Zits! « Back to Group Discussions

[MaerynPearl]

And darnit they're hormonal because NOTHING has helped. I feel like I'm 14 again, doing all the special stuff to get rid of acne and it's still there. I even stopped wearing makeup so I don't clog my pores extra (and I use mineral powder makeup instead of that gunky stuff that really clogs it).

I saw a picture of me at this exact point last pregnancy... one tiny little pimple. UGH I was so lucky. I look like I was attacked in the face by a swarm of fire ants now. 

[sjdragonfly]

Yeah... I have them all over my cheeks, jaw line, chest, entire back and even some on my mid-torso. 

*sigh*

I've struggled with adult acne for years. It's always been worse then when I was a teenager for some reason. A year or two ago, I clued in that it was hormonal because when I was taking herbs and such from my naturopath when I was trying to get pregnant to regulate my hormones, the acne started to go away. I felt so triumphant. :(

[GoofyInOK]

I've got 'em too, all over my forehead and my cheeks.  :(  When I break out, I tend to want to pick, so this is driving me NUTS!    I feel your pain!  

[scowgirl]

I have acne all the time, so my skin is actually better now than usual. But the zits are picking back up (I'm 18 weeks). I'm sure I'll be back to my usually splotchy self pretty soon. :( I don't like how my skin looks, but the painful bumps that just seem to sit there under the surface, waiting to erupt, are the worst part. And of course I can't use any acne medication right now.

[GoofyInOK]

I've been using a teeny, tiny bit of pure tea tree oil on really bad spots...  In that small amount, I really can't imagine it getting to the baby at all when used topically.  Since tea tree oil is a natural anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, it seems to help with the yucky painful bumps.  If you are comfortable with it, it might be helpful.  :)

[scowgirl]

That's a good idea--they say tea tree is bad, but I am really skeptical that anything I put on my skin in a tiny amount can make much of a difference. Might be worth a try. I have a really annoying one near my nose/upper lip area right now.  

[MaerynPearl]

good thing I read this! I use tea tree oil in my hair during the winter, I haven't used it since I got pregnant but now I know that I probably want to avoid it until baby is born.

of course, when I use it in my hair it's in the shower where it can end up in my mouth or whatnot through the water... much more risk than putting a little on zits.

[GoofyInOK]

Mae - here's a link to the NIH / US National Library of Medicine site about tea tree oil:  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/113.html#Safety  It says it seems safe for topical use, but not to ingest.  So you might be right about the shower usage.  But who knows, really...  I try to be safe, but seriously, the amount I use is smaller than the head of a pin on each zit, lol.  Everybody is comfortable with different stuff, it's not exact science for most things anyway.  :)

[MaerynPearl]

yeah I use a lot more in my hair than I would be comfortable risking accidentally ingesting even a bit of... I get really bad dandruff and oily hair in the dry winter air. Luckily this winter hasn't been horribly dry so I haven't needed it.

[XanaduMama]

And even if you were to ingest it (shudder), if it's anything like lavender oil, you'd need to drink something like 7oz (almost a cupful!) before you hit toxic levels. I think using it on your face or hair, or in the bath, is totally fine.

All the hysteria about stuff to avoid during pregnancy (the minor stuff, like essential oils) drives me nuts, especially when there's no awareness about avoiding things that actually matter, like heating plastic or parabens in shampoo etc.

[sjdragonfly]

This is slightly off-topic, but I remember ingesting tea tree oil years ago for something or other. Just a few drops in a little bit of water a few times a day. I can't remember what it was that I was taking it for. I had candida really bad around then so I was having all sorts of other issues because of that. Anyway - it tasted so bad, but it worked like magic. Every now and then if I'm starting to get sick I'll still drink a few drops of it, though I haven't done that since we were TTC. It tastes kind of like oil of oregano if anyone ever uses that. Just as horrible tasting, but it works wonders.

And back, on topic - I keep forgetting about putting tea tree oil on my acne! I've been out of it for a few months now and just keep forgetting to buy more. I'll have to make a point of it now that yall are bringing it up.

[scarykarrey]

I haven't noticed a difference in acne on my face since I became pregnant, but terrible, painful cystic acne on my back was actually one of my first real changes in pregnancy. It's so frustrating! I hope it goes away a little before the third trimester, since I've heard that getting in the swimming pool is so nice when you're big, and I feel like I'll be too self-conscious to wear a bathing suit with this crap.

[LindyGirl]

I am prone to acne when pg too. The only thing that seems to help me is using a Clarisonic. It doesn't stop the breakouts, since they're hormonal, but it clears them up MUCH MUCH faster than just washing.