Being pregnant is confusing & stressful! What is okay to use? What can’t you put on your face? Read more in about my pregnancy skin care in this blog post.
Here is an easy rule of thumb to ensure that you can maintain your skincare during your pregnancy whilst ensuring your baby is safe and sound:
No Retinol and High Concentration Acids during pregnancy
Everything is fine EXCEPT for retinol and high concentration acids!
Specifically, STOP all retinol and vitamin A (retinol precursor) products. Don’t worry – if your products have retinol in them, it will say on the packaging.
For acids: avoid ALL home peels without specialist direction, to ensure chemical ingredients are applied at safe levels for both the mothers and baby’s health.
Pregnancy Facial
At the Renee Lapino Clinic we offer a popular pregnancy facial for expecting mothers (and also postnatally if you need an extra zhuzh). This is perfect for maintaining your skin during your pregnancy as it is retinol free and delivered by specialists. Click here to book your appointment
Serums and Toners
In addition, serums and toners with an acid content of 10% or less are fine to use. Thus, we advise you doing a clean sweep of your skin care products and ensuring they have a low acid concentration and of course, are retinol free!
For my patients: I have found the addition of calming & soothing serums very helpful.
This is because during pregnancy, there is an increase in blood flow. Increased blood flow for baby can mean extra redness and breakouts for mum’s skin leading to a pregnancy glow in individuals with typically dry skin, however, in oily skin this may lead to pregnancy. Calming and soothing serums and creams to combat this include CosMedix CPR and Avene Cicalfate (both available on GetHarley). In addition, our bespoke pregnancy facials are curated to help manage breakouts that you may be tackling.
We also love the use of a sheet mask; These don’t have to be the most expensive you can find – I’d rather you use one twice a week, than invest in an expensive mask that you only use once a month. I’d typically advise using bio-cellulose masks which are hydrating.
My top tip? Pop one on your bump too!
Overall, pregnancy is a beautiful journey that can not only cause major changes internally, but can be reflected in your skin, which will require you to switch up your skin care routine and adapt. If you’re still not sure, book in a consultation and we will be here every step of your skincare journey.
See you next week for our next post on melasma, which can also flare up during pregnancy!
