Skincare and Pregnancy: What Is The Best and Safe For Mom and Baby

11 skincare ingredients to avoid during pregnancy:

With thousands of ingredients being used in skincare products, some of which being a serious “no-no” when it comes to use during pregnancy, you can never be too careful. Here is our list of ingredients to avoid during pregnancy. We wish you a healthy and happy pregnancy.

Tetracycline – Commonly prescribed by a Dermatologists for the treatment of acne. It’s an antibiotic that helps by stopping the growth of bacteria.

Parabens – Also known as synthetic preservatives. These have been known to mimic the hormone estrogen and have been found in 90% of Breast Cancer Tumors. Yikes!

Benzoyl Peroxide or Salicylic Acid – These acids are typically used to treat acne but can be too aggressive for the use during pregnancy.

Phthalates or Sulfates –Phthalates or dissolving agents used to increase the flexibility and move-ability of a product. Sulfates are known as the foaming agents in a lot of commonly used products.

Hydroquinone – This ingredient is commonly used as a bleaching agent for sunspots or age spots.

Retinoids or Prescription Retin A – Tretinoin aka Vitamin A – although there isn’t any proven data to show that there is harm during the use of these highly concentrated ingredients topically during pregnancy, it’s encouraged to have the attitude of: being safe rather than sorry.

Botulinum toxin aka Botox – This one is also tricky because no one wants to do drug tests during pregnancy, so the lack of data also makes this a no-no treatment, where it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Toluene – This is a toxic chemical used in products like nail polish, paint thinner, and hair dyes.

Formaldehyde – The use of this chemically toxic ingredient has been linked to cancer.

Dihydroxyacetone – This is usually found in your sunless tanning products. It is a color-additive used to achieve the “suntan” color.

Aluminum Chloride – The main ingredient in antiperspirants.

5 Treatments Your Skin Needs During Pregnancy:

Be Mindful to Boost Sun Protection – Your skin is more susceptible to burning during sun exposure. You will want to do some research and be sure to find more natural sunscreens without harsh chemicals.

Incorporate Massage – If you cannot find time to make it to the spa, it’s ok, take a few moments and massage your moisturizer into your own skin, including a circular and gentle face massage. It has been known to increase the cell production healing and help to prevent the skin from getting stretch marks during pregnancy.

Fight Blemishes – During pregnancy hormones are all over the place, and this can increase and complicate the oil production and cause unwanted “hormonal acne”. It’s important to use the appropriate and pregnancy-approved cleansers and treatments to help curb these unwanted breakouts.

Moisturize appropriately and Frequently – this step could by far be one of the most important. This is how you can help reduce your risk of getting stretch marks, by keeping your skin well hydrated and properly moisturized, you will be enabling the skin to stretch and grow with elasticity and flexibility. During my pregnancy, I used a belly-band over my moisturizer and applied my moisturizer almost every 2 hours.