The quick and easy guide to

PREGNANCY SKINCARE
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Julie Johnson / Unsplash
A BO UT
ME
I’m a blogger, a mom of two and a physician.
But not always in that order.

Welcome to my book on skincare! I’ve been blogging about

beauty, but especially skincare, since 2007. I started 15 Minute
Beauty while I was in my training to become a Pediatric ICU
doctor, I needed something fun and “fluffy” to balance out the
things I saw every day in my professional life.

I love looking at the science behind beauty products and

skincare. Since I am so busy in my day to day life, I don’t have
much time to waste! I want products that will actually work.

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 USI NG
T H IS
GUI DE

RawPixel/ Unsplash

Through out this guide I’ve made specific product recommendations,

these are my favorite products that I recommend most often to friends,
family and readers.

I have also included a lot of links to recommended posts on 15 Minute

Beauty, you’ll find more in depth explanations and more product
recommendations in those blog posts. Note that the products pictured in
this guide were screened to be pregnancy safe at the time it was written,
for up to date information please refer to the list of pregnancy safe beauty
products.

Medical Disclaimer
Finally, note that while I am a physician, I am not your physician. None
of the advice in this guide should be used in the place of the advice of
your own doctor.

If you are experiencing ongoing skin problems I recommend seeking

the advice of your own physician. In particular with skin care during
pregnancy, you should seek the advice of your own doctor if you have
any concerns or problems.
HOW I S PREG N AN CY
S K IN CA RE DIFFERENT ?
I assumed this would be easy. It isn’t.

I remember early in my first pregnancy, I was reading a pregnancy

style book and came across a chapter about pregnancy beauty. I
had assumed there would be pregnancy hormone associated
changes in my skin, but how different could this be otherwise?

I was wrong! There was an entire list of skin care ingredients to

avoid. I’m a pediatrician, and this was new information to me! I dug
out resources on line from sources such as ACOG and did PubMed
searches. The amount of information out there was overwhelming
and I felt completely panicked! What if I was harming my baby by
using the wrong eye cream? I swapped out to the most benign skin
care I could find.

At my first OB appointment at 12 weeks, I was given a list of

ingredients to avoid. Luckily the list was pretty close to what I was
already doing.

Over the years a single blog post about pregnancy skin care has
grown into a popular guide and extensive series of posts. I get asked
a lot about how to create a pregnancy skin care routine and how to
approach it. This eBook will address that issue. You’ll find links out
to posts on 15 Minute Beauty for further information as well.

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T H E CO NSISTEN T
CORE RO UTINE
Keep your basic products the same, swap
out treatments as your skin changes.

CLEANSER MOISTURIZER SUNSCREEN

The biggest thing you will notice with your skin while pregnant is
that it is ever changing due to hormones. It simply isn’t practical to
swap out your entire skin care routine every 2-3 months as your skin
flip flops between oily, dry or blemish prone.

During pregnancy I strongly recommend keeping a small core

group of products, and swapping out treatments and masks to
address specific problems.

It’s much easier to add a few drops of face oil at night if your skin is
feeling dry or doing a few extra masks to help combat blemishes.
This approach allows for maximal flexibility while allowing you to
still address your skin’s major issues.
C H OOS ING YOU R
A TE A M
In this guide I am assuming that you are starting from a skin care
routine that has worked for you and you have been using
consistently. If you are already using pregnancy safe products that
work, there is no need to change to something new.

I would include a pregnancy safe cleanser, moisturizer and

sunscreen in that core routine. All products should be gentle and
non-irritating.

Clean Ski n care Trio

Drugstore Trio
 COM M O N
PREGNA NCY
S K IN CA RE
PRO BLEMS
PROBLEM SOLVING TREATMENTS

There are a few common pregnancy issues that

most pregnant women will face. You can
address them with treatment serums, spot
treatments and masks.

One trimester you might

be struggling with dryness,
another it is blemishes.
Every pregnancy is
different, and the issues
your skin faces can change
almost weekly.

The biggest problems will

be dry skin, oily skin,
hyperpigmentation
(Melasma, also called mask
of pregnancy) and
blemishes.

