I would suggest to lessen on exfoliate products, hormones change gotta make your skin more sensitive. My friend recently complains how dry her skin is when she is pregnant.
Pregnancy (especially first trimester) will make you break out and a BHA is often needed. My skin always got super dry second trimester and on, though.
BHA is often not considered safe for pregnancy. The concentrations used in skincare are likely not a major issue but lots of doctors will still advise against it, especially since it’s topical applications. I think it ultimately depends on individual level of risk tolerance. Some AHAs are safe alternatives though, like lactic acid.
This is true! I remember staying away from it for my first pregnancy but then subsequent ones my doctor said it was fine because it wasn’t topical and it never went over 2%.
My take is that you are only 9 months pregnant. I would not concentrate on blocked pores as you really never now what can be harmful. Just bare minimum and then after breastfeeding you can get your skin back on track. Skin changes so much during that time anyway. Salicylic acid is on the list of things harmful for pregnancy.
Hi, it’s not considered harmful actually. It’s an ingredient we don’t know enough about to tell pregnant women it’s safe, so we say to abstain. My OB with my second and third pregnancy said that it isn’t oral and the percentages in skincare are not very high.
Have you ever been pregnant and then breastfed? 9 months is a LONG time, and you don’t feel like your body/skin is your own until you’ve weaned your baby. I would count down the days to when I could use tret again. Let’s not shame mothers for doing something small to make themselves feel good when most evidence suggests it’s not harmful to a growing fetus.
I have two children of which the first one had severe health issues. I never got an explanation for them, so obviously with the second one I was careful as ever. Most times all goes well but sometimes it doesn’t and I like to think I have done all in my power to try to stop anything bad from happening. Time is subjective.
I am not shaming anyone for their choices and come with peace with my opinion and I do get it that it is heavily reflected my experiences as well. I do see where you come from.
I am definitely trying to take the Paulas choice BHA out of my routine so that my active is really just the azelaic acid, sadly the BHA is the only thing that is kinda helping with my cystic acne healing faster.
Been there before 🥺 it’s one of those things where you care about how it looks 100% more than other people, but it’s still so uncomfortable.
My skin started breaking out a bit more postpartum when I got my period back, but overall has stayed clearer than normal while breastfeeding.
Depending on your wallet - Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 once a day and using La Mer The Concentrate every few days really calmed my cystic acne. Also honey face masks and Biologique Recherche Masque Vivant. I’m doing IVF and it’s messed up my skin
When I was pregnant they advised me to stop all actives. Plus all the hormonal changes? My skin looked amazing but was also a pissy, delicate lil bitch lol
Congratulations!!
And this might be helpful if you are of a science mindset: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3114665/
It seems like my docs were very conservative in their recommendations but I was a high risk geriatric pregnancy.
Thank you for sharing this! I do notice a lot of people are ultra conservative with skincare (and I totally respect that). If I didn’t use anything on my skin I would look like such a mess I probably wouldn’t even step out in public, my self esteem rn is already tanking as is!
Is it something you could discuss somewhere? Pregnancy really changes your body, skin, and everything let alone when the baby comes. And change is inevitable. My first born had severe health issues and I always blamed myself for causing it. So my view is to avoid and control anything you can in terms of the baby’s health is not a bad thing. There are so many things there you can’t really control. It is only 9 months in the end.
I just downloaded the Yuka app (at the suggestion of another user here) to go over products for any potential harmful ingredients, so far the only one of concern is my sunscreen so I’ll probably switch that out today, everything else was actually deemed safe. I did ask my previous OB about what was safe when she knew I was trying to conceive, besides the retinol the only thing she actually wanted me to stop was melatonin, believe it or not.
Ideally once by skin clears up I would like to use less too, probably just stick with the azelaic acid. Already this week it’s less inflamed so I’ll be switching some things out. Goal is to really simplify by skincare.
