Help, pregnancy acne!

I'm sure other mom's have had this, is there anything that can be done? I have small pimples all over my face, neck, back, chest, breasts and arms. Even in my scalp. It is driving me bonkers! So itchy! And it's getting worse the further along I get. I don't remember having this with dd. I read you're not supposed to use acne medication while preg. Does it go away in 3rd trimester? I just feel so ugly, can't wear makeup, yuck!!!

 

Sweetie I know how you feel. Mine was pretty bad and then got better, especially if I was drinking lots of water. I think everyone is different as far as if it goes away or not. Actually I used some acne medicine because my doctor said it was fine to use over the counter stuff. I had asked her about using Mary Kay acne gel (because I was using that before I got pregnant) and she said the active ingredient in it was not good to use while you are pregnant. But I was using Clean and Clear PERSA-GEL and also Neutrogena On the Spot Acne treatment. But I ended up stopping the use of the PERSA GEL because it had 10% benzyol peroxide and the Neutrogena only had 2.5 %. And that is the substance that people worry about. I figured using the one with 2.5 % only on my exisiting acne would be better than the one with 10%. If you do some research online about it, which I had done, you just end up in circles. Some people don't use acne medicine while pregnant and some people do, like me, and my babies are just fine. I just used it sparingly. I would try some on your face and see if it helps. You can also see what your doctor says as well. Sounds like you have a bad case of it and there may be something he/she can do for you.

 

I recommend going to see a dermatologist. My SIL got a really bad case of acne during pregnancy and her dermatologist prescribed a cream and antibiotics that she considered safe during pregnancy. It seemed to help her a lot!

 

I had really bad pregnancy acne early on. There are so many conflicting reports on what is okay and what is not okay to use during pregnancy. I ended up starting to use Proactiv around 10 weeks because it was so bad. I first checked with my OB and he said that it was completely okay to use because it does not enter the blood stream. I actually have eczema pretty bad as well so I've continued to use my steroid topical creams. Nothing has been officially tested on pregnant women but I'd think if OTC acne treatments (like Proactiv) caused birth defects, then we'd be more aware of it. My best friend used Proactiv her entire pregnancy and delivered a few weeks ago. Her baby was completely normal.

 

Mine is really bad. Normally I have wonderful skin. Now, I look like a pizza. <_<