One of the main causes of acne is hormonal imbalance. Women who become pregnant will experience significant changes in the hormone levels at various times during the pregnancy. Most women will suffer from periodic bouts of acne during their pregnancy so unless you are one of the fortunate ones, you should be prepared to take cautious steps to treat your acne during pregnancy. You will want to make your choice of treatments with an eye toward your unborn child.

A good suggestion for treating your acne during this sensitive period would be to look into natural remedies. The good thing about natural remedies is that they do not contain harmful chemicals. Tree oil is a natural product. Herbs fall into the class of natural remedies as well. Do not hesitate to try all natural remedies that do not contain unwanted chemicals.

Pregnancy is a great chance to take a look at your eating habits. Diet does have an effect on acne just as hormonal imbalance does. Creating healthy diet plan will be good for you, your unborn child, and your outbreak of acne. Reduce the amount of sugar, carbohydrates, and fried fatty foods that you eat. Make fresh food choices like a lot of vegetables. Protein rich fish is much better for you than fried red meat or pork. Less candy and cookies will help clear your skin as well.

Prescription drugs to treat acne should be avoided during pregnancy. There are a couple of oral medications that should definitely be avoided during pregnancy. They are Accutane and Tetracycline. Isotretinoin is the generic name for Accutane. The major problem with Accutane is that there is a good chance for birth defects if the drug is taken during the first trimester of pregnancy. Tetracycline has been proven to cause discoloration of teeth and reduced bone growth in the fetus.

Prescription topical applications can have adverse impacts on your fetus as well. Retin-A should be avoided because it is absorbed into your bloodstream and will eventually reach your unborn child. Even though it has not yet been proven that severe affects occur with the use of Retin-A, it is best to avoid use during pregnancy.

When looking into over-the-counter acne treatments there are some ingredients that you should look for on the label so you can avoid them. Ingredients such as tretinoin, tazarotene, retinol, retinyl linoleate, retinyl palmitate, retinoic acid, and adapelene could be harmful to your unborn child. Another ingredient to avoid is salicylic acid. Salicylic acid taken orally has been shown to cause birth defects. It may be true that topical applications containing salicylic acid may pose less of a risk you should still avoid these products.

There are some over-the-counter acne treatments that have been approved for use during pregnancy. Benzoyl peroxide products can be used. Try Proactive or Acne Free because they are benzoyl peroxide based products. Stay away from products like Oxy or Noxzema Anti-Acne Gel because they contain salicylic acid.

Be sure to consult either your dermatologist or physician to make the right acne treatment decisions while pregnant. Be vigilant and cautious as you treat your acne breakouts.