Acne...will it ever go away?

[Anonymous]

I have to admit that I have been lucky and never had bad skin before so this problem is especially annoying to me. I fear that my skin is going to be forever changed...does it ever go away?

[Anonymous]

Mine did, and after the pregnancy I barely get any pimples!

[Anonymous]

OP - I am sorry you are having problems. Like you, I have had skin issues throughout my teenage and adult life. I finally had gotten under control but then after I got pregnant, I started noticing a lot of flare ups. Are you doing anything for the acne? You might consider talking to your OB or dermatologist about products to use. I know a friend of mine continues to use a topical cream provided by her dermatologist (her OB said it was ok), though I don't know that is. For me, I just used the Neutrogena 3 part acne kit that you can get at CVS or Target and it helped a TON. It's like Proactive (but I found didn't dry out my skin as much). You will hear a lot of people say different things about using salicylic acid and Benzoyl peroxide and warn about not using those types of products - both of which are ingredients in the product - but I haven't heard anything that would make me not use them. But if you are a particularly cautious person, you should consult your physician or midwife. Although the acne should go away eventually, it might be worth trying to do something in the interim!

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I have always had problems with acne- nothing extreme, just annoying. For a while, my skin was doing very well. But then I got pregnant... and it's not looking very pretty! I have had this huge pimple on my chin for the past two weeks that won't go away. My dermatologist told me that he couldn't prescribe anything that is very effective. I'm not sure that I want anything that will dry out my skin, since it is also very dry in places d to pregnancy.

I am sure that your acne will go away after pregnancy if you never had a problem with it before. I just hope that mine doesn't scar and mark up my face too much this time around. My husband gets mad at me when I complain about it. I'm glad that I had a chance to vent! Does anyone know of any other products that are safe to use during pregnancy? For a while, I was using something that I could just dab on my pimples to make them dry up and go away. It worked very well, but I think that it contained an ingredient that is a no, no during pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

OP -- I feel your pain! I'm in the same situation. One of my first pregnancy symptoms was that my face and hair started becoming extremely oily. Now I'm in my 2nd tri, and the breakouts are constant. My forehead and behind my ears are two of my biggest trouble areas. It's gross. I was lucky to have good skin before this pregnancy, so I'm happy to hear from PP that this is probably just temporary.

And I've noticed my nose is so red! I look like I'm drunk/stuffed up constantly. This baby is not making mama look pretty! My SIL is a big fan of old wives tales, and she assures me that skin complaints is the norm when expecting a boy.

I read on another thread about the 3 step Nutrogena as well. That's 2 recs for them, so I might go try that out today.

[Anonymous]

i'm 24 weeks and my acne has gotten a little better on my face in the 2nd tri (body acne is another story - ew). Anyway, the Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion has worked well on those deep cystic pimples that are sore and red before they ever come to the surface. That stuff helps keep them from getting huge. Also, i've found that the Skinceuticals Phyto + serum REALLY helps with the redness of the pimples as they heal.

My derm gave me metrogel (an antibiotic) and Finacea (an exfoliant creme) as both are category B and considered safe during pregnancy. I don't feel like they did much for me.

As for wives tales and baby's gender --- i'm having a girl and my skin is awful. I hear that's because baby girls "steal their mother's beauty."

[Anonymous]

My skin is worse with pregnancy #2 than with #1 -- my local "old wives" tell me it's because it's a boy and the "boy hormones" are harder on my system.

I don't know. It sucks. Really annoying. But it gets a lot better a few weeks postpartum, in my experience (knock on wood).

[Anonymous]

Boy or girl, they are just tough on their moms, aren't they?! =)

[Anonymous]

I had great skin pre-pregnancy, really bad skin until about 16 weeks during pregnancy, then great skin again.

Weird, when I weaned at about 8 months postpartum I got a zit. And then when I ovulated the first time postpartum got another one (about a month after I weaned). But other than those incidents, my skin has been fine.

You'll get your good skin back again!

[Anonymous]

Are you having a girl? My skin broke out terribly with my two girls, but was completely clear with my two boys. I did not believe in the old wives tales, but now I think maybe the female baby hormones really did upset my skin or "stole my beauty" like my MIL loved saying...
In my case, it did clear both times around 20-22 weeks.