My husband and I have just decided to start trying for our 2nd child, so I have stopped my birth control pills. I have been suffering from acne since I stopped the pills trying to conceive my son. I have been to the dermatologist & been prescribed lotions, gels, & face washes. All of this helps, but is not safe to take in pregnancy so I have to stop that too. I'm expecting my face to break out pretty bad, as it did first time around so I'm looking for suggestions of things you other moms have had success with. When trying to conceive last time I was prescribed a cream that was safe to use in pregnancy, but it didn't help much so I'm hoping to find something over the counter. I know that if prescriptions don't help too much chances of finding something over the counter is doubtful, but hoping that someone has found something that works. Just want to keep it under control, it's embarassing to be a pimply faced mom. Thought I would be threw with all this by now. Crazy hormones! Thanks for any help.
I used Neutrogena Complete Acne Therapy System.
It worked really well and didn't cost too much-$20-25 and it lasts a month or two. You can find it at Walmart or Target but I bet any drug store would have it. After I got my skin under control, I began only using it once a day because twice a day was drying out my skin. Good luck.
Hi S.,
I have a friend who has battled pretty bad acne for a while and has seen a dermatologist for years. She was trying to get pregnant and her doc told her that the only thing that would be strong enough for her acne but still safe for the baby would be honey. I know it sounds kinda weird but it may be worth a try.
B
I read some of the other posts...I HIGHLY recommend the Arbonne acne treatment. I have tried it all...Clinique, stuff from the drug store, and even went to a dermatologist...A friend let me try Arbonne and my face cleared up in a matter of days!!! I, too, broke out horribly with both my pregnancies and afterwards too. Arbonne truly changed my life!!! I am now one of those women w/ flawless skin! Plus it's pure and safe. Good luck!
I have not tried this, but I would think that it would be worth trying and should be fine to use during pregnancy. These suggestions come from a book "Over 100 Helpful Household Hints For Vinegar" in the chapter titled Beauty & Relaxation
"Cleansers & toners
Use a mixture of 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 water to clean your face. Then rinse with vinegar diluted with water, & let face air-dry to seal in moisture.
Problem Skin
Oily skin can be controlled with mixture of 1/2 apple cider vinegar and 1/2 cool water. The mixture works as an astringent. You can also freeze solution into ice cubes and use as a cooling facial treatment on a hot days.
Make a paste of honey, wheat flour, and vinegar, then use it to lightly cover a new outbreak of pimples. Keep paste on overnight, and rinse off in the morning. This should accelerate healing.
Acne Treatment
Use a clean travel-size bottle to mix 1 tsp vinegar and 10 tsp of water. Clean your face as usual in the morning, then carry this bottle and a few cotton balls with you so you can dab acne spots several times during the day. This solution shouldn't dry out skin, the vinegar should help return skin to natural ph balance & may help prevent future acne outbreaks. Discontinue if irritation worsens."
I have had success with other tips that I have used in this book. Good Luck
I've battled with acne for years, but recently I've been seeing some clearing.... I've been using Cetaphil cleanser in the morning, followed by an astrigent, and cetaphil moisturizer, then at night, using the St Ives Apricot Scrub (the kind for blackhead & blemish control) and astringent. Sometimes I'll add a spot treatment. Everything can be found at Walmart, but as long as I'm diligent in following this routine, it works for me.
I hope you can find a solution!! If something works, let us know!! :)
I have adult acne also. I use a recipe for a daily scrub that has really made a difference-
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tbl honey
a few drops of tea tree oil or melaleuca oil
Mix all of these ingredients in a reclosable container. You want a paste, not runny or too thick. Use once per day (I use it in the shower), making special note not to scrub too hard- just gently to exfoliate. One batch will last about a week. Since there is honey in it, it will not spoil so it's safe to keep out at room temp. The EVOO will not clog your pores and the honey/tea tree oil has healing properties. Hope this helps!
S., good luck on the baby...I didn't read the other's replies so just going to tell you what I use...it's the Clear Advantage by Arbonne. All natural products and no mineral oil or alcohol. It works best with the supplement but you should ask your doctor first before taking it. Active ingredients in the supplements is lysine and zinc...It's the only thing that works for my 17 yr old friend and she's tried it all...if you're interested they are only sold by independent consultants and I can give you my consultants number. Hope this helps!
Mary Kay has an excellent, inexpensive, safe acne cream. It WORKS!! I have heard testimony after testimony on how good!! www.marykay.com to find a consultant in your area!
God Bless!