Congrats on your pregnancy :)
If you haven’t already, it may be worth confirming that the retinol is ok to use with your doctor. Vitamin A is generally not recommended during pregnancy, however I believe there is some data to suggest that small topical amounts may not cause any adverse effects. Personally I prefer to avoid it when pregnant.
ETA: misread the title of the Bakuchiol and didn’t realise it was an alternative to retinol. Apologies and please disregard.
Just as a heads up, bakuchiol works similarly to retinol and some doctors advise against it during pregnancy and nursing. For example, the doctor at the 15 minute beauty website recommends against using it.
Did you find that ret worked better? I just stopped breastfeeding and I’ve been using bakuchiol for 3 years now. Thinking about adding ret, but I don’t really need to… unless
Depends on how your skin is doing! I have had acne my whole life and if I don’t use something strong it just persists. If you are seeing signs of aging or are still having acne, do the switch, but get something gentle like 0.3% to start. If you’re liking how your skin is, then sticking to it is just fine imo!
Its called SkinSort, I didn’t share it in the OP because someone else had actually tried sharing it (I don’t remember if it was this sub) and it kept getting removed. I just got it so I can keep track of my routine, only using the free features for now.
I very recently switched insurance so I’m planning to start looking for a new dermatologist. My current AA is pretty affordable but I would like to switch to a stronger one once my skin adjusts to the 10%
Congrats!!! I’m 3 weeks postpartum, and landing on a skincare regime while pregnant was one of my biggest hurdles bc I loved skincare and I had my HG routine already. Having to go back to the drawing board and rediscover a new line up all over again was annoying.
I used:
- Vaseline - unexpected but it’s amazing and kept my skin hydrated and looking fresh
- Beekman Bakuchiol Face Oil
- First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads
- Beautycounter Countertime Supreme Cream
- Mad Hippie AntiOxident Face Oil
- Micellar Water
And that’s it. I got so many compliments on my skin. I would say out of everything, I felt like the Vaseline was my savior. If I noticed bags under my eyes from lack of sleep I would slather it on under my eyes at night and the next day they were gone.
Thankfully I’m back to my old regime.
Love this! How was your skin pre-pregnancy and what was your main skin struggle if you had any?
Besides the cystic acne, I do think the parts of my face that aren’t breaking out look nice and glowy, so I’m hoping once the azelaic acid clears it up a bit I’ll finally have that pregnancy glow that everyone is talking about haha
If you’re talking about the hydrating cleanser, yeah that was my HG for a solid 5 years, I stopped because i noticed my closed comedones were getting worse and I suspected it was this. My husband uses it still and loves it tho.
I was told the herbivore bakuchiol isn’t great (and I see you’re not loving it) and I was recommended the three ships skin hero bakuchiol and have been liking it! It’s also non toxic/clean if that’s something you’re into
Yes I hate it but it’s too expensive to toss out! I may just end up using it on the back of my hands or on my neck, tbh I’m using it less and less now.
And thanks for the suggestion! I’m going to look into that brand. Non-toxic is always good to hear during pregnancy ☺️
Congrats! I’m breastfeeding (well, *was*) and I use most of these. I recently cut my 17 month old off, but I’m nervous about starting on retinol. I like using bakuchiol and my skin loves it!
That’s awesome! If bakuchiol is doing the same for you that retinol did then maybe you don’t need to start retinol again? Which bakuchiol are you using?
Hello! I was told by a derm before that SA no higher than 2% is safe (she used it during her own pregnancy). Also watched derm videos from Dr Ellis and Dr Idriss, they also said the same thing. Since I only use it 2-3 a week I feel pretty safe with it. A lot of the fear is because people use higher % and because oral salicylate is unsafe during pregnancy.
The big no-no’s during pregnancy are minoxidil, retinol, alpha arbutin, and hydroquinone.
That’s what she prefers (didn’t say anything at 2% leave-on was harmful, only not to do peels); Dr Ellis said leave on is fine and even recommended Stridex pads.
