Pregnancy Acne

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Like many people, Kit Hondrum's first experience with acne started when she was 13. While she never considered it severe enough to go on Accutane, she wore makeup every day and was obsessed with her skin.

Especially as I entered into my 20s, I was like, 'Why is this not going away?' The 35-year-old told . That's when I really became more frustrated with everything.

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Over the years, Hondrum tried oral antibiotics and Differin gel (an over-the-counter retinoid) prescribed by dermatologists. She also made dietary changes based on the advice of her esthetician. Hondrum, who runs a cooking blog, tried limiting inflammatory foods and cut dairy for a long time, which she said helped a little bit.

She also bought products from a company called TS Skincare she used to get facials from in Orlando, Florida, and kept up with her skincare routine, which involved oil cleansing and using products like toner and moisturizer.

She suspected her acne was related to hormonal imbalance because she tried multiple solutions and saw some mild changes, but not enough to fully clear her skin.

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Hondrum became pregnant with her first son at age 30, when she saw her skin gradually become clearer. Skin changes are common during pregnancy, due to fluctuating hormones. Some people might get severe acne breakouts, while others may experience clearer skin.

According to Dr. Kameelah Phillips, a board-certified OB/GYN and founder of Calla Women's Health, Estrogen and progesterone are typically responsible for pregnancy-related changes, including darkened nipples, linea nigra (a dark line on the stomach), and acne — or in Hondrum's case, lack thereof.

In her case, the change was fairly drastic. My husband noticed right away, she said. My parents, my sisters, and really anyone who I saw on a day-to-day basis, even if I was still wearing makeup, they noticed that my skin was smoother or maybe I would show up to the gym without makeup and people were surprised.

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While it's common to break out or clear up acne during pregnancy, for most people, their skin will revert back once they give birth. For example, if skin becomes acne-prone, it typically improves to its normal condition after pregnancy, said Phillips.

She said that while Hondrum's experience isn't common, the changes of pregnancy are not universal and sometimes they even go against the majority experience.

But for Hondrum, who had since had a second child, she said her skin pretty much remained clear for the past five years. She thinks the acne was definitely all hormonal, because aside from the pregnancy, her diet and skincare routine had remained the same.

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She still gets occasional breakouts or a few pimples before her period, but she said the biggest post-pregnancy skin adjustment has been getting used to clearer skin.

I feel like when I was 25 and getting married, I was pretty confident — but not with my skin, she said. It took me years of being clear from acne to realize that other people probably didn't notice my skin texture at all. That what I had was normal, and for that emotional burden to lift.Pregnancy is a miracle and a wonderful gift, but gee, it causes some hectic changes in your body. Aside from the part where you’re growing a human inside your belly.

After co-existing with your body for however many years, many of which you’ve spent trying to figure out what it likes and doesn’t like, the things that happen to that body during pregnancy are

Pregnancy Acne: Causes, Prevention And Treatment

. Even if you’ve never really had acne before, or had it as a teenager but thought you’d grown out of it, you may experience different types of pimples or acne during pregnancy.

It doesn’t help that all you ever hear about pregnant women is how great their skin is and how much they’re glowing. If you’re pregnant and your skin is playing up, it can only add to the jumble of feelings you’re experiencing about your ever-changing body.

Side note – if you want a bit of a laugh, check out our video on things pregnant women never say. Post continues after video.

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Sheridan Rollard, skincare expert and owner of Shine Skin and Body, has been treating pregnancy acne as a beauty therapist for over 20 years. In her experience, pregnancy acne is just one of the things that can shatter the illusion of what pregnancy is going to be like.

“Pregnancy is seen as a beautiful time in your life, and for some, it is. But in reality, for some women, it can include morning sickness, fluid retention and acne. We find at Shine we have quite a lot of pregnant woman come in who just want to enjoy this time, but are really disappointed in and despairing about their breakouts, ” Rollard told

To figure out what causes pregnancy acne, which traditional acne treatments you can’t use during pregnancy and the best pregnancy acne treatments that are safe, we asked Rollard every pregnancy acne question you’ve ever wanted to know the answer to.

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Much like when you were going through puberty (ah, fun times), your body experiences an increase in hormones during pregnancy that can contribute to acne.

“Pregnancy acne occurs when a surge of hormones designed to stabilise your pregnancy and help feed your baby to grow also results in changes in your blood sugar and insulin levels. All these combined can create more oil, and a stickier and thicker oil, in your pores, making your pores more likely to be infected by bacteria and result in inflammation and breakouts, ” Rollard said.

The two hormones you can curse for your pregnancy acne are oestrogen (the ‘female’ hormone) and progesterone (the ‘male’ hormone). These hormones are really important during pregnancy – oestrogen helps the uterus grow and progesterone helps thicken the lining of your uterus helping your baby grow, but a side effect is they can cause an overproduction in oil – you might find your hair is also oily during pregnancy.

Pregnancy Acne And Wild Hormones

“Not all women will suffer from acne while pregnant. You could have glowing radiant skin due to the increase in blood circulation, or acne due to a surge of hormones, ” Rollard said.

If you normally get hormonal breakouts around your period, or if you had hormonal acne as a teenager or adult acne, there’s a greater likelihood you’ll experience pregnancy acne. That said, you might’ve had acne in high school but could have perfect skin during pregnancy, or pregnancy could be the first time you experience acne.

Rollard added, “Anyone can get pregnancy acne, it all comes down to how your body reacts to what your hormones are doing.”

Acne]pregnancy Acne Is The Worst!

When it comes to pregnancy acne, it doesn't help that all you ever hear about pregnant women is how great their skin is and how much they're glowing, does it? Image: Getty.

Acne is never an easy thing to treat. Anyone who has struggled with pimples knows there's no quick fix. But the thing that makes pregnancy acne particularly hellish is, you can't really get rid of it. Rather, you merely manage it until you've given birth, or in some case, once you've finished breastfeeding.

Hormone surges happen right throughout pregnancy as your baby grows. Firstly, progesterone in the first trimester, then testosterone in the third. As the cause of the breakouts are always present throughout your pregnancy, we can't stop pregnancy acne. We can only manage the visual appearance right now, and the long term damage acne can cause, such as acne scarring, Rollard said.

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Rollard said your hands are tied when it comes to treating pregnancy acne as there are a number of skincare ingredients and treatments that are not safe to use during pregnancy. But don't lose hope, there are things you can try with the guidance of a dermatologist or reputable beauty therapist that can reduce the visual appearance of your acne.

Your skin is more sensitive during pregnancy, so you need to proceed with caution in all treatments and be gentle, especially if your skin is red and inflamed, Rollard said.

's executive editor and beauty journalist of 15 years Leigh Campbell (who always happened to be pregnant at the time we wrote this) spoke about pregnancy skincare and acne on the You Beauty podcast, noting going back to basics with your skincare is often the best way to manage breakouts rather than stop them entirely.

Let's Talk About Safe And Effective Pregnancy Acne Treatment

Always check with your obstetrician before using any new skincare products or trying new skincare treatments. It's also important to note, a lot of the acne products you'll find at the chemist will contain some of the ingredients above, so be mindful of reaching for the same kinds of products you used to treat your teenage acne.

Rollard