Having acne during pregnancy is normal. However, there are some cases where the acne can be quite severe because mummy didn’t practice safe acne treatment during pregnancy. The main cause for acne during pregnancy is the high level of hormone throughout the first trimester. It’s hard to determine who will develop this pregnancy acne but chances are higher if you develop acne or acne flares at the start of your menstrual cycle.
Good news for you if don’t have any sign of getting pregnancy acne in your first trimester. That means it’s unlikely that you’ll have breakouts out of the ordinary during the second and third trimester.
You do have to be careful when treating your breakouts during pregnancy. Simply because most of the over-the-counter treatments and prescriptions come with a high risk of birth defect. Usually the breakouts will subside when your hormone levels return to normal but if you still want to do something about, you can try these drug-free home remedies.
Safe Acne Treatment During Pregnancy #1 Baking Soda
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Baking soda will help to dry out the oil on your skin while stimulates healing. You can make a natural spot treatment by mixing 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of water. Apply it on the pimples. Let it dry before washing it off.
Apple Cider Vinegar
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You can actually create a natural toner using apple cider vinegar by mixing 1 part of vinegar and 3 parts of distilled water. Another way is you can use a cotton ball and soak it with raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar and apply it on your skin to absorb any excess oil.
Honey
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Honey is known to have antibacterial and antiseptic properties besides being soothing to the skin. Firstly rinse your skin with warm water. Apply the honey directly on the affected area, leave it for 20-30 minutes then rinse with warm water.
Coconut Oil
Picture from Collective Evolution
Instead of a moisturiser, you can try and apply virgin coconut oil before you go to sleep. Virgin coconut oil or VCO has many benefits and besides its antifungal and antibacterial properties, it’s also soothing to the skin and absorbs easily.
Citrus Fruit
Picture from Beats Of Health
Squeeze the juice of a lemon or lime and using a cotton ball apply it on your spots. Leave it to dry for about 10 minutes and then rinse with cool water. The acidic and antibacterial properties that can be found in citrus fruits like lemon and lime do help in unclogging pores and shedding dead skin cells. Thus making it an effective natural exfoliant.
Nevertheless, there are other simple practices you can do to help with your pregnancy acne problem. Drink a lot of plain water and eat a nutritious diet. Also, try to keep your hands away from your face because there are bacteria on the fingers.
If you still want to use over-the-counter treatments, please consult your doctor before using them as some skincare products may be harmful to be used during pregnancy.