Pregnancy acne and wild hormones
Posted by Grace Gowdie on
Pregnancy hormones… why aren’t I glowing?!
I stumbled across a Mamamia article titled, Pregnancy acne: Why some women get pregnancy acne and exactly how to get rid of it and thought it would be a great topic to expand upon.
Plus, many of our friends have been opening up about their struggles with acne during pregnancy.
We always hear about the ‘pregnant glow’ and how this magical time when a little human is growing inside of us is so wonderful. However, in some cases, pregnancy can be confidence-shattering even for the most self-assured woman.
Bringing a new life into the world is an incredible challenge for our bodies. To make it happen, our bodies need to go through so much change.
All in 9 months. It truly is a miracle.
Pregnancy is a special and truly rewarding time (I haven't experienced it yet, it's what I’ve heard through friends, family and even strangers!) but, I've also heard there are some side effects that can turn this fairytale time of life into a bit of nightmare.
Morning sickness, overall tenderness, fluid retention, mood swings and last but not least, fluctuating hormones.
This brings me to my the crux of this blog post…. Pregnancy acne!
In the Mamamia article shared above, Skincare expert Sheridan Rollard explains how pregnancy acne occurs when a surge of hormones alters your blood sugar and insulin levels.
“All these combined can create more oil, and stickier and thicker oil in your pores, making your pores more likely to be infected by bacteria and result in inflammation and breakouts.”
Um, I asked for the ‘pregnant glow’ look not the ‘angsty teen’ look… so can this confidence-shattering acne be optional please?
Unfortunately, you don’t get to pick and choose how your skin responds to the extra hormones racing around in your body, however, you can reduce your symptoms.
So just how do I reduce these painful, red and inflamed pustules?
Rollard suggests AHA peels, extractions, microdermabrasion and you guessed it, LED light therapy.
"A great treatment is also LED light therapy, in particular, the blue light therapy to kill any build up of bacteria, but also infrared light to help with deep cysts."
Essentially, blue light targets the acne-causing bacteria beneath the surface of your skin, this bacteria is very sensitive to the blue light and the light works to shut down the bacteria’s metabolism, effectively killing it.
Put simply, blue LED light therapy kills acne-causing bacteria.
Which means less acne, pimples, painful cysts and clearer skin.
Sounds pretty good right?
However, before we begin to bathe in blue LED light, it’s important to consult your obstetrician first when making any change to your skincare routine as your skin can become more sensitive during pregnancy.
If you’re suffering from hormonal related breakouts, a great first step is to review your current skincare routine from start to finish and then assess what you could add to it (or take away) in order to get your skin back under control.
Always look at your skincare regime holistically.
There’s no simple-fix but there is a solution. It just might take some research and time to find what works for you.
(*not mine, but what a happy little man!)
If you have or have had pregnancy acne please reach out to us because we’d love to hear what you’re doing to combat it.
Together we can overcome pregnancy acne and bring back the ‘pregnant glow’!
Until next week,
Grace x
Grace x