How to Stop Acne During Pregnancy Effectively Without Worry
Pregnancy has a way of causing breakouts. Some people claim there’s a link between acne during pregnancy and the gender of your unborn child. This is not true because your hormones are to blame.
Hormone overload often leads to acne. In fact, a lot of women only started experiencing acne during pregnancy. Expecting women need to be extra careful. There are some anti-acne medications that are not fit for pregnant women.
Soon to be mothers need to choose their beauty products with caution. Here are 19 tips on how to stop acne without worrying about your baby’s health.
1. Staying in Hot Places Can Cause Acne
Hormones aside, overheating can cause those zits to populate your face. Whether you are indoors or outdoors, avoid exposure to too much heat. When your body overheats, those tiny red bumps on your face could develop into pimples.
Pregnant women have a lower tolerance to heat since the baby growing inside you uses energy, too. This means you are more likely to suffer from overheating. Turn on the fan or the AC unit and try to stay in the shade.
Making sure that you maintain your ideal body temperature is a must. Aside from helping you avoid pesky zits, it also keeps your body healthy.
Too much body heat at any point of your pregnancy can be dangerous. This could result in miscarriage or birth defects. Stay out of the kitchen heat. Also, avoid going out in the sun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
2. Drinking Bone Broth for Acne-Free Skin
Have you ever heard about drinking bone broth? This inexpensive soup could be good for your pregnancy and your skin. This broth is full of nutrients and minerals to help your baby grow strong. The broth is great for your skin since it contains collagen and gelatin.
Stronger joints can also result from adding bone broth to your diet. Given how nutritious bone broth is, it can also help clear up your skin.
When you are looking for a natural solution for acne during pregnancy, bone broth should be your go-to option. Even if you don’t see improvements in your skin, you will reap numerous health benefits.
3. Remember the Importance of Washing Your Face
Pregnancy changes many things. Even if you have great skin beforehand, this could change when you get pregnant. During this time, you can’t slack off in your skincare routine.
Washing your face twice a day is a must. When washing your skin, choose a mild cleanser. You should also be gentle with your skin and avoid scrubbing. This should help you avoid pimples.
Avoid washing your face more than twice a day. Going overboard could dry out your face and cause more problems.
4. Replace Your Usual Moisturizer with an Oil Free Alternative
Proper skin hydration is a must. But, thanks to hormones, your trusty moisturizer may no longer work. It may be best to look for an oil-free moisturizer. Whether you are pregnant or not, you need to use moisturizers.
Fragrance-free choices would also be the better choice. Be sure to drink enough water and to apply your moisturizer regularly. Remember not to use too much moisturizer. It can block pores and lead to pimples.
5. Go for Natural Scrubs and Oatmeal Masks
Facial scrubs are great if you want to avoid pregnancy breakouts. When you are pregnant, it is better to stick to natural facial scrubs. Natural acne treatments during pregnancy are better since your skin tends to become more sensitive.
Oatmeal can provide great results and unclog pores. You need to be gentle on your skin when using an oatmeal scrub. Do not rub your face too hard, or you might make your acne worse.
6. Avoid Wearing Too Much Makeup
When you struggle with acne, going easy on makeup can be helpful. Too much gunk on your face can clog pores. It could also be helpful to change your makeup choices to prevent acne during early pregnancy.
More makeup brands offer noncomedogenic and oil-free choices. Investing on these products during your pregnancy could help prevent breakouts. You can even use the makeup after you have given birth.
Your hormones will not go back to their normal levels right away. It takes time before your hormone levels are back to normal levels. So, it’s best to stick to oil-free makeup products for a while.
7. Increase Vitamin A Rich Foods in Your Diet
When it comes to acne, retinol can be your magical solution. Unfortunately, pregnant women can’t use products with retinol or any vitamin A derivative. Taking vitamin A supplements is not an option, either. There is one cheat you can use instead: Eat foods rich in vitamin A.