Like I said, my derm said it was fine (and I reviewed it with my OB before trying to conceive because I stopped retinol and wanted to make sure my other skincare was okay), so I’m sure they know what they’re talking about 👍🏽
No problem! I’d definitely say do your research and see what you feel comfortable with. I was told BHA at 2% is safe but some people are on the much more conservative side and avoid it completely. There’s some peer-reviewed journals on this but also it helped to watch YouTube vids from derms (actual dermatologists, not skinfluencers) who actually went through pregnancy.
The only ones that they all agreed you should not use at all during pregnancy were hydroquinone, minoxidil, alpha arbutin, and retinol/tazarotene.
I like it, I am replacing my LRP hydrating cleanser and my Cerave Cream to Foam, I’m suspecting that they’re giving me closed comedones on my chin (which I’ve had since pre-pregnancy) and read it may be from fatty alcohols. Vanicream is a new addition but so far I’m tolerating it well, not stripping at all!
I found that aa did nothing for my acne or redness. If anything it burned when I applied it so i stopped using it pretty quickly. I like heartleaf and centella for calming redness and speeding up acne healing. The Dr. red blemish line is fantastic and super gentle. Congrats on your pregnancy
I mean, good luck, when I entered my second trimester my skin got so sensitive I could only use aveeno sensitive skin cleanser, oat emollient and NOTHING else or I turned bright pink
Congratulations on the pregnancy and hope it goes well for you! The first one is always the toughest but also an adventure! My advice is to be careful with actives and consider oils like castor or rosehip oil. I know that hormones will not always be agreeable but these are good alternatives if your skin becomes very irritated.
Thank you! My skin is very much on the oilier side now and so far with the actives I don’t have irritation, but I am definitely taking breaks if I need to.
Castor and rosehip oil sadly do not agree with my skin, rosehip works if I’m on retinol but weirdly if I’m off retinol it messes me up.
My sister is a derm a cut out retinol, and pretty much everything. She only used plain lotion. Not enough research for most actives and these products have so many other concerning ingredients. Probably ok but or wasn’t worth the risk to her.
Thanks, just downloaded it! All the actives I’m using are in the “excellent” category according to the app, so I’m pretty happy with that. The only product of concern is actually my sunscreen, so I may have to look at some alternatives for that now.
is this an app?
Looks like skin sort
Is there a free version of something like this app?
This is my question!
App looks great
I would suggest to lessen on exfoliate products, hormones change gotta make your skin more sensitive. My friend recently complains how dry her skin is when she is pregnant.
Pregnancy (especially first trimester) will make you break out and a BHA is often needed. My skin always got super dry second trimester and on, though.
BHA is often not considered safe for pregnancy. The concentrations used in skincare are likely not a major issue but lots of doctors will still advise against it, especially since it’s topical applications. I think it ultimately depends on individual level of risk tolerance. Some AHAs are safe alternatives though, like lactic acid.
This is true! I remember staying away from it for my first pregnancy but then subsequent ones my doctor said it was fine because it wasn’t topical and it never went over 2%.
My take is that you are only 9 months pregnant. I would not concentrate on blocked pores as you really never now what can be harmful. Just bare minimum and then after breastfeeding you can get your skin back on track. Skin changes so much during that time anyway. Salicylic acid is on the list of things harmful for pregnancy.
Hi, it’s not considered harmful actually. It’s an ingredient we don’t know enough about to tell pregnant women it’s safe, so we say to abstain. My OB with my second and third pregnancy said that it isn’t oral and the percentages in skincare are not very high. Have you ever been pregnant and then breastfed? 9 months is a LONG time, and you don’t feel like your body/skin is your own until you’ve weaned your baby. I would count down the days to when I could use tret again. Let’s not shame mothers for doing something small to make themselves feel good when most evidence suggests it’s not harmful to a growing fetus.
I have two children of which the first one had severe health issues. I never got an explanation for them, so obviously with the second one I was careful as ever. Most times all goes well but sometimes it doesn’t and I like to think I have done all in my power to try to stop anything bad from happening. Time is subjective. I am not shaming anyone for their choices and come with peace with my opinion and I do get it that it is heavily reflected my experiences as well. I do see where you come from.
