{"id":47706,"date":"2021-12-16T09:30:53","date_gmt":"2021-12-16T14:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=47706"},"modified":"2021-12-14T14:09:27","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T19:09:27","slug":"pregnancy-acne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/pregnancy-acne\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get rid of pregnancy acne"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is acne a sign of pregnancy?<\/a> | Acne during pregnancy<\/a> | Pregnancy-safe treatments<\/a> | When to see a doctor<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Everybody knows the sinking feeling of discovering a zit, or pimple, at just the wrong moment. Acne\u2014the bumps that occur when your follicles become clogged with dead skin cells, oil, or bacteria\u2014can be a real stressor, especially in your teen years, when it\u2019s most common. But imagine getting it when you’re expecting, when your body is supposed to be glowing. It\u2019s unfortunate, but pregnancy acne is a pretty common side effect of having a baby.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is acne a sign of pregnancy?<\/span><\/h2>\n

About 42% of pregnant women develop acne, according to a <\/span>2017 review article<\/span><\/a>. \u201cSome pregnant women don\u2019t get acne,\u201d says <\/span>Sandy Skotnicki<\/span><\/a>, MD, the founding director of the Bay Dermatology Centre and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto Department of Medicine. \u201cWe say you\u2019ve got a 50% chance your acne is going to stay the same and 50% it\u2019s going to get worse. It really depends on if you [had] acne previously.\u201d Meaning, acne isn\u2019t necessarily a <\/span>sign<\/span><\/i> of pregnancy, but it is a <\/span>possibility<\/span><\/i> during pregnancy.<\/span><\/p>\n

When does pregnancy acne start?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Pregnancy acne begins most often \u201cduring the first trimester, usually at around six weeks, and even into your second trimester,\u201d says <\/span>Angie Seelal<\/span><\/a>, RPA-C, a physician assistant specializing in dermatology at Advanced Dermatology in Long Island, New York. Acne can improve during the first trimester, but <\/span>could worsen during the third trimester<\/span><\/a> due to increased sebum production.<\/span><\/p>\n

Acne during pregnancy<\/span><\/h2>\n

What causes acne to develop or worsen during pregnancy? When you\u2019re pregnant, your hormone levels are fluctuating. As a result, your skin changes and often oil production increases. \u201cProgesterone, especially, determines the increase of natural oil secretion in the skin (known as sebum), which blocks the pores and determines an accumulation of bacteria,\u201d says Seelal. Also, your immune system experiences changes in order to protect the pregnancy. These changes may result in more inflammation and skin irritation.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can also be genetically predisposed to pregnancy acne, or you might have had acne prior to being pregnant. Both of those risk factors make you more susceptible to breakouts during pregnancy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll often say to women in their early 20s with quite significant acne, we really need to try to shut this off,\u201d Dr. Skotnicki says. \u201cI tell them, if you get pregnant, or when you get pregnant, your acne might get problematic. And we can\u2019t do a lot for your acne in pregnancy. There aren\u2019t a lot of options.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>8 causes of adult acne<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

What does pregnancy acne look like?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Pregnancy acne looks just like any other standard acne breakout. It\u2019s usually red or pink, your skin is sensitive, and it appears as little bumps on your skin in a rash-like pattern. During pregnancy, there may be more inflammation (redness, swollen lesions) and increased body (chest and back) acne.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where is pregnancy acne located?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Most commonly, pregnancy acne occurs on your chin, jawline, hairline, neck, chest, and back. But it can appear anywhere on your body depending on the severity.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHormonal acne is usually on the jawline,\u201d Dr. Skotnicki says. \u201cOften in women that aren\u2019t pregnant, it\u2019s cyclical. They\u2019ll get cystic acne on their chin and jawline right before their period or during their period. Pregnancy acne is very similar. In cases that are very bad, they can have it all over.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you break out more when pregnant with a boy or girl?<\/span><\/h3>\n

The gender of your child is irrelevant when it comes to pregnancy breakouts. No scientific evidence shows more or less when you\u2019re pregnant with a boy or girl\u2014despite any superstitions to the contrary. The hormone changes producing acne happens with pregnancy in general.<\/span><\/p>\n

That being said, if you\u2019re pregnant with multiple children, you have a higher hormone load\u2014which means you are a bit more likely to get pregnancy acne than if you were having a single pregnancy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pregnancy acne treatment<\/span><\/h2>\n

To treat pregnancy acne, there are a variety of natural and medicinal treatment options available to you. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t use anything other than a cleanser and moisturizer in the first trimester,\u201d Skotnicki says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What not to use<\/span><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s also important to avoid certain medications, skincare products, and home remedies altogether during your pregnancy. All of these have contraindications for pregnancy, whether it\u2019s associated with birth defects, hormone disruption, or can cause developmental problems, according to Dr. Skotnicki:<\/span><\/p>\n