The following sections will

address how to tackle
those problems while
maintaining your core
routine.

Omar Lopez/ Unsplash

 ACNE & O ILY SKI N
The approach to acne is quite different during
pregnancy, as the mainstay active ingredients
are off limits.

The biggest mainstays of acne There are a few ways to

treatment are Salicylic Acid decrease blemishes while
and Benzoyl Peroxide, both of pregnant while still avoiding
which are commonly included these ingredients.
in lists of ingredients to avoid
while pregnant.* The first is to keep your pores
as clear as possible. I had a
trimester that required nightly
clay masks, my super clear
pores helped my blemishes
greatly!

Safe Ingredients Ingredients

Look for sulfur (if not allergic)
Witch Hazel
Clay masks to clean out pores

Off Limits Ingredients

Salicylic Acid
Benzoyl Peroxide
Retinoids

SPOT TREATMENT

CLAY MASK Read More:

How to deal with
pregnancy related
* Note that ACOG has recently said that they are safe, however there wasn’t any new
data that prompted this change. I still consider them something to be avoided, pimples
unless you are specifically working with your doctor to address acne.
D RY S KIN
If your skin is suddenly feeling tight, dry and
flaking then you are not alone!

MASK OIL CREAM

A dry skin routine is mostly

focused on not irritating the
skin, while restoring the skin’s
barrier function, used to
Recommended Treatments:
naturally hold on to moisture.
As needed face oil treatment
Moisture masks
Adding a few hydrating
Switch your moisturizer to a cream
treatments, and lifestyle
changes will add moisture
back to your skin.

You can also swap out your

regular moisturizer for a
thicker, creamier version.
The tips in this post are for
If you have flaking, I suggest winter, but will work year
gentle physical exfoliation with round if your skin is very
a Clarisonic or rough wash dry.
cloth to remove the flakes.
Read More: X
Dry Skin Tips
“ MA SK OF PREG N AN CY ”
We all dread areas of hyperpigmentation that
appear while pregnant. The most effective
treatments are off limits during pregnancy, but you
still have options.

! AVOID THE SUN

Melasma is in large part precipitated by sun exposure. The

hormones of pregnancy can make the situation even worse,
“priming” your skin for areas of hyperpigmentation.

Avoid the sun completely, especially during peak hours. If this

is not possible, be sure to wear a broad spectrum sunscreen.

! TRY VITAMIN C

Your favorite citrus fruit vitamin has a lot of uses in skincare

(read more about how vitamin C works in skincare). It will
help decrease melanin production, lightening areas of hyper-
pigmentation. The effect isn’t as rapid as Hydroquinone or
Kojic Acid, but it is pregnancy safe! Try adding in a vitamin C
serum or look for it in your moist

! GENTLE EXFOLIATION

Gentle exfoliation, whether chemical or physical, will remove

the dead surface skin cells that have too much melanin and
encourage increased cell turnover. You can use a Clarisonic
several times a week or a gentle lactic acid product.
 HOW I T WO RKS
CORE TRIO
These products stay the same,
others come and go
depending upon your current
skin issue. This will change by
the trimester.

Melasma
Add Vitamin C Serum
Exfoliate with lactic acid or
Clarisonic

Acne
Add in clay masking 2-3x/week
Use spot treatment as needed

Dry Skin
Hydrating mask 2-3x/week
1-2 drops oil nightly as needed
If necessary, swap to cream
 P OST PA RTU M
T RA NS ITIO N
Ready to use all of your old
favorite products? Not so fast…

I was definitely ready to “regain”

my own body after the birth of my
oldest, but since I planned to nurse
I had to still take her needs into
account.

Because of how breast milk is

made, you are able to use more
products while nursing than
during pregnancy.

Primarily the ingredients to worry

about are those that treat
hyperpigmentation such as
hydroquinone and Kojic Acid. If
you are being extra conservative,
continue to avoid retinoids.

I have started screening products

for nursing safety as well, you’ll
find them listed in the brand
pages for pregnancy safety.

Read More: Kelly Sikkema / Unsplash

Skin care ingredients

while nursing