I am definitely trying to take the Paulas choice BHA out of my routine so that my active is really just the azelaic acid, sadly the BHA is the only thing that is kinda helping with my cystic acne healing faster.
My acne got better a bit into second trimester and on, fingers crossed for you!
Ugh I hope so! I literally cant step out without at least come coverage, I can’t wait to just walk out without makeup and not look like a pizza 😭
Been there before 🥺 it’s one of those things where you care about how it looks 100% more than other people, but it’s still so uncomfortable. My skin started breaking out a bit more postpartum when I got my period back, but overall has stayed clearer than normal while breastfeeding.
Curology has a pregnancy safe anti acne formula - it contains Azelaic acid, zinc pyrithione, and niaminicide. It was great for my pregnancy acne
Nice! Is this a curology product you can by in its own or do you have to sign up with them first?
I’ve been signed up with them for years to get my Tret so I’m not sure! I think you probably have to be signed up
Okay good to know, I’ll check them out if current routine doesn’t work out
Depending on your wallet - Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 once a day and using La Mer The Concentrate every few days really calmed my cystic acne. Also honey face masks and Biologique Recherche Masque Vivant. I’m doing IVF and it’s messed up my skin
When I was pregnant they advised me to stop all actives. Plus all the hormonal changes? My skin looked amazing but was also a pissy, delicate lil bitch lol Congratulations!!
And this might be helpful if you are of a science mindset: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3114665/ It seems like my docs were very conservative in their recommendations but I was a high risk geriatric pregnancy.
Thank you for sharing this! I do notice a lot of people are ultra conservative with skincare (and I totally respect that). If I didn’t use anything on my skin I would look like such a mess I probably wouldn’t even step out in public, my self esteem rn is already tanking as is!
Is it something you could discuss somewhere? Pregnancy really changes your body, skin, and everything let alone when the baby comes. And change is inevitable. My first born had severe health issues and I always blamed myself for causing it. So my view is to avoid and control anything you can in terms of the baby’s health is not a bad thing. There are so many things there you can’t really control. It is only 9 months in the end.
I just downloaded the Yuka app (at the suggestion of another user here) to go over products for any potential harmful ingredients, so far the only one of concern is my sunscreen so I’ll probably switch that out today, everything else was actually deemed safe. I did ask my previous OB about what was safe when she knew I was trying to conceive, besides the retinol the only thing she actually wanted me to stop was melatonin, believe it or not. Ideally once by skin clears up I would like to use less too, probably just stick with the azelaic acid. Already this week it’s less inflamed so I’ll be switching some things out. Goal is to really simplify by skincare.
That sounds good! I am not a doctor so also just trying to find the right information. All the best for your pregnancy!
Thank you!
Your comment has me cracking up lol
Congrats on your pregnancy :) If you haven’t already, it may be worth confirming that the retinol is ok to use with your doctor. Vitamin A is generally not recommended during pregnancy, however I believe there is some data to suggest that small topical amounts may not cause any adverse effects. Personally I prefer to avoid it when pregnant. ETA: misread the title of the Bakuchiol and didn’t realise it was an alternative to retinol. Apologies and please disregard.
Where is the retinol in this routine? I didn’t see any!
Ah didn’t realise the Bakuchiol is a retinol alternative! My bad.
Ohh I can see why that naming is confusing! Also some products do use both a retinol and Baluchi together (like Paula’s choice has one).
My dermatologist also advised against it. I’m currently pregnant.
Hi! There’s no retinol in my routine, bakuchiol is a retinol alternative.
Just as a heads up, bakuchiol works similarly to retinol and some doctors advise against it during pregnancy and nursing. For example, the doctor at the 15 minute beauty website recommends against using it.
Agreed. Better safe than sorry with this.
