OMG my face!!!

[NHoffman13]

So I am 22 weeks pregnant, 29 years old and my face is breaking out like I'm going through puberty!!!!! I have never had skin like this before and its driving me crazy!!! Anyone else have this acne problem with their pregnancy?? And what do/did you do about it? I wash my face 2 sometimes 3 times a day. I try not to wear makeup on the days I don't work, but its embarrasing to walk around like this!

[bmccartney]

Well, I already had acne prior to getting pregnant, but pregnancy made it really really bad. The only thing that works for me is Paula's Choice BHA liquid. I probably shouldn't be using it though since it's Category "C" and there's a lot of info on the internet about not using it during pregnancy because it salicylic acid's relationship to aspirin. For me though, I'm taking my chances since my cysts were so bad I was getting scars...and now my face is almost perfectly clear.

Belli Pregnancy Acne Clearing Facial Wash is made with lactic acid, which is supposed to be safe. It may be good for someone with mild acne, but my acne was just too severe for it to help (cysts and nodules).

Benzoyl Peroxide supposedly is safe (depending on which website you look at), but again, it wasn't enough for me. You could also see a dermatologist who'd probably prescribe a topical antibiotic.

Good luck!

[melimcn]

Mine was HIDEOUS while pregnant with my son.
Nasty, cystic acne all over my chin and mouth area. I've never had an acne probelm in my life. My shoulders, back and chest were equally disgusting.

The good news is that it was short lived with pregnancy. After delivery, once I went back on the pill, it cleared up in a matter of a week.

The bad news, is that during pregnancy, there was really nothing at all to do. I tried everything I could get my hands on and nothing helped. Nightly steam treatments followed by benzoyl peroxide helped a little, but the zits still came.
If you have cystic acne, the best product I found was Buffering Lotion from Mario Badescu. It really does help them go away in a day or two.
But that didn't stop me from getting them.

Hang in there mama. It seems like and eternity, but everything will go back to normal after delivery.

[DarkFemFatale]

Have you had your thyroid checked? I have hypothyroidism, and I'm 25 weeks pregnant. My acne got terrible when my thyroid got off, but the past few weeks as my meds have gotten adjusted, my acne has gotten better. Might be something to ask to have checked as many women get it during pregnancy.