Spots, dodgy skin etc

[hopingforanother]

Hi I'm 18wks pg with DC2.

When not pregnant I generally get a few spots around my chin and put this down to the fact I have PCOS. Now I'm pg, I have spots on my face, neck, back and chest. Not acne or anything special, just teenage type spots. My skin doesn't seem particularly oily and I use a light face wash and moisturiser and haven't changed these since getting pg.

I feel like a 15 year old again - and trust me it's not good at all I thought things might clear uop after the 1st tri and they did around 14 wks - only to reappear soon after.

Anyone else have this - or ideas on clearing up my spotty face?? It's not a big prob, just making me feel grotty.

Hi hoping

I'm also 18 wks, have PCOS and the same problem. I think it means our skin is hyper sensitive to the progesterone which of course we have lots of in pregnancy, which is why it doesn't get better at the end of the first tri. I'm not much help I'm afraid but you're not alone. I use 2.5% benzoyle peroxide gel, which is quite effective if used daily (and not too sparingly) - only a negligible amount gets absorbed through the skin, so it's safe to use. But it can leave you looking quite red-faced like you've been sunburned, esp if you're not used to it, and makes your skin feel very dry. So I struggle to use it daily and sort of alternate between looking spotty and looking bright pink

Makes me feel grotty too. I remain hopeful it will clear up after the baby arrives.

Hi 2ndDestiny - thanks for your message!

I don't remember looking horrid in my last pg, though I do have a couple of spots in my first post birth photos with my DD, so maybe my brain has just erased the memory...

I get dry patches too so I'm a bit worried about using anything which might make it even drier. I think my skin doesn't like v soapy/harsh products and I have to use non soap type stuff. I tried some spot cream from boots, but it was a bit disasterous.

I don't have grease to accompany the spots so like you alternate between being spotty and a bit flaky

I think wearing make up every day doesn't help - but it's either that or looking spotty, flaky AND obviously stubbly.

How are you enjoying your pg so far? Is it your 1st baby? Hope all is going well!

Hiya

I'm now 31+4. My skin was awful in my first pg with my dd but I just battled on through it. This time round I have been to see a gp (luckily have one at our practice who specialises in dermatology) who diagnosed "pregnancy rash" - basically like 2ndDestiny says, caused by stupid hormones! He has prescribed me Betnovate cream (which I have previously used for my dd's eczema and my own dry patches) and it's cleared up the spots a treat. I also treated myself to a trip to the Clinique counter and after going through their consultation came away with Redness Solutions cleanser and moisturiser. My skin is so sensitive I can't use toner or even bloody tap water at the mo but having no issues with the clinique products.

It's definitely working, I've been told I'm glowing

Hoping, you are right about soapy/harsh products - I find they don't help spots at all even though I do have oily skin. You are better off with a very gentle face wash and a moisturiser. I did read about some more 'natural' solutions to acne in one of my PCOS books last summer when I had an outbreak (while not pregnant), and one suggestion was aloe vera gel - it did help soothe and reduce the angry red bits of acne but wasn't miraculous by any means. Also you have to put it on then not touch your face for ages while it sinks in and it feels sticky! The other thing that some people find useful is tea-tree oil but I've not tried that yet... And would need to check if either of these is ok for pregnancy

My mum had PCOS (we suspect) and awful acne, but it cleared up totally when she got pregnant with me - I seem to be the opposite, mine is worse!

First baby and all is going well thanks, despite a few scares (very nervous after a mc last year).

I generally do have a bit of an oily t zone but when pregnant with dd I had the most awful skin and was covered in spots. My back was particularly bad. The midwife told me it was just one of those things and there wasn't really much she could do. It did fade back to normal a while after the birth but lasted throughout the pregnancy so I unfortunately missed that 'bloomIng' stage you hear so much about. This time round my skin seems to have cleared up but I'm only 6 weeks pregnant so plenty of time for it all to go wrong yet...

I've heard some people swear by honey, of all things! I think it goes along the lines of spread a load over the affected areas, leave for a bit and wash off. I think regular gentle exfoliation is supposed to help as well. I have an Olay wash which is apparently gentle enough for every day use although I never quite get round to it that often.

I developed horrible acne on my forehead from around 12-16 weeks - it was like my oil production had gone into overdrive. A dermatologist told me that over the counter benzoyl peroxide was fine to use during pregnancy, but I never got around to getting any - it completely cleared up at around 18 weeks. I'm currently 22 weeks pregnant and my skin is back to normal again. Hopefully it's just a temporary thing for you too

I'm only 8 weeks and I have broken out in spots. I didn't have acne when younger so this is all completely new to me. Are raised hard lumps acne? most of my spots seem un-squeezable.

