What skincare products are safer to use during pregnancy?

As many of you know, Dr. Nuveen and I are expecting a little boy! While I am super excited to welcome him to this world, I have been forced to change up my skin care routine.  Unfortunately, many of my normal recommendations are not safe or have not been clinically trialed to be safe during pregnancy.  I have had many patients and friends reach out to me who are also pregnant or hoping to be so and ask what is safe to use during pregnancy.  At Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates, we carry two skincare lines: SkinMedica and Dr. Courtney’s Skincare.  Below are some of my top picks while pregnant!

While lactic acid and salicylic acid are not safe during pregnancy, glycolic acid is! Glycolic acid gently exfoliates the skin and helps reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and pores improving skin texture and tone. It is a common ingredient in many chemical peels and exfoliates by weakening the bods holding the skin cells together so they can shed and underneath expose the fresh new skin.  Dr. Courtney’s Quarantine Peel are 20% glycolic acid treatment pads.  This strength is much higher than what can be found over the counter (roughly 5-6% on average).  These pads can be used twice a day; however, due to the strength, you may need to back off after a few days as they can cause dryness and like flaking until your skin gets used to it. 

I am typically a strong advocate of Botox for all! Not only does it soften and weaken lines and wrinkles formed by muscle contraction, it can also be used to prevent lines from ever forming.  Unfortunately, no clinical trials have been performed to prove that it is safe during pregnancy.  Although it is not a replacement for Botox, using products with growth factors can soften and help diminish the appearance of fine lines.  I love the Skinmedica TNS products. Skinmedica has a line of products that contain growth factors clinically tested to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while improving skin tone and texture. TNS Recovery Complex incorporates Skinmedica’s highest concentration of their patented growth factor blend - 93.6% Tissue Nutrient Solution with over 380 growth factors. And cytokines identified. TNS is the main ingredient in the potent TNS Recovery Complex skin treatment which is formulated from naturally occurring growth factors, antioxidants, soluble collagen, cytokines and matrix proteins. So until you are able to get your Botox injected again, this is the next best thing for keeping your skin wrinkle free.

Skin discoloration is a common complaint during pregnancy. Hormones can cause melasma, and many of the products we usually use to help are not safe during pregnancy, including retinol and hydroquinone.  Skinmedica’s Lytera 2.0 Pigment Correcting Serum is formulated to address the appearance of stubborn skin discoloration.  It is safe for all skin types and safe during pregnancy.  Improvements can be seen in as early as 2 weeks with progressively dramatic results at 12 weeks and beyond.  Vitamin C products are also safe during pregnancy.  The antioxidants in vitamin C help to prevent skin discoloration from occurring. Similarly to why you put lemon juice on your apples or lime juice on your avocados to prevent from browning, placing vitamin C on your skin can help prevent brown spots from appearing.  

While I am looking forward to all of the joys of motherhood, I would be lying if I did not say that returning to Botox and retinol were not also on that list. That being said, even when I can return to my normal routine, I am planning on continuing these awesome products based on the changes I have seen this far!

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