Pregnancy Friendly Skincare
Pregnancy, a wonderful new addition to the family is coming! It’s a fantastic time for an expecting mother. It also brings many new uncertainties and questions!
From certain foods that you can and cannot eat during pregnancy, what supplements you can and cannot take and what skincare you can and cannot use during pregnancy. Not to mention the hormonal changes your body is experiencing during this joyous period and it all can affect your skin in different ways.
If you are an active skincare user already, you may be worried about what adjustments you need to make to your current skincare routine during your pregnancy. Likewise, you may not have an existing routine but would love to know where to start, look no further, as we explain some of our top tips on skincare during pregnancy.
Ingredients to omit from your routine during pregnancy
- Retinol and medium to high levels of Vitamin A based products as they haven’t been tested on clients during pregnancy.
- Strong AHA and BHA acids such as glycolic acid and salicylic acid as your skin can be overly sensitive during pregnancy and these products can cause unwanted responses in the skin. Again these products have also not been tested on clients during pregnancy.
- Vitamin A supplements - We advised to discontinue taking all supplements that contain vitamin A.
This does not mean that you cannot have an active skincare routine while pregnant, it just means we need to make some adjustments.
Today we will talk you through some of our top picks for active skincare during pregnancy. We will go through a full routine, inside, outside and on top that your skin will thank you for!
Supplements During Pregnancy
A good skincare routine begins from the inside out. In conjunction with a balanced nutritious diet, supplements can have a huge impact on your skin, and the baby of course!
The skin is a living organ, giving the nutrients it needs will result in healthy skin cells and healthy, glowing skin. Skin Omegas+ from Advanced Nutrition Programme is a completely pregnancy safe supplement that will help to hydrate the skin from within. You will receive the essential fatty acids that your skin needs to naturally moisturise the skin. A perfect supplement for any skin type, even oily. The additional oils in the skin will also help the skin all over your body, helping to keep the skin in top condition. Your skin, your tummy especially, goes through a hell of a lot of changes during this time and needs all the internal support it can get.
Another fantastic supplement is Skin Vit C from Advanced Nutrition Programme. We do not naturally produce Vitamin C in the body so supplementation is very important when it comes to getting our daily allowance. Vitamin C helps to stimulate production of your collagen and elastin to firm the skin. It also helps to bring down redness and irritation in the skin. It can brighten dull skin and is a powerful antioxidant that helps to fight against environmental stress that causes damage to our skin. Taking supplements such as these will help to keep your skin healthy from the inside out during pregnancy.
*As always, we recommend to firstly go by the advice of your current practitioner or GP who is familiar with your medical history and current state of health.
Cleansers During Pregnancy
As we have mentioned above, strong acids based cleansers are out the window during pregnancy however that does not mean that you cannot have an active cleanser in your life. Environ’s Focus Care Clarity+ Sebu-Wash Gel Cleanser one of the very few Salicylic acid based cleansers that can be used during pregnancy, this cleanser is fantastic for an oily, congested skin during pregnancy. It mops up excess oil in the skin and the tea tree in the product helps as an antibacterial to prevent spots from forming on the skin. A perfect partner for blemish prone skins!
A lovely cleanser suitable for all skin types iS Clinical Warming Honey Cleanser, this luxurious cleanser feels like a mini facial in a bottle. Suitable for even blemish prone skin, it contains a very small amount of Papaya enzymes to very gently exfoliate the skin as well as luscious royal jelly and pure raw honey to deeply cleanse the skin. Ideal for taking makeup off too, this is the definition of a treat for your skin. It’s just gorgeous!
Serums During Pregnancy
Retinol may be a no no during pregnancy but that doesn’t mean that we can’t reap the benefits of a good Vitamin A serum or antioxidant serum. Vitamin A is a wonderful thing, it’s the overall skin health Vitamin and the foundation to any good active skincare routine. This magical ingredient regulates our oil levels, our pore size, helps to stimulate the formation of collagen and elastin giving a youthful glow to the skin. It also helps to speed up the healing process of the skin as well as strengthen the skin’s barrier and immunity. The key to healthy skin is Vitamin A.
Retinyl palmitate, a fat form of Vitamin A is deemed safe in lower doses so we can still have all of the benefits of Vitamin A during pregnancy. Woohoo!
In the last year, Environ have stated that Skin Essentia Vita Antioxidant AVST Gel, Skin Essentia Vita Antioxidant AVST Moisturiser 1 and Skin Essentia Vita Antioxidant AVST Moisturiser 2 are suitable for use during pregnancy. They can be used both morning and evening for best results.
Thankfully Vitamin C is an ingredient that our skin also loves which is another potent antioxidant that is commonly found in serums. One of our favorites is Image Vital C Hydrating serum, this also can be used both morning and evening.
Still looking for a boost of hydration? Skin Formulas Hydra Serum is an amazing value hyaluronic acid serum. It contains high and low molecular weight hyaluronic acid giving a flood of hydration to multiple layers of the skin, the skin feels instantly plumped and softer after use.
Sun Protection During Pregnancy
No matter what stage of your life you are at, wearing an SPF is THE most important part of your routine. Environmental damage from UV rays as well as artificial light and other lights on the spectrum that cannot be seen to the naked eye are the number one cause of damage to the skin. It is so important to protect our skins from these factors otherwise you are throwing your skincare down the drain!
Heliocare is what we like to call the King of SPFs at Skin Emporio. Not only does it protect you against UVA and UVB Rays, it also protects you against blue light (artificial light produced from our phones, laptops, tvs etc.) and IRA. As well as being an impenetrable armour for light rays on our skin it also contains antioxidants which help to fight against free radicals (the nasty things that cause damage to our collagen). We have some of our top picks from the Heliocare range.
First would be the Gel Oil Free SPF 50, an ideal product for an oily skin, this is completely dry to touch. You will not feel it on the skin at all. Second would be the Fluid Cream SPF 50 would be for our drier skins, it gives a moisturised feeling to the skin.
Treatment Products During Pregnancy
The products listed above are the core products needed for a fantastic active skincare routine, the particular ingredients and brands we recommend will differ depending on your skin type.
There are also some treatment products that can really help to bring your routine to the next level such as face masks, spritzes and eye products. After all, you most definitely deserve some pamper time during your pregnancy! You and your body are going through huge amount of changes, while also preparing for a newborn.
Skinceuticals Phyto Corrective Mask is a wonderful treatment mask, containing a botanical blend of cucumber, thyme and olive as well as hyaluronic acid this product is designed to soothe a sensitive skin and to flood the skin with hydration.
For a boost of hydration throughout the day, the Lotion Yon-Ka PS and PNG are two wonderful spritzes from Yon-Ka designed for dry skin and oily skin. These products are fantastic for keeping your skin hydrated throughout the day over your makeup, under your face mask and after you’ve applied your products to make your skin feel utterly refreshed like it’s had a drink of water. Something that should be in every person’s bag throughout the day, this is fantastic for a dehydrated skin during pregnancy.
Finally, to target the eyes, Image have some fantastic eye products to brighten the eye area and to soften fine lines and wrinkles. The ultimate eye cream from Image is The Max Stem Cell Creme, this fantastic product contains amazing growth-factors derived from plant stem cells. This reduces the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, puffiness and dark circles.
These are some of the many active products that we have available that can be used during pregnancy. There are so many more to choose from, if you would like to have a tailor made routine designed specifically for your skin during pregnancy our Skin Queens would love to have a chat with you! We offer in depth skin consultations in store or online.
Our online skin consultations can be done from the comfort of your own home and you can have your products delivered right to your doorstep!
