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It goes without saying that bringing life into the world requires a slew of sacrifices—not to mention having to temporarily give up some of life’s great pleasures, including wine and cocktails, fresh sushi, roller coasters, and a long list of skincare and beauty treatments for nine months (often longer if you plan on breastfeeding). While there is an extensive laundry list of beauty and skincare treatments expectant mothers should avoid during all three trimesters, there are surprisingly a lot of pregnancy-safe alternatives that can help keep your skin in check while you’re battling hormonal-induced skin changes, including acne and melasma, and taking a forced break from retinol, acne products, lasers, and injectables like neurotoxin and dermal filler.
While it’s crucial to always check with your OB-GYN and dermatologist before making any shifts in your routine—beauty, diet, and otherwise—we spoke to a few skincare experts (board-certified dermatologist Dr. Blair Murphy Rose, MD, FAAD at Laser & Skin Surgery of New York, board-certified nurse practitioner Katie Zimmer, NP-C at Skin Pharm, and aesthetic nurse practitioner Madison Soto, RN, BSN at SkinSpirit) to get the lowdown and prenatal and postpartum-approved beauty treatments and skincare products that are generally deemed as safe for mothers-to-be. “Some skincare ingredients, including retinol, Benzoyl Peroxide, hydroquinone, and chemical sunscreens, are believed to be potentially harmful to a developing fetus. These should always be avoided,” says board-certified dermatologist Dr. Blair Murphy Rose.