Is is just a case of trying to use more gentle products and if so what can anyone recommend

I have had no pregnancy symptoms, except that is for disgusting, all consuming acne!!! I have never had problems with spots before and for the last 15 weeks (I am 19 weeks pg) my face has resembled that of a pepperoni pizza. Just one of those annoying little things that will be worth it in the end! On the bright side, my hair looks amazing at the moment! xxx

Me too MummyFifi. I guess I should be grateful I don't have nausea at all. Still waiting for the amazing hair!

Lol, amazing hair arrived at about 10 weeks for me, in fact it was one of the things that gave me away to people who "knew what to look for"! Its all fun and games isn't it?! Bad news, spots will most likely stay with you for the whole 9 months, good news once that little one pops out they will go away again

Arrghhh! As someone who has always had ok skin this is not great news. I am also very bad at applying make-up so have nowhere ro turn!

I know people at work will coment on my skin (I have some blunt friends) and will probably take the piss and I can't say anything to them about the pregnancy for at least another 4 weeks!

Wow, I'm not alone. With various severities, onset dates and longevity I think it's one of those things. I do hope it will clear up in the next few weeks though! I feel so incredulous about it, because I don't think I suffered like this with DD and it was only 3.5 years ago!

2ndDestiny, sorry to hear of scares - hope things are looking brighter We must be due around the same time - I'm 3rd Oct... though DD was 3 weeks early so I'm hoping for September!

deepblue I like the sound of the honey treatment - it sounds interesting and plausible, so I'm going to start with that. In fact I might even make myself some kind of honey and oats exfoliating scrub thing.

Also looking for an aloe vera moisturiser - I remember using aloe vera for something a while ago and was amazed at how much it helped with healing.

DuelingFanjo I get those wierd lump spots sometimes - so irritating - I think they are slightly infected or irritated blackheads. I find the best thing to do is try very hard not to touch and after a couple of days they go.

Right, I'll report back on my new regime! If it doesn't prove successful, I might try expensive clinique products, followed by the more medical creams which scare me a little... If I give each solution a few weeks to work - I may be able to report results just before the baby arrives

Thanks everyone for your sympathy, tips and suggestions!

Thanks hoping, all seems well at the mo. My EDD is 29th Sept so yes, very close indeed!

I am equally curious about the honey thing, I'm going to try it too! DH will be hilariously entertained at my expense. I googled it and there are recipes for honey and oat scrubs just as you suggest. I find the benzoyle peroxide which normally works miracles for me, to be much less effective now I'm pregnant - I think my skin is much more susceptible to irritation from it and also the acne seems different, more like an angry blanket of tiny bumps than a few spots and blackheads.

You can get 99.9% pure organic aloe vera gel at Holland Barrett. I dug mine out this morning and it did feel very soothing on my skin although can't say if it has helped the acne yet.

Good luck with your experiments, let's report back!

duellingfanjo if your lumps are a bit tender to the touch, almost certainly acne. For gentle products, I use a Simple facewash which I find very good. I've also borrowed a very gentle exfoliating wash by Johnson's from SIL which seems like it might be good. And I use a nivea oil-free moisturiser but that's only really an issue if you are blessed with oily skin to boot!

Nice to see I'm not alone either! I'm due on 23rd October (and have PCOS) and have had bad teenage skin for the last four weeks or so. It's pretty unconcealable, although I'm trying.

One thing I'm finding is helping to dry them out and shorten their lifespan is using 'Witch Doctor' witch hazel gel from the supermarket medecine aisle. It's antiseptic and astringent, but I do have very hardy Mediterranean skin which can withstand a lot of drying products, maybe not so good on sensitive skin. I also use 'Clean and Clear' exfoliating daily wash and then their blue 'Blackhead Cleanser' (called something like that) as a toner. Without these my skin is clogged up and uncomfortable. Only problem is, as one dries up, another one appears . On the upside, I remember that as soon as ds1 had been born, my skin got better, so it's just another of the trials of pregnancy I think...

my skin has broken out badly. From about 7 weeks it was awful (am now 11 weeks). I have spots and under the skin bumps/cysts around my jawline and on my neck. Even though I cover them with concealer they are still really noticeable when you stand in bright light. My skin looks like braille.

The only thing that helps is a big scarf!

So much for glowing during pregnancy, I look utterly disgusting. It is very depressing and does make you feel crap about yourself. I never thought I would be in my 30's with such bad skin.

What can you do though? If I wasn't pregnant I would use Retin-A or something. As it is, I have to put my faith in witch hazel and tea tree gel from Boots!