Safe & Effective Skin Care During Pregnancy

Hey Everyone! My name is Tegan and I run a skin clinic called TEGANMAC.SKIN, and an Instagram account by the same name.

My page is all about sharing insight into what really makes healthy skin, along with plenty of info about skin treatments and products. My love for skin stemmed from my personal experience with acne as a young adult and wanting to help friends and family feel comfortable and confident in their skin. From there, my Instagram grew and I’m now able to help people all over Australia. With the skincare market so saturated with products and brands, it can be so confusing trying to figure out what really works, and what’s just fake news.

Throw pregnancy into the mix and things can get a lot more confusing! I’m here to tell you that you can definitely still look after your skin with active products while you’re pregnant and breastfeeding. I’m going to help guide you through what you can and can’t use, safe skin treatments and also run through some of the skin concerns that can arise during pregnancy.

Common Skin Concerns in Pregnancy

The 3 most common concerns I see at the clinic are melasma, acne, aging.

Melasma

Let’s start by having a chat about melasma. Melasma is a hormone triggered form of pigmentation. The easiest way to tell if you have melasma is you’ll see a muddy, blotchy looking discolouration, which is often symmetrical on each side of the face. So, if you have a patch on your left cheek bone, you’ll most likely have it on your right cheekbone. Other common areas for melasma to develop include the forehead, above the eyebrows and above the top lip.

Melasma is triggered by hormones but can be exacerbated by heat, stress and sunlight. Wearing spf, a hat and sunscreen while you’re pregnant is crucial, as your skin will be more susceptive to UV damage and sunburn. My favourite spf product is Colorescience Sunforgettable, a powder-form mineral spf that can be applied on its own or over makeup, making it super easy to dust on throughout the day to maintain UV protection. SPF needs to be reapplied throughout the day, applying in the morning will not keep you protected by lunchtime. Colorescience Sunforgettable makes reapplying spf easy, it’s basically invisible on the skin and won’t block the pores.

To help treat the pigment, there are plenty of pregnancy safe options available, my favourite is Aspect Pigment Punch+, a pigment control serum that works on pigmentation caused by sun damage, melasma and post inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

You can boost the effects of this serum by pairing it with Vitamin C, two great options include CosMedix Pure C Mixing Crystals, or if you prefer a serum-form, Aspect Extreme C20. As for treatments, light lactic peels, skin needling, LED light therapy and dermaplaning are all safe options while pregnant and breastfeeding.

Pregnancy Triggered Acne

Next up we’ve got pregnancy triggered acne. I have a lot of clients who experience painful, deep pimples on the jaw and neck particularly in their first trimester, with many of these clients not having any issues with acne in the past.

Like melasma, this is due to a sudden change in hormone levels. Treating acne can be confusing when you’re pregnant and breastfeeding due to the fact that you can’t use salicylic acid. Thankfully, I’ve got some great product suggestions that have been game changers for many of my clients.

The first being Aspect Extreme B17, this is an anti-inflammatory, oil-balancing, antioxidant serum that is totally pregnancy safe. This serum will help keep the skin calm and promote healing while your skin goes through its acne flare-up.

The second product I strongly recommend is Aspect Clear Skin Complex. This acne treatment delivers the same punch as salicylic, but it’s totally pregnancy safe. It works by targeting the bacteria the lies deep inside the pimple, ideal for those big, blind pimples that often show up around the chin and jaw. It is important to remember not to pick at the skin and cause excess trauma, especially when it's already inflamed. The acne will pass, you just need to support the skin as best you can while it adjusts to its changing hormones levels. Treatments that are ok during pregnancy include LED light therapy, oxygen masks, lymphatic therapy and enzyme exfoliation.

Anti-Aging

A common question I get from pregnant clients is what’s safe to use in terms of anti-aging products. Retinol is not allowed, neither are cosmetic injections, but that doesn’t mean your skin has to miss out on all the anti-aging goodness!

Peptides, antioxidants and alpha hydroxy acids are all A-OK, and there are some really potent products out there that can give you great results. The top product I suggest is Société Intense Firming Serum. This serum contains a blend of skin tightening peptides, it’s a product often recommended to Botox clients looking to extend the effects of their treatment.

CosMedix Elite Pepoxide is another great option, this one contains a combination of peptides and antioxidants to help protect the skin from environmental damage and enhance cellular communication.

For anyone who has had to part ways with their beloved retinol, CosMedix Defy contains a tri-blend on AHA’s that are featured in CosMedix Define – the retinol version of Defy. Using Defy will ensure your skin gets the same gentle resurfacing while you’re pregnant and ensure when you’re ready to add retinol back into your routine, you won’t be back at square one. In terms of treatments, skin needling is your go-to, pregnant or not, it’s my favourite treatment for anti-aging.

If you’re unsure on what products should be included in your routine, I provide online consultations that be booked through this link: https://teganmacskin.com/pages/online-consultation

Every consultation comes with a 15% off discount code to help kickstart your skincare routine.

I understand how overwhelming picking skincare can be, so let me take the stress off your shoulders and do it for you!

Before commencing treatments it’s important to chat with your doctor to ensure they’ve given it the all clear. Every pregnancy is different, so if you’re ever unsure about an ingredient or treatment just ask your doc. I hope you have found this helpful and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Tegan xo