Carrots, squash, tomatoes, eggs and fish contain this vitamin. As an added bonus, eating these foods can make you and your baby healthier. Your food choices also depend on how well you tolerate certain foods during your pregnancy.
8. Avoid Acne During Pregnancy by Drinking More Fluids
Skin hydration is vital for healthier skin, whether you are pregnant or not. Drinking enough water can help flush out toxins in the body. This could also help keep skin moisturized to avoid face and back acne during pregnancy.
When you have a problem with zits, staying hydrated is a must. You need to drink at least 12 to 13 cups of water a day. Drinking water before you work out or go outside on a hot day helps, too.
When you are pregnant, you also excrete for two. Drinking water will benefit your skin, but it could also prevent hemorrhoids and constipation.
9. Watch Your Hair Hygiene
Do you see more pimples near your hairline than in other parts of your face? Your hair hygiene could contribute to the growth of those zits. Washing your hair on a regular basis should help.
Another tip is to choose your hairstyling products with care. You have to avoid products that are too oily. Most of all, keep your hair away from your face. When dirty hair or hands come in contact with your skin, they could result in clogged pores.
10. Use Broad Protection Sunscreen SPF 30 or Higher
Sunscreen should be in everybody’s skincare routine. Pregnant women with more sensitive skin should never skip on it. Sunscreen helps, especially when you use acne medication, since some acne products make skin more sensitive.
Aside from being helpful in fighting acne, sunscreen can help with skin darkening. Hormones play a hand in these body changes, but preventive methods still matter. By using sunscreen regularly, you can avoid having darker-looking skin. On top of that, you can protect your skin from harsh UV rays.
11. Benzoyl Peroxide: For Breakouts Worse Than Acne During Puberty
Benzoyl peroxide, one of the active ingredients in acne products like Panoxyl and Clearasil, is an option.
A study by the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists proved that this chemical is not harmful to unborn babies. Since the absorption rate is just five to 10 percent, a topical application should not harm the child.
While the said study’s claims are true, pregnant women should consult their doctors first. Benzoyl peroxide can be as effective as oral antibiotics in clearing up pimples. This could treat and prevent cystic acne during pregnancy.
Benzoyl peroxide concentrations vary among brands. Choose a milder product first. Always ask your doctor about skin products, just to be safe.
12. Don’t Pop That Zit

Photo by Caitlin Regan / CC BY
Whether you are pregnant or in the puberty stage, avoid popping zits. When pimples start poking out on your skin, it’s tempting to squeeze them out. This practice can make the condition worse, not better.
Pregnant women with sensitive skin should never pop their zits. This is because your immune system is low, so this could lead to infection.
Infected pimples could force bacteria into your bloodstream, which could put your baby in danger. This is especially true for zits with pus in the middle. These pimples are not caused by acne bacteria, but by staph bacteria. Keeping your hands off your face is beneficial for your skin and your baby.
13. Ditch Your Normal Moisturizer for Coconut Oil
Pregnancy is a big change and also means using new products. Your skin chemistry changes because of hormones. If your old products seem to have stopped working, don’t worry. There are tons of other things to try.
Keeping skin moisturized can keep pimples at bay. Pregnant women should replace their synthetic moisturizer with something more natural, like coconut oil.
Coconut oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties that can keep acne at bay. Applying this oil on your skin once a day could help. After giving birth, you can also apply coconut oil on your baby’s head. Baby pimples tend to pop up in that area, too.
Aside from the topical application, coconut oil is also great for cooking. This is healthier, although there can be a difference in flavor.
14. Opt for AHAs Like Glycolic Acid and Azelaic Acid
Pregnant women have limited choices for acne medication. Luckily, topical medication is safe to use. Your body absorbs at most, 10 percent of chemicals applied on your skin.
Hence, using alpha-hydroxy acids, such as glycolic acid and azelaic acid is still possible. Of these two, more doctors recommend using topical azelaic acid. Azelaic acid is a two-in-one solution, since it also helps with skin pigmentation.
