How to Make Your Skin Care Routine Pregnancy-Safe

Linea nigra

Linea nigra, “a dark vertical line running down the center of the abdomen, usually extending from the belly button down to the pubic area,” per Dr. Castilla, is also common, though less talked about. Another hormonal change, it typically fades postpartum.

Varicose veins and spider veins

As your growing fetus puts pressure on your veins, you might develop varicose veins, “bluish, bulging veins typically on the lower extremities,” explains Dr. Castilla. Hormonal changes can also cause spider veins, “tiny red veins that can occur anywhere on the body but typically appear on the legs,” she says. The good news is that both usually disappear after pregnancy—a good pair of compression socks can help speed the process.

Acne

And of course there’s the dreaded pregnancy acne. With so many hormonal changes during pregnancy, this is common for many women. If you find your skin to be excessively oily and prone to breakouts, make sure you’re cleansing twice a day, and using a pregnancy-safe acne treatment. (More on that below.)

What is a pregnancy-safe skin care routine?

Along with cutting out certain foods, pregnancy also requires you to cut out certain skin care ingredients, which can be harmful to the baby. “While there are guidelines from the FDA regarding pregnancy safety categories for ingredients, there are still very few studies evaluating the safety of many skin care products—because no one wants to do studies on pregnant humans,” says Dr. Hadley King, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York. Pregnancy safe skin care advice can vary between doctors, she says, but “most providers believe in a conservative approach to avoid any unnecessary products during pregnancy.”

What skin care ingredients should I avoid while pregnant?

Retinoids (vitamin A)

“High levels of vitamin A can cause retinoid embryopathy, or birth defects, in developing babies,” says Dr. Farber. For this reason, oral retinoids like isotretinoin are banned during pregnancy. The risk of using a topical retinoid is likely much lower, she says, but because the potential effects are so severe, and so little research has been done to understand the topical risks, it’s best to err on the side of caution.

Theoretically, topical use of retinoids can lead to a systemic increase in vitamin A, which would be dangerous for the fetus, Dr. Castilla adds. “Bakuchiol is a pregnancy-safe alternative to retinoids,” she says.

Salicylic acid

Likewise, “salicylic acid has the potential to be absorbed and cause toxicity to the fetus,” says Dr. Farber. “Many experts believe that lower percentages are acceptable, especially in products like washes that have short contact with the skin.” But, again, it’s best to swap salicylic acid for something known to be pregnancy-safe, like glycolic acid, lactic acid, or azelaic acid.

Phthalates

Phthalates are potential endocrine disruptors, meaning they are thought to interfere with normal hormone function. This is obviously important during pregnancy, and there’s evidence that exposure to phthalates “can interfere with the baby’s development, especially with male genital development,” says Dr. Farber. In 2022 the National Institutes of Health released a large study on phthalate exposure during pregnancy and found women exposed to multiple sources of the chemicals had an increased risk of preterm birth.