Need Help with Breakouts!!!

I started using Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash with Tea Tree Oil and Awapuhi. It is completely botanical. I follow washing with this with their Facial Cleansing Pads with Tea Tree Oil. I used to break out all the time and bought these at my local Trader Joes just to see if they would work and I love them. They also have a tea tree oil blemish stick which I put on several times a day on the problem spots. It is amazing. I have to say this is the best I have used and great for when you are pregnant because they are safe. I continued using them after my pregnancy and still use them and my son is two now and I am looking to have another baby sometime soon. Good Luck. If you don't have a Trader Joes near you go to:
http://www.desertessence.com/skin-care/face/problem-solut...

Please be careful about using topical meds like Proactive during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Their results on a lactaing or pregnant mother have not been studied. I"ve just started using Proactive again since my baby weened from breastfeeding. I think acne is just one of those joys of pregnancy...maybe try tea tree oil or a mud mask, as well as oil free makeup.

Avon has a great acne line of products. My teenaged boys...and myself use it.

http://www.youravon.com/nancybagley

Nanc

Helli W.. I also have bad breakouts. My acne has always been bad and hormonal (maybe because overweight) and the only thing that worked for me was antibiotic pills. When I told my dermatologist that I was trying to conceive she told me I can use Erythromycin (topical anitibiotic) and Financea gel (topical as well) and of course no more antibiotics by mouth. My face has improved somewhat as long I keep my hands out of my face as it has been extremely sensitive. You may have even better results. These are the only things that can be used during pregnancy (prescription wise). Many over the counter products contain harmful chemicals so just check with your doc before using. Also a coal mask from origins seems to help clean out the pores. I also get only under the skin hard bumps that hurt, so my dermatologist also stated that I can come in to have them injected with a medicine that will help them go down sooner, you may want to check with your dermatologist. Good luck!

I take a zinc supplement which greatly helps my acne. I believe it is safe while pregnant but check with your OB to make sure. Also I recommend clinque's line of acne products. They are a bit pricey but well worth it in my opinion.

Hi,
I used Bencyclin during my pregnancy as was told it was fine.

Since then I have stopped using that and I use Bare Minerals make-up. Believe it or not that's all it took, after 2 or so months it was amazing how much it helped. I even tried Proactiv and that didn't work for me.

Good luck!

Hi! First congrats! Second... I had the same problem. The worst acne on my chin and sides of mouth. They weren't even my normal once in a while pimples. THese were under the skin, welts that hurt and forget sleeping because when I put my face on the pillow, it actually hurt. I tried to just use Dove soap and keep my face as clean as possible and use alcohol to try to dry them out, but nothing worked. Finally I asked my Dr and she said to just live with it. That wasn't good enough for me, so I asked my sis who works for a "hoity toity" OB/GYN (Her paitients are stars and models and stuff like that)in the city and she said it would be fine to use the Clinique products. I always used them before, but was afraid to do so being pregnant. Within a week, my skin was under control and I stopped using the bar soap every day and just used it once or twice a week as needed. I continued to use the facial cleanser and toner as well as the acne gel every day. Hope this helps, good luck!

I would be careful with what you use. Most doctors would not recommend these acne treatments that some are suggesting. I was told to limit the use of salicylic acid during pregnancy and thats the most common ingredient in acne products. Go with something natural or botanical. Or use the acne products in moderation. The breakouts are most likely caused by hormones and theres not much you can do to prevent it.
Also if you do schedule a facial, please let them know in advance that you are pregnant and dont let them use too much steam for risk of your body overheating.
I had terrible breakouts on my face + body the first four months of pregnancy, but by the fifth month it cleared up and thankfully I have better skin now than I did before I was pregnant. Hang in there!

I would try getting some deep pore facials. When my son was 16 he was breaking out pretty bad an after 2 dermatologists, every antibiotic you can think of, topic creams, etc nothing worked. In some cases it was worse. So my esthetician suggested I bring him in for a facial. At first he was reluctant but we went. He went every two weeks for just the steam and the deep cleansing (not all the foo foo stuff) and let me tell you he cleared up right away. I know it is hormones with you but, however show me a teenager who is not hormonal. The way she explained it is if you can deep clean the pores before they becomes infected it will cut back on outbreaks. There is no cleanser that can get that deep into the skin. She would only charge me $35.00 because like I said she skipped all the fancy creams and massage. It really worked for him its worth a try if anything else it is relaxing and not harmful while pregnant. Good luck!!

Hi W.. Before I found out I was pregnant, my face broke out in the worst way. I started putting my morning urine on my face. Strange as it my seem, it's not at all. Grab some of your urine in a cup and dab a cotton ball in it. After you have washed your face, wipe your face with the cotton ball and let the uring dry. Once you get over the mental idea, you will do fine. I'm telling you, it worked. I did this for a week and a half and then found out I was pregnant. I stopped and my acne did go away. But I saw a noticeable difference.

I have started using this natural soap by a company called Lush (www.Lush.com) - the soap is completely unappealing-looking, but it's really worked wonders on my face. It's called Coalface, and it's a black soap. It's really amazing - I have the most ornery skin and this is working wonders on it - I'm not overly dry like with other cleansers, and my skin is brighter and fresher all day, too. It's not cheap, but it's definitely not the most expensive thing out there, and I swear, at lest for me, it really works! Good luck and congratulations!

You could try Arbonne's Acne Line. The products are botanically based. I'd be happy to help you out with trying the products at a discount. You can do it without the supplement so everything is topical. I had a neighbor whose daughter swore by Proactiv and once she started using ours, she stopped because she loves ours more. Even when she was stationed in Iraq her mom had to send her the products! :)

L.

____@____.com

Hi W. ... here's a weird-sounding suggestion. Are you using a toothpaste with a whitener? If so, stop using that. I switched to plain-ole regular toothpaste and that helped my breakouts about 90%--give it some time. I also switched to oil-free makeups and moisturizers. I am 99% acne free now. I know the toothpaste thing sounds crazy, but a dermatologist told me about that over a year ago, and maybe there's something to it! Good luck, I know it's painful!

Try Proactiv Solutions. It works great! I have issues around that time of the month and I just use it like the instructions say and use the face mask. While it doesn't stop it altogether, it does work to control it and the breakouts aren't near as bad. I normally use it only 1x per day, during that time, I use it 2x per day. It really does work!

Oh hon, nothing's gonna help but having that baby. You really can't use anything topical, because of conflicting reports about safety. It actually helped me to wash my face LESS, weirdly enough. But I broke out pretty bad, and then a couple of months after I had my son- it got much better!

I'm sorry. Not one of the highlights of pregnancy, right?