Acne in pregnancy - any miracle cures?

[sambababy]

So I came off the pill in May and started getting a lot of spots, even though I never had them before. Then I got pregnant in august and they've got progressively worse. My doctor said the change in hormones from both stopping the pill and getting pregnant, plus the pregnancy vitamins, all make it worse. However because I'm pregnant (16 weeks) I can't take antibiotics and I'm feeling pretty self-conscious about it. It is full on acne.

My doctor has put me on Azelan cream. I live abroad at the moment so I don't know if that's available in the uk. So far it's not helping. Really I want to know if anyone else suffered with this in pregnancy and if you have any suggestions of what I could try to improve it. Thanks in advance!!

I suffer with acne all the time, not just in pregnancy! You need to be careful what you take, as you have to avoid even some topical treatments (including anything containing vitamin A). The best help I found for acne in general was when I switched to organic facewashes and moisturisers. I think that the chemicals in regular (and superstrength stuff I used to use!) stripped my skin and made it worse. See if you can get some nice gentle face care and make up ( I find Inika and Bare Minerals give good coverage but don't block my pores).

Also there's a lot of hormonal stuff at play which can't be helped, but I did find that occasional use of tea tree oil after the first trimester on the really nasty (boil type) spots, as well as hot compresses, helped calm things down.

I would definitely ask your doctor again if you are having no joy...good luck...I know how you feel. My biggest issue is trying not to pick!

I know what you mean, it's hard not to pick, especially when they look really gross! I use a gentle Simple face wash as I can't use perfumed products on my face, but perhaps organic is the way to go. I also use a mineral face powder, but I have to admit, on top of rather a lot of concealer!

It's good to know that tea tree oil is ok in moderation after the first semester, I will try that! Thanks MissRatty!