Are you expecting? Congratulations! Whether this is your first pregnancy or your 8th, you may be wondering what you need to do to modify your skincare regimen and aesthetic treatments. In this blog I will address some common skincare issues during pregnancy and some strategies for keeping your skin happy and healthy!

Aesthetics During Pregnancy

Pregnancy will change your skin

Being pregnant causes many changes in your body, and your skin is no exception. But the fun part about pregnancy is that you will have no idea how exactly your skin will be effected.  Every pregnancy is different and some may cause acne, some may cause extremely dry skin, and some may leave you with a beautiful glow. And some lucky mommas may experience all of these during the same pregnancy!

Common skin changes during pregnancy include hyperpigmentation and melasma, acne, dry skin, skin tags, and darkening of moles and freckles. These conditions can be frustrating, especially since treatment options during pregnancy are limited. To some extent, pregnant women have to accept these temporary skin changes because the underlying cause is the pregnancy itself. Most of these conditions are reversible or treatable, but do require time and patience.

Don’t lose hope though, there are still plenty of excellent products and treatments available for pregnant women!

You may want to adjust the ingredients you use in your daily routine

To understand which products are safe to use, we must first understand a little about how any ingredient is deemed “safe in pregnancy”…

To truly be considered safe, an ingredient needs to be tested on a sufficient amount of pregnant women in a controlled study. The problem with this is that testing ingredients on pregnant women raises many ethical concerns, and therefore is not commonly done unless the benefit clearly outweighs the risk. Another factor is cost, as these studies are expensive and time consuming. Because of these factors, most ingredients are not actually tested in the pregnant population. Many ingredients which are “not recommended” during pregnancy pose a theoretical risk based on knowledge of ingredients which are similar. The same goes for ingredients which are considered “safe”- they have likely not been tested in the pregnant population, but there are no known or theoretical reasons why that ingredient should be a problem.

Another factor when we are talking about skincare ingredients is the absorption. Generally speaking, ingredients applied topically do not get absorbed into the blood stream, or if they do the amount is negligible.

You will find disagreement from leading experts on the safety of different topical ingredients, which is why I encourage you to have a discussion with your OB. Together, you can work out the risk-benefit for your unique situation.

Here are some ingredients that you may want to check for:

Vitamin A (retinol, retinal, retinoids, tretinoin): Vitamin A in high doses (like in the oral drug Accutane) have been known to cause serious birth defects. While topical preparations are not absorbed in the same amounts, no safe dosing has been established for topical Vitamin A and many OBGYN’s recommend avoiding Vitamin A products during pregnancy.

Hydroquinone: Hydroquinone is actually one of the exceptions to the topical absorption rule. This ingredient is well absorbed and theoretically could cross into the placenta. There are no human studies showing its safety, therefore most experts recommend avoiding hydroquinone during pregnancy.

Salicylic acid: The chemical structure of salicylic acid is similar to that of aspirin. Aspirin should be avoided during pregnancy unless your doctor determines that the benefit outweighs the risk. Generally speaking, formulations of 2% salicylic acid and less are considered OK, but some women may opt to avoid this ingredient all together.

What ingredients SHOULD I use then?

SPF!! Haha, you knew this one was coming, right? SPF is the most important product to apply, especially if hyperpigmentation/dark spots are a concern. Physical sunscreens are recommended during pregnancy. My favorite is Skinbetter Science Tone Smart SPF 75.

Gentle chemical exfoliators: These will keep your skin hydrated, smooth, and help to prevent breakouts. My favorite is ZO’s Complexion Pads which contain glycolic acid.

Antioxidant serums: Dosing your skin with vitamins and antioxidants will help keep you glowing and looking healthy while combating free radicals that contribute to aging. My favorite is Skinbetter’s Alto Defense Serum, or for a more lotion-y feel I like ZO’s Daily Power Defense which has recently been reformulated to remove retinol making it a safer choice during pregnancy!

Skin Hydrators: Dry skin can become very bothersome during pregnancy, so finding the right skin hydrator is important! I love the Even Esthetics™ HA-7 serum, and ZO’s Growth Factor Serum.

Acne treatments: Some traditional ingredients like Benzoyl Peroxide may be too harsh on sensitive pregnancy skin, so I recommend ZO’s Oil Control Pads which do contain 2% salicylic acid, and ZO’s complexion clearing masque which is sulfur based.

Services to book and which to pause

Pause it:

Tox: Neurotoxins such as Botox and Dysport are not recommended during pregnancy, so you will have to pause these treatments until babe arrives!

Filler: We can’t do filler if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. It will be worth the wait though!

Microneedling: Because the skin is more prone to inflammation during pregnancy, so microneedling is not recommended during pregnancy.

Deep Peels: Deep chemical peels need to wait until after pregnancy, the skin can react differently during pregnancy so it is best to wait.

Book It:

Facials: Facials can be customized to be safe for pregnancy and have the added benefit of relaxation as well! Just make sure your esthetician knows you are pregnant because your skin may behave differently than it did when you were not pregnant.

Pregnancy safe peels: Lighter chemical peels can be a great way to reset your skin during pregnancy!

Skincare Consultation: It’s a great idea to sit down with your skin professional to tweak your skincare regimen when you are pregnant.