Acne can be a common — yet oh-so annoying! The breakouts, which tend to hit sometime around week 6 of pregnancy , have to do with hormone surges, of course.
Specifically, progesterone causes your glands secrete more oil, called sebum. Lifestyle changes are your best bet these days. Many of the conventional treatments used to get rid of acne are off limits during pregnancy. So instead, focus first on taking care of your skin — and of yourself overall. Some complexion-clearing strategies that help:. Topical salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide, two chemicals found in a huge range of skin care and drugstore products, are generally okay to use in small amounts during pregnancy, according to American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists ACOG as well as the American Academy of Dermatology AAD.
However, not all experts consider them safe for expecting women. Probably not. Still want to play the guessing game? These other pregnancy symptoms might be just a little bit more reliable. It would be nice if those pesky pimples went poof the moment your baby was placed into your arms. In some cases, postpartum hormonal fluctuations paired with sleep deprivation and the stress of caring for a newborn can be yet another acne trigger.
Try to stick with the same healthy skin care habits you had during pregnancy easier said than done, we know. And ask your doctor about the acne treatments that were off-limits during your pregnancy. Hormonal birth control may help too. Above all, try to be patient. But eventually, your skin will settle back down. Specifically, a hormone called androgens. Acne may arise at any point during pregnancy since androgen levels and the resulting increased oil production increase early on in pregnancy.
Androgen levels are particularly high during your third trimester so expect that if you are dealing with pregnancy acne that it will be especially bad during this period.
Androgens actually help get the cervix ready for labor which is why they increase as you near full term. The severity of pregnancy acne will vary from person to person. It is, however, more common among women who had acne before becoming pregnant. While having a previous history of acne is the strongest risk factor for pregnancy acne, the underlying causes of acne flare-ups during pregnancy have not been definitively determined. There are other risk factors besides the increase in androgens that can make you a likely target for pregnancy acne.
That coveted " pregnancy glow " may just be oily skin or a sign of an impending breakout. There's no one culprit to blame for what causes acne during pregnancy, but dermatologists think that part of it has a lot to do with the same reason teenagers breakout : hormones. In particular, a type of hormone called androgens. Just because you're breaking out doesn't necessarily mean you're pregnant. Here are plenty of other reasons why you might be breaking out.
In fact, Campbell says you should not use acne as an early marker for pregnancy — that's what pregnancy tests are for. If, however, if you are breaking out because you are definitely pregnant, here's what you need to know about how long it will last, risk factors, and various treatment options. Acne can crop up anytime during pregnancy since your androgen levels, and consequential oil production, increase early on in pregnancy.
But be prepared for your third trimester, when your androgen levels are extremely high and acne can get especially bad. Turns out, androgens help prepare the cervix for labor, which may explain why they increase as you near full term. How severe your acne is during pregnancy varies from person to person. For some, the extra oil, or sebum, production can be more subtle. But in others — especially those who had acne as a teen — they're more likely to experience acne breakouts during pregnancy, according to Campbell.
In addition to androgens, there are other factors that can increase your risk for pregnancy acne.
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