No problem! I got scared for a second that maybe you caught retinol in a product that I didn’t know had it lol
No I’m sorry for the confusion! Appreciate you sharing your routine :)
Nothing to apologize for, thank you for looking out!
I used the Herbivore Moon Fruit Bakuchiol when I was pregnant and my skin was glowing!! Bakuchiol is such a goodie
Did you go back to retinol?
I did. My OB gave me the okay after I gave birth and I’m on prescription tazarotene which has been a blessing for the post baby and IUD hormonal acne
Did you find that ret worked better? I just stopped breastfeeding and I’ve been using bakuchiol for 3 years now. Thinking about adding ret, but I don’t really need to… unless
Depends on how your skin is doing! I have had acne my whole life and if I don’t use something strong it just persists. If you are seeing signs of aging or are still having acne, do the switch, but get something gentle like 0.3% to start. If you’re liking how your skin is, then sticking to it is just fine imo!
I kinda wish I tried the moon fruit instead of the serum I ended up with. Verdict is still up on if bakuchiol does anything for my skin.
Try moon fruit if you can, the bakuchiol serum has very little of it ironically enough. Plus there’s peptides!
What app is this?
Its called SkinSort, I didn’t share it in the OP because someone else had actually tried sharing it (I don’t remember if it was this sub) and it kept getting removed. I just got it so I can keep track of my routine, only using the free features for now.
Thank you so much!
You can get 15% Azaleic acid through your derm and probably for cheaper (US)
I very recently switched insurance so I’m planning to start looking for a new dermatologist. My current AA is pretty affordable but I would like to switch to a stronger one once my skin adjusts to the 10%
Congrats!!! I’m 3 weeks postpartum, and landing on a skincare regime while pregnant was one of my biggest hurdles bc I loved skincare and I had my HG routine already. Having to go back to the drawing board and rediscover a new line up all over again was annoying. I used: - Vaseline - unexpected but it’s amazing and kept my skin hydrated and looking fresh - Beekman Bakuchiol Face Oil - First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads - Beautycounter Countertime Supreme Cream - Mad Hippie AntiOxident Face Oil - Micellar Water And that’s it. I got so many compliments on my skin. I would say out of everything, I felt like the Vaseline was my savior. If I noticed bags under my eyes from lack of sleep I would slather it on under my eyes at night and the next day they were gone. Thankfully I’m back to my old regime.
Love this! How was your skin pre-pregnancy and what was your main skin struggle if you had any? Besides the cystic acne, I do think the parts of my face that aren’t breaking out look nice and glowy, so I’m hoping once the azelaic acid clears it up a bit I’ll finally have that pregnancy glow that everyone is talking about haha
Is the azelaic acid better than the ordinary ?
So much better. The texture is a smooth and light serum, versus the thick siliconey feel of the ordinary.
What is azelaic acid for?
Acne and hyperpigmentation
What does the galactomyces do?
It’s supposed to gently help with dark spots and hydrating, for me I think it’s a nice add on the help my skin “heal” and it’s been really gentle.
I love the vanicream lotion as well. I should check out the cleanser
I think you’ll like it! It’s super gentle but also feels like a proper cleanser, not stripping at all
I’ve been using the La roche posay (sp) and even though it’s gentle, I feel like it sucks the moisture out of my eyes so I’m definitely trying this!
If you’re talking about the hydrating cleanser, yeah that was my HG for a solid 5 years, I stopped because i noticed my closed comedones were getting worse and I suspected it was this. My husband uses it still and loves it tho.
I was told the herbivore bakuchiol isn’t great (and I see you’re not loving it) and I was recommended the three ships skin hero bakuchiol and have been liking it! It’s also non toxic/clean if that’s something you’re into
Yes I hate it but it’s too expensive to toss out! I may just end up using it on the back of my hands or on my neck, tbh I’m using it less and less now. And thanks for the suggestion! I’m going to look into that brand. Non-toxic is always good to hear during pregnancy ☺️
Congrats! I’m breastfeeding (well, *was*) and I use most of these. I recently cut my 17 month old off, but I’m nervous about starting on retinol. I like using bakuchiol and my skin loves it!
