.

hjmorgan-2 · August 2016

From what I understand with research, face wash with salicylic acid during pregnancy isn't really bad as long as you don't ingest it. I think it's more on the 'there's not enough data to say it's ok, but not any to say it's bad' sort of scale. You just definitely can't take any acne medication.

I use my regular wash, because it's the only things that helps tame this(even then... only a bit), I just reduced my washes to once a day, sometimes every other day to be safe. And I don't let it sit on my face so it wont be absorbed, I rinse immediately.

litzi-2 · August 2016

my skin wasn't great for a long time, since mid first trimester. I tried clinda lotion along with salicylic acid toner and a regular wash, I think clinique. It wasn't working the best. I started using azelex and it helped a ton. Was rx tho and needed a prior auth for insurance to cover it.

BrennansMom2012 · August 2016

@sarag mine is getting much worse and my cystic acne has been really bad lately (although they're not the deep ones I usually get these are closer to the surface). I'm trying Rodan and Fields Unblemish at night and Cerave (sp) cleanser in the morning because the Unblemish does dry my face too much. Been on it a week and while my cysts haven't stopped they've become significantly smaller, my face is less red and a massive cyst that was forming on my forehead is all but gone. Only issue is it's ridiculously expensive. $200 for a 60 day supply. I hated spending the money but Neosporin wasn't cutting it anymore and I go back to work with my middle school students in a couple weeks. Lush has an amazing charcoal scrub that I use once weekly to get rid of black heads.

I've also started washing my sheets twice a week and changing out my face towel after every two uses. Also, keep your makeup brushes cleaned in order to avoid transfer of dirt and bacteria (if you use brushes).

kaytastic25 · August 2016

Prescription for clindamycin. My dermatologist said not to use anything else. I haven't filled my prescription yet so not sure how well it works.

Knottie1443924966 · August 2016

I started regular visits every 2 weeks to my facialist. She is giving me a discounted rate bc I am strictly coming in for extractions. She cleans and extracts my blackheads and inflamed pores (pimples) then puts a pumpkin disinfecting mask on. It is SO painful but my skin is definitely getting much better. My biggest issue was that I was popping or picking my skin which only made it worse. She also recommends that I never touch my skin once my makeup is applied. We have no idea how dirty and oily our fingers tips get. This is the hardest part..especially when your there is an itch to scratch she says to use a tissue or at worst the buckle of your finger but who has time for that lol

hjmorgan-2 · August 2016

I just made coconut oil and vitamin E mix to apply to the dryskin on my face and now around my breast.... I think the face wash is too harsh on the dry areas and I have read before that coconut oil can help while hydrating as well.... we'll see.

KRB22 · August 2016

I started kind of overhauling all my cosmetic products and makeup last year in favor of "cleaner" products. At this point most of what I use day-to-day on my face is safe for pregnancy, but unfortunately isn't consistently keeping the breakouts at bay. I go back and forth between my skin looking amazing, having a bunch of angry zits, and then having lots of little bumpy pimples (which are easy enough to cover up but texturally unappealing).

The only thing that reliably clears the breakouts up for me is a resurfacing mask by Tata Harper. It's a little pricy, but a little goes a long way. I use it once or twice a week and expect the jar to last several months. Another good, less expensive brand is Juice Beauty, which offers both skincare and makeup products.

Otherwise, I've been skipping makeup as much as I can get away with, and like PPs said, ensuring my towels and washcloths are always clean.

Hormonal acne is pretty hard to manage, though. If I wasn't pregnant I'd be more focused on making diet changes to balance hormones, etc, but obviously that's not a practical option right now.

KRB22 · August 2016

HJ.Morgan said:

I just made coconut oil and vitamin E mix to apply to the dryskin on my face and now around my breast.... I think the face wash is too harsh on the dry areas and I have read before that coconut oil can help while hydrating as well.... we'll see.

I use coconut oil sometimes to remove makeup before cleansing. It's definitely hydrating!

jlinke926 · August 2016

I started using Rodan + Fields acne regimen. It's only been a week or so but my acne seems to be clearing up nicely!!

BumpingUpto3 · August 2016

I use Rodan & Fields also - only thing that's been able to work for me. And I'm a consultant, so I get 25% off, which is a great bonus!

ceclarlinetlo · September 2016

Bumping this to say about two weeks ago I started wiping my face at night before bed with simple brand micellar water and it's making a noticeable difference. For my whole pregnancy I have been struggling with oily pimples on my forehead and temples but really dry skin on my nose and both are considerably improved. A lot of redness has gone down too.

laufisch · September 2016

I ended up switching over to lush products when we started trying and they're still working great for me. I use the herbalism as a cleanser, tea tree water toner and imperialis lotion.

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