Azelaic acid is under Category B. This means that this product was tested on animals and the fetus was not harmed. While no human studies reveal that these topical acne treatments are harmful, you still need to exercise caution.
Consult your doctor first if you plan to use any of these products.
15. Use Your Head When Choosing Your Food
Pregnancy means making dietary changes. The ideal pregnancy diet consists mainly of natural foods. You should avoid consuming processed foods. This same diet could help get rid of body acne during pregnancy.
Some studies claim that diet has nothing to do with acne. While pregnancy acne is mainly caused by raging hormones, food could play a role, too. Stay away from foods containing too much sugar.
An acne reducing diet contains mainly low glycemic index food. An Australian study revealed that the group on a low glycemic diet saw an improvement in acne. This food group includes beans, fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains, such as brown rice and wheat.
While LGL foods can help, you should remember to maintain a balanced diet. After all, you are eating for two now.
16. Lemons are Not Just for Lemonade
It’s never too late to start using natural products for curing acne. When searching for the best acne solutions for pregnant women, don’t forget to try lemons. The acid in this fruit can help treat pimples naturally.
Here’s how to use lemon on your zits:
- Cut a ripe lemon in half.
- Take one slice and use it to apply the juice all over your face.
- Be sure to avoid the area near your eyes. The acid can sting and the skin in that area is quite sensitive.
- Leave the lemon extract on your face for about 20 minutes.
- Rinse your face with cold water.
Lemons are effective since they help get rid of oil in your skin. The excess oil is one reason why you have pimple breakouts. Eating lemons can also be good for acne. Some women also suck on lemons when they experience morning sickness. Having them on hand can be useful for stomach upsets, too.
On the downside, lemons can make heartburn worse. Since women are prone to acid reflux, copious amounts of lemon can be bad. The best thing to do, in this case, is to consult your doctor.
17. Tea Tree Oil: A Safe Acne Remedy for Pregnant Women
Tea tree oil can offer many benefits for women struggling with acne. It is a natural remedy for pimples. In fact, there are many skin care products that contain this ingredient.
Applying a few drops of this oil on the affected area could help. This oil comes with antiseptic properties. This means that it can destroy acne bacteria and prevent pimples from appearing on your face. Leaving the oil on your face overnight could help.
18. Make Sure You Are Eating Foods Containing Vitamin C
Vitamin C is important, especially for treating acne while pregnant. Most expecting mothers suffer from vitamin C deficiency, but it’s not just about nutrition. Not getting enough of this vitamin could also cause pimple breakouts.
There are two ways to use vitamin C to improve the appearance of your skin:
- Use a product containing vitamin C.
- Eat foods containing this collagen-building nutrient.
There are many skin products containing vitamin C. These products can help with acne, whether you are pregnant or not.
When it comes to food, increasing your vitamin C intake could be helpful. Leafy greens, citrus fruits, strawberries, Brussels sprouts and many other fruits and vegetables contain vitamin C. This vitamin keeps your skin healthy. It could also promote the health of your unborn child.
19. Look Into Your Zinc Consumption, Mineral Deficiency Causes Breakouts
One study looked at the relationship between low serum zinc and acne. So, adding zinc to your diet could be helpful. Zinc supplements are also an option.
Zinc is not just good when you have acne; it is also a must when you are pregnant. Zinc is responsible for cell growth. Since cells grow rapidly when you are pregnant, your body needs zinc even more. Zinc could help you avoid problems during pregnancy and delivery.
If you think that taking zinc supplements may help, talk to your doctor first. Loading up on foods rich in zinc like spinach, pumpkin seeds, kidney beans and beef could also help.
Pregnancy and acne often come together. This does not mean that acne during pregnancy is a gender predictor. Pimple breakouts don’t mean it’s a boy.
Hormones can cause these breakouts. You could see breakouts during pregnancy, even if you’ve never had a pimple before in your life. Fortunately, these 19 tips should help you stop acne during pregnancy without putting your baby in danger.
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