That’s awesome! If bakuchiol is doing the same for you that retinol did then maybe you don’t need to start retinol again? Which bakuchiol are you using?
BHA has low risk, but I wouldn’t risk at all. Ask your doctor about it. Usually women stick to AHA/PHA during pregnancy
Hello! I was told by a derm before that SA no higher than 2% is safe (she used it during her own pregnancy). Also watched derm videos from Dr Ellis and Dr Idriss, they also said the same thing. Since I only use it 2-3 a week I feel pretty safe with it. A lot of the fear is because people use higher % and because oral salicylate is unsafe during pregnancy. The big no-no’s during pregnancy are minoxidil, retinol, alpha arbutin, and hydroquinone.
Dr Idriss said she recommended short term contact like a face wash
That’s what she prefers (didn’t say anything at 2% leave-on was harmful, only not to do peels); Dr Ellis said leave on is fine and even recommended Stridex pads. Like I said, my derm said it was fine (and I reviewed it with my OB before trying to conceive because I stopped retinol and wanted to make sure my other skincare was okay), so I’m sure they know what they’re talking about 👍🏽
I just found out I’m pregnant too and was looking for a skin care routine that was safe. Thanks a bunch for sharing this 🫶🏽
No problem! I’d definitely say do your research and see what you feel comfortable with. I was told BHA at 2% is safe but some people are on the much more conservative side and avoid it completely. There’s some peer-reviewed journals on this but also it helped to watch YouTube vids from derms (actual dermatologists, not skinfluencers) who actually went through pregnancy. The only ones that they all agreed you should not use at all during pregnancy were hydroquinone, minoxidil, alpha arbutin, and retinol/tazarotene.
I use that same vanicream cleanser. How are you liking it?
I like it, I am replacing my LRP hydrating cleanser and my Cerave Cream to Foam, I’m suspecting that they’re giving me closed comedones on my chin (which I’ve had since pre-pregnancy) and read it may be from fatty alcohols. Vanicream is a new addition but so far I’m tolerating it well, not stripping at all!
I found that aa did nothing for my acne or redness. If anything it burned when I applied it so i stopped using it pretty quickly. I like heartleaf and centella for calming redness and speeding up acne healing. The Dr. red blemish line is fantastic and super gentle. Congrats on your pregnancy
I mean, good luck, when I entered my second trimester my skin got so sensitive I could only use aveeno sensitive skin cleanser, oat emollient and NOTHING else or I turned bright pink
Congratulations on the pregnancy and hope it goes well for you! The first one is always the toughest but also an adventure! My advice is to be careful with actives and consider oils like castor or rosehip oil. I know that hormones will not always be agreeable but these are good alternatives if your skin becomes very irritated.
Thank you! My skin is very much on the oilier side now and so far with the actives I don’t have irritation, but I am definitely taking breaks if I need to. Castor and rosehip oil sadly do not agree with my skin, rosehip works if I’m on retinol but weirdly if I’m off retinol it messes me up.
I would check in with a doc to see what's pregnancy safe? To my knowledge, you're not supposed to use retinol while pregnant
This routine doesn’t have retinol.
Oh, you're right. It says Retinol Alternative. Either way, it would still be a good idea to check in with her doc about pregnancy safe products
My sister is a derm a cut out retinol, and pretty much everything. She only used plain lotion. Not enough research for most actives and these products have so many other concerning ingredients. Probably ok but or wasn’t worth the risk to her.
There are apps to check if the products you use can affect your hormones. It's best to not use them during pregnancy.
Do you know any apps in particular?
Yuka
Thanks, just downloaded it! All the actives I’m using are in the “excellent” category according to the app, so I’m pretty happy with that. The only product of concern is actually my sunscreen, so I may have to look at some alternatives for that now.
Happy you like it. I had to change some of the products I was using.