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by Anna Kate Read May 03, 2024
Pregnancy comes with a wide variety of symptoms — both good and bad!
While you may get glowing, healthy-looking skin, you are equally likely to suffer from breakouts (especially if you were prone to blemishes pre-pregnancy).
But when does pregnancy acne start, and how long can you expect it to last? The skin care experts at Skin Pharm have more about pregnancy acne and five ways you can safely treat it.
Let’s tackle the question you came here for — when does pregnancy acne start? For most people, pregnancy acne begins about six weeks into pregnancy.
However, research has shown that more than 40% of pregnant people will deal with “severe” acne at some point in their pregnancy. The good news is that most pregnancy acne is manageable, especially when you know what products you can safely use while pregnant.
Pregnancy acne is often one of the first pregnancy symptoms people notice, as it occurs at about the same time that people are experiencing morning sickness and breast tenderness.
If you are trying for pregnancy and already struggle with breakouts, it’s crucial to develop a plan to treat them safely before the positive pregnancy tests occur. It’s often a good idea to change your routine to a pregnancy-safe one when you start attempting pregnancy so that you’re not caught unaware.
Why breakouts happen during pregnancy is a question asked nearly as frequently as when does pregnancy acne start. The answer, which is the same for many questions about pregnancy, comes down to hormonal changes.
In early pregnancy (especially the first trimester), the body is flooded with a surge of hormones, especially progesterone and estrogen. Both hormones are essential in helping the body maintain a strong, healthy pregnancy, but there are also drawbacks.
For instance, progesterone also naturally increases the amount of sebum (natural oil) that the body produces.
The more active the oil glands are, the more likely your pores will become clogged. For both pregnant and non-pregnant people, the equation that leads to breakouts is the same — debris (dead skin cells, environmental factors) + bacteria + clogged pores (due to oil or non-supportive skin care products) = breakouts.
Increasing any of these factors also increases the risk of acne flare-ups.
Just because your oil production may be up and you’re noticing more pimples than you usually have doesn’t mean you have to just sit back and watch them pop up.
There are ways that you can still maintain the health and appearance of your skin without worrying about harming your baby. Your best resource is your healthcare provider, so always check with them before making any changes.
One of the best ways to treat pregnancy acne is to amend your basic skin care routine to be as gentle and supportive as possible. Try the following routine, suggested by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG):
Not all acne treatments are safe for pregnant women to use, as they may be able to pass through to your baby and have harmful effects.
The best way to know which products are (and aren’t) safe to use is by contacting your OB-GYN or dermatologist, but we also wanted to provide a list of the ingredients you should avoid while pregnant.
Luckily, there are also safe, over-the-counter skin care and acne medications to use during pregnancy. While you should always run your entire skin care routine by your OB-GYN as soon as you find out that you’re pregnant, the following are some of the more safe bets.
While changing your pillowcases won’t “treat” pregnancy acne, per se, it will help to prevent breakouts from occurring. The buildup on your face (oil, dead skin cells and skin care products like moisturizers and serums) transfers to your pillow when you sleep.
If you don’t wash your pillowcase frequently, that buildup has a much higher chance of transferring back onto your skin and clogging your pores. Try to toss it in the wash at least a few times a week, especially if your skin is more oily than usual.
In addition, if you’ve had your pillow for more than a year or two, you may want to consider buying a new one or at least washing it if possible. No matter how frequently you change your pillowcase, some of that debris will still get past it and embed into your actual pillow.
If you’re the type of person who frequently finds their hands traveling up to their face, treating pregnancy acne may involve another, sometimes more challenging step. In addition to not picking or popping any blemishes that may show up, it’s also essential that you try to keep the face touching to a minimum.
Remember, anytime you touch your face, you risk transferring whatever is on your hands onto your skin. Although this doesn’t guarantee a breakout, it does increase the likelihood substantially.
When does pregnancy acne start? Unfortunately, whenever it wants to! Whether in your first or third trimester (or even postpartum), breakouts are more likely to occur when your hormone levels are high.
Having pregnancy-safe ways to treat them without harming your baby is essential to keep you looking your best, even if you may not be feeling that way on the inside!
SOURCES:
Is any acne treatment safe to use during pregnancy? | AAD
Isotretinoin and other retinoids during pregnancy | March of Dimes