As in adolescents and teenagers,the problems of acne are also common in pregnant women. It is caused largely due to the hormonal imbalances and changes that occur during pregnancy. But the problem is that during pregnancy, the use of most oral acne medicines are not recommended. However,there are some topical acne medicines which can be used safely.

There are various ingredients which are used for the topical treatment of acne. But all are not safe to use during pregnancy. Those which are safe includes erythromycin,clindamycin, benzoyl peroxide,sodium sulfacetamide etc. These items should not be taken in the oral form and should only be used topically.

Ingredients which are not recommended to be used (even topically) during pregnancy include tretinoin, sodium sulfacetamide and tetracycline. There are are other medicines like hydrocortisone,salicylic acid etc. about which sufficient studies have not been done to determine whether they have any effects on pregnancy. Some of these are safe to use during the early periods of pregnancy and not in the advanced stages. However it is better to avoid these during pregnancy.

In addition to the use of topical medicines,pregnant woman should have plenty of fruits and green vegetables and drink plenty of water. They should wash their faces at least twice a day and keep their hands and hair off their faces. After the delivery of the baby,the acne problems generally goes away and the skin again becomes normal and smooth.