Congratulations– you're pregnant! What an exciting time!

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, your body is going through so many changes literally every single day, and this includes your skin. Some women experience their acne clearing up during pregnancy, while others experience new or worsening acne. Some experience worsening of their melasma during pregnancy, while others experience melasma for the very first time.  Some who are normally dry become oily, and others who are normally oily become dry. There is no “one-size-fits-all” for pregnancy skin – and that can be frustrating, am I right? 

Not only is your skin changing, but the products you’re able to use during pregnancy are different, too. I can only imagine your thoughts – my guess is that they’re going something like this: “What in the world is happening to my skin? What products will help it? And which of those products are pregnancy safe? Which ones do I need to stay away from? And what about when I’m nursing? And once I figure all of that out, then what order do I apply them?” 

Girl – I know it’s overwhelming. But I’m here to help!

As a general rule of thumb, here are the skincare 'no-no's of pregnancy, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gyneocologists:

- No retinols/retinoids

- No salicylic acid over 2%

- No glycolic acid over 10%

- No hydroquinone

- No benzoyl peroxide

While that may seem like a lot, it leaves so many amazing products that you still CAN use! So let’s go through sample skincare routines for each skin type during pregnancy.

Pregnancy + Melasma

There are few things more frustrating than melasma, especially melasma during pregnancy. As someone who suffers personally from stubborn melasma, I totally understand the frustration. What’s worse is that it just continues to worsen throughout the pregnancy, and most of the “go-to” ingredients that fight melasma best aren’t pregnancy friendly. So until that sweet baby comes and you’re finished nursing, here are some targeted products that can help:

- Brightening Wash - If you’ve followed me for any time, you know that this cleanser is my holy grail! While it contains both glycolic and salicylic acid, they are under the recommended limits (>10% and >2% respectively) and are great ingredients for exfoliating and reducing pigmentation.

- C+ Correcting Complex - This is my go-to vitamin C for all of my melasma patients, pregnant or not, because of it’s unique melaPATH technology. Without getting too “science-y”, it stops the hyperpigmentation process before it even begins. Luckily, all vitamin Cs are pregnancy safe (unless they contain other ingredients such as hydroquinone), so you should be fine continuing whatever vitamin C you were using pre-pregnancy - just make sure you’re using one!

Intellishade TruPhysical - If you struggle with melasma or hyperpigmentation of any kind, I highly recommend using a physical sunscreen. For those unsure of the difference between the two, it has to do with their mechanism of action. While chemical sunscreens absorb UV rays and convert them to heat (a cause of melasma), physical sunscreen reflect UV rays, thus no heat is induced from the reaction.

Tonic - This toner contains a multitude of brightening and exfoliating acids ideal for hyperpigmentation such as glycolic acid, mandelic acid, kojic acid, phytic acid, salicylic acid, and lactic acid. All ingredients are within the pregnancy safe percentages.

Bakuchiol - Retinoids (such as retin-A) are one of the best topical treatments for hyperpigmentation, but unfortunately are a no-no during pregnancy and nursing. So what's the next best thing? Bakuchiol! This retinol alternative is very similar to retinoids in its hyperpigmentation benefits, but is totally safe for baby!