Milk Thistle tincture is great as it helps cleanse the liver of all the toxins and hormones during pregnancy. Also, l-lysine is helpful.
Have you tried proactive....I'm 37 and my forehead and jawline were breaking out bad...nothing seemed to help until I started using proactive.
I have had a problem with Acne since I was 18 years old. I stumbled upon a solution that works wonders for me just in the last couple of months. I was looking for sulfur dip for my dog who has skin problems and found that there is a sulfur soap for us. It was 4.95 per bar with free s&H which seems expensive for 1 bar of soap but I thought if it works I can deal with that. Well it has been a few months now and I am so amazed. I noticed a difference within the first few days. My pores were minimized as well. I have even had people comment on how young I look. How about that. I will say don't over do it if you use it. I started out using the soap 3 times per day. That was too much for me. So now I am using it 1-2 times per day. Now I am not sure if it is safe during pregnancy so I would talk with your doctor first. But it would definitely be something worth looking into. Even if you can't use it during pregnancy. Maybe try it after. The website I found it on is sulfursoap.com Good Luck. I know when I was pregnant my face was worse than ever..... I know how you are feeling..
Sounds a little strange, but Melaleuca sells a douche oil that I discovered works like a miracle on acne. This always amused me since, they DO have an acne oil but it never worked as well as the douche oil LOL! Apply it to your face right out of the bottle--right before bedtime. It's smells strongly of tea tree oil but it's well worth it!
Years ago I worked as an Esthetician. I used to send samples of it home with my clients (after giving them facials for acne) and they also had great results :)
Good luck!
Are you oily too? or is it just hormones causing the acne? I have some suggestions but need to know that first. I am an independent Sales Director with Mary Kay. Our acne treatment gel can not be taken when pregnant. May have some other products that will help. I ship for free. Let me know what type of skin you have. D. F
I know a lot of people who have connected their acne with foods they eat. One doctor I know found that when she eats sugar, she gets acne; a friend of mine has linked hers to potatoes; and someone I know online discovered that the fresh pineapple she loved and ate constantly was the cause of her acne that was so bad it left scars. Something like this may be the underlying cause of your acne -- some sort of "allergic" reaction that manifests in acne?
The Melaleuca Acne line is totally safe and has great stories coming my way - saying that many spent 80-100 on creams that did not work and their under $20 system was great. Maybe the other gal used it years ago before it was what it is now? I don't know. www.melaleuca.com
Cetaphil facial cleanser or the walgreens generic for it works well for me!
Hi S.,
I have always used Proactive. When I was pregnant with both of my boys, both doctors (I had a different doctor for each child) said that Proactive was safe to use during pregnancy. Check with your own doctor first, but I've always had great results! Good luck!
-D.
I tried both Proactive and SkinId systems and neither helped me much. SkinID is made by Neutrogena (I love them!) but they use a lot of peroxide-based formula's and I find peroxide to be drying (I got chemical burns from it). However, I love Nuetrogena's salicylic acid products.
I'm 28 and still have flare ups (the week before my period my hormones go nuts and my face breaks out like crazy, despite being on the pill!).
What seems to help is washing my face once a day with a scrub and once a day with a cream cleanser. I like to use Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Daily Scrub (http://www.neutrogena.com/econsumer/ntg/productdetail.bro...) or their Deep Clean Gentle Scrub (http://www.neutrogena.com/econsumer/ntg/productdetail.bro... either Neutrogena Rapid Clear Foaming Cleanser (http://www.neutrogena.com/econsumer/ntg/productdetail.bro..., Neutrogena Deep Clean Cleanser (http://www.neutrogena.com/econsumer/ntg/productdetail.bro...) or Ido also like Target's brand of these.
To treat existing blemishes, I like Neutrogena's Rapid Clear Acne Eliminating Spot Gel (http://www.neutrogena.com/econsumer/ntg/productdetail.bro.... It seems to help them heal and disappear faster.
Also, it's better if you stick with a system (like only thei deep clean line, or only the rapid clear line) though I have a bad habit of mixing them.
good luck... acne isn't any fun no matter what your age!
I used Acne Free throughout my recent pregnancy, and it helped a lot. It is OTC, for about $20.
S.,
I don't know if this will help or not, but with my first pregnancy my face broke out worse than a teenager! (I was pregnant with a boy). My second pregnancy my face was flawless! The difference was unreal. (2nd pregnant with a girl) I don't know if the sex matters or not. BUt those pregnancies were entirely different for me, my skin and my body. Hormones are a crazy thing-I just think you never can be quite sure what the outcome will be.
