Pregnancy Skincare Myths & Basic Guidelines

Pregnancy is such a magical moment for every woman. Imagining growing life in your body, your whole world change. So many changes are happening to your body, including your skin. Some moms experienced that healthy pregnancy glow, but others face more skin issues than they ever had in their life. Although it won’t ever dim the whole joy of pregnancy. During this time, a woman is going to be extra cautious about what they consume and also put on their skin. The goal is to maintain a healthy mom-glow throughout the pregnancy while keeping the baby healthy and safe. In this article, we are going to talk about some common skincare myths (and the fact), so that you can make a better-informed decision of what you should or shouldn’t put on your skin. However, rest assured, that there are many ways for all mommies to maintain their healthy glowing skin.

Myth #1: Everyone gets all the pregnancy glow

Some mommies experienced that pregnancy glow and look extra radiant throughout their pregnancy but apparently not every mom share the same experience. With all the hormonal changes on our body, our skin is going through a lot! Some of the most common skin issues experienced by expecting moms are:

✔︎ Acne
✔︎ Hyperpigmentation
✔︎ Stretch marks
✔︎ Dry skin

During those 9 months, moms can experience one more favorable skin changes or spark of some new skin issues, we are going to covered several ingredients you have to watch out

Myth #2: Cocoa butter will help reduces stretch marks.

Stretch marks are a type of scar results from skin stretching too much at a short period of time causing breakage of the collagen and elastin. Pregnancy is one of the common causes of stretch mark formation in women since it stretches a lot to make room for the baby. Stretch marks appear as parallel lines on your skin that vary in color from purple, bright pink to light gray. There are many products that promise to prevent and remove stretch marks, including cocoa butter (or almond oil, olive oil, or anything you can possibly think of at the moment). However, unfortunately, there aren’t any that have proven effective so far since the break is happening on the dermal layer. Although there are no promises on preventing the stretch mark formation entirely, there are some noteworthy steps you can take to minimize it:

✔︎ Control weight gain
✔︎ Use a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid and Centella Asiatica (use them at the earliest stage possible)

Myth #3: You can’t use skincare product when you’re pregnant as it contains a lot of chemicals

Your skin deserves their much-needed care even when you’re pregnant. There is no one reason for you to stop caring for your skin. The old belief saying that whatever you apply to your skin will get absorbed into the bloodstream and affect the baby's health is entirely not true. Our skin works as a layer of barrier that doesn’t only prevent pollution or irritants from getting into our skin, but it also at some point work as a barrier on preventing topical products to get absorbed into the bloodstream. Although there are some contraindicated or controversial ingredients that are best to avoid during this time, there are so many safe options that won’t impose any health risk for your baby. Healthy skin equals to happy mom and baby!

Myth #4: You can’t use any chemical exfoliators when you’re pregnant

The word “chemical” may sound very daunting although it is important to remember that everything is chemical. Chemical exfoliators that lift off dead skin cell by removing the bond between dead skin cell on the top layer of our skin like alpha-hydroxy acid is safe to use during pregnancy to help reveal your brighter and smoother skin complexion! Alpha-hydroxy acid is a water-soluble ingredient that only works on the superficial layer of your skin. For example glycolic acid, lactic acid, and mandelic acid. On top of that, these ingredients may help attract water and hydrate your skin while it works as a humectant.

Some general skincare guideline during pregnancy:

1. Use your sunscreen daily.
2. Ingredients to avoid:

Despite the limited safety evidence-based data of some ingredients, based on some anecdotal or animal studies, there are some ingredients that are not recommended to use for a pregnant woman. Here are some of the ingredients that are better to be avoided throughout pregnancy

a. Retinoids
b. Hydroquinone
c. Arbutin
d. Salicylic acid > 2%

3. Ingredients that are safe to use during pregnancy based on skin concern:
Now let’s get into what ingredients are completely safe for your baby and can really benefit your skin based on your skin concern:

a. For acne: benzoyl peroxide, azelaic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, niacinamide
b. For hyperpigmentation: azelaic acid, glycolic acid, niacinamide, vitamin C, kojic acid
c. For aging: peptides, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid