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Skincare and pregnancy- what you need to know

  • Jan 21, 2019
  • 10 min read

Updated: Jul 14

Starting this blog with the most obvious start.
CONGRATULATIONS MAMA - TO - BE! This is a very exciting journey for you! I am beaming with delight sharing your glory! I hope you have been feeling well so far, and if you haven't, my wish is that feeling better is in your near future! Let's be real about something. Pregnancy comes with so many unknowns and adjustments in lifestyle. Always making sure mama and baby are safe is the top priority. When pregnant, this also means potential shifts in your skincare regime at home and in clinic with your aesthetician. This blog is going to cover what that looks like and why such adjustments need to be considered.

Here at Inspirations Beauty Clinic Inc. Located in London Ontario we love to educate and pamper our mama's!

When it comes to pregnancy and skincare there are not a lot of studies indicating whether something is 100% safe. This is for good reason; no mother is using their body and their fetus as a test subject. Therefore, you will notice a lot of things in skincare and skin services department are deemed "not pregnancy safe". Of course, it is always better to be safe rather than sorry.
If you ever need extra clarification, or are curious, always reach out to your medical team. Your family physician, your OB, midwife; whomever you are working with; they are always your best resource and they should always have the final say.

This blog will cover ingredients, skincare, product recommendations, facial Treat•ments, hair removal and what this looks like when pregnant. If you are looking for more information on massage, nails, lashes, spray tans or any other beauty services, unfortunately this is not your blog. I will only be outlining what is our speciality here at Inspirations Beauty Clinic Inc. Again, if desiring more information always reach out to your medical provider.

Let's start with HAIR REMOVAL!


First things first, no matter the service; make sure your aesthetician or technician is aware you are pregnant!
At Inspirations we offer an option to add a brow and or lip wax with our facial Treat•ments. Waxing is safe when pregnant. Things to watch for (as we will also keeping an eye for)
  1. Potentially red/flushed for a longer period after waxing (likely more than expected when not pregnant)
  2. Potentially more sensitive to the wax or warmth of the wax
  3. Hair grows faster, therefore maybe more consistent waxing is desired.

We do not offer body waxing, only facial waxing with a skin Treat•ment. However, there are many other places that specialize in body waxing, so feel free to source out those options as waxing during pregnancy is a safe practice.

Laser Hair Removal
This is NOT safe while pregnant! Pause your Treat•ments during this time and pick back up after baby is earth side. I would recommend to wait until your child is around 6-8-12 months old. This just gives your hormones a little more time to balance out which is best in regards to hair growth, pigmentation and healing post laser. Again, with this it's always better to be safe rather than sorry.

Skin Treat•ments

When considering pampering yourself with a facial, make sure your aesthetician or skin specialist knows you are pregnant. Here at Inspirations Beauty Clinic Inc. this gives us clear direction of what products we can use and what services we can recommend. Gone are the days where a pregnant lady cant indulge in some pampering. Especially here at our skin clinic in London Ontario; pampering pregnant ladies and breast feeding mamas is one of our favourite things to do!

These are the service options you will see on our menu that are pregnancy safe! Choose whichever option feels like it matches your desires best! Foundation Facial CO2 Pro Lift Treatment
Dermaplaning Face Yoga Summer Cool Glow

We understand skin is sensitive and more vulnerable when pregnant, due to all the hormonal shifts. We of course take this into consideration with our treatment plan and are more mindful with our steps, procedures and exfoliation practices. When visiting us in clinic as long as you tell us you are pregnant you can leave the rest in our hands. We know what to do and we will help educate you so that you can also follow safe beauty practices!

Skin Treatments and practices to AVOID

High frequency, Radio Frequency, Lasers, Light therapy, skin needling of all types, botox and filler. With many of these services either there are not adequate studies to support these being safe or the safety of currents (such as high frequency, radio frequency) is not safe for the fetus. The other thing that is important to note; skin is highly unpredictable when pregnant. The body is undergoing immense changes, the skin is not the body's priority. Therefore it's ability to heal is much slower, unforeseen damage is more likely, hydration in the skin is not as available, influx of pigmentation is very common and the skin is typically more sensitive and reactive overall. This leaves too much room for error, damage and unknowns. With these services we avoid harming baby or harming mom's skin and stick to what we know works, drives results and keeps both mama and baby safe. Sorry to say, but your favourite services or home LED rituals have to be put on pause for a moment. Trust me, a little babe is worth all the skin changes. (That says a lot coming from a skin therapist!)

Okay, so now that we have a brief overview of what facial treatments are approved and whats not approved; let's uncover some information about INGREDIENTS, shall we?

Here is a quick dictionary list of specific ingredients to avoid and why:

Avoiding specific ingredients is important to ensure there is no influence on baby's development or the health of mom. Some skincare ingredients have been proven to cause developmental issues or hormonal issues. The reason that ingredients are brought more to our awarness in the last few years is because ingredients in general are being more carefully reviewed. Rules and regulations are becoming much tighter on what is approved and allowed within our products here in Canada. This also means more studies on the influences of the fetus based off of the absorption of specific ingredients is heavily considered. Once a product or ingredient is applied to the mother's skin, it enters the blood stream, which of course is a direct supply to the fetus. This is where making sure the ingredients that are absorbed and fed to baby are safe! PS. If a skincare product or ingredient is not recommended while pregnant, I also suggest to avoid it if breastfeeding. Here are a few ingredients to absolutely be mindful of; potentially even fully avoid.
Avobenzone: Commonly found in sunscreens and perfumes. This ingredient is harmful, and recommended to be avoid because it is a hormone disruptor and can increase the risk of cancer. This ingredient can also cause sensitivities to the skin and potentially accelerate aging skin. We are proud suppliers of ColoreScience and ELTA MD SPF. Both of these sunscreen options are formulated WITHOUT this ingredient!
Benzoyl Peroxide: Commonly found in acne cleansers and creams as it is an antibacterial agent. Causes an influx in hormones and potentially could suppress the immune system. Consult your doctor before using any facial products that have this ingredient. I have heard some doctors advise pregnant women against it, even as a means of helping with hormonal or pregnancy acne.

Essential Oils: What a controversial topic, it depends who you ask (no news there) There are a few essential oils recommend to avoid when pregnant. As always, consult your physician and trust your mommy intuition. - Jasmine: May Trigger contractions - Clary Sage: May Trigger contractions - Basil: Could contribute to abnormal cell development - Rosemary: Thought to increase blood pressure, which needs to be maintained when pregnant and could induce contractions There is a lot of confusion, and controversy with essential oils in general. Do your research, ask around, and go with your gut! One thing to remember is the quality of the essential oil, the composition of the oil, the method of application, integrity of the skin and the dosage/dilution of the oil are all factors to consider with ALL essential oils. The potency is a big factor when thinking of the health of your fetus!
Hydroquinone: Hydroquinone is commonly found in serums and or moisturizers. This ingredient is quite harsh, as it is used to help with hyperpigmentation spots. That being said it is commonly prescribed to pregnant women to help with their pigmentation and melasma (also known as pregnancy mask). There are no known direct correlation to birth defects or any prenatal issues, however this ingredient is harsh and absorbs quickly into the skin. I personally dont use this ingredient ever, pregnant or not; this is not on my recomendation list. We have incredible brightening and balancing products that avoid using this ingredient, that we love the results from! Therefore do not feel any need to turn to this ingredient. Feel free to continue reading or scroll and see the products I recommend for brightening.

Oxybenzone: Commonly found in sunscreens, there is a warning out for this ingredient because it is a hormone disruptor and very high on the toxicity scale, actually known as one of the most toxic ingredients in cosmetic products. So avoid this while pregnant. We are proud suppliers of Elta MD SPF and ColoreScience, neither of these options use Oxybenzone in their formulation.

Parabens: Parabens can be found in countless cosmetics such as makeup, skincare, body care, hair care… you name it, its common that you will see ‘parabens’. Its unfortuately rather hard to avoid. A good thing to note is that paraben is a general term for a preservative. It is used in cosmetic products to extend the shelf life of the product. Parabens should be avoided mainly because they are known to cause hormonal disruptions (studies have proved this). Parabens have also directly been correlated with headaches, migraines, miscarriages, low birth weight, potential future obesity and impaired fetal growth and behavioural problems. With this being such a common ingredient, sadly it might be hard to 100% avoid. This is where keeping your exposure and usage at minimum. Switch at least some of your products that fully avoid the use of parabens to decrease your risk and exposure.

Retinol: Retinol is used in many skin care and body care products. Retinol is used for aging skin, acne skin and even resurfacing scarring. Retinol is also known as retin A or Retinyl Palmitate (retinol is derived from vitamin A). As awesome as this ingredient is, it is highly critical that retinol is avoided while pregnant and breastfeeding.

Salicylic Acid: Salicylic Acid is commonly used in acne medications and in acne facial lines. This ingredient can cause irritation topically. This ingredient also comes with lots of controversy. Some dermatologists/doctors/aestheticians say applying it topically is fine, the issue arrises when it’s taken orally. On the flip side, other doctors advise against it in every aspect. This is an ingredient that has a lot of controversal opinions. This is one I personally avoid since there is not nough information. In my opinion, if there are such apposing views, I won't take the chance. But, of course, as always the best course of action is to consult a doctor you trust.

Since this laundry list of ingredients could go on forever, and let's face it; it's intimidating. We just want to know what products to use that are safe but still going to leave us glowing. It shouldn't be this complicated. This blog is here to make it as easy as it should be! Here at Inspirations Beauty Clinic Inc. we have a few skincare brands that are safe for pregnancy and breast feeding. Hydrinity, iS Clinical, CO2 Lift Pro and ColoreScience. I am going to outline my favourite (and of course fully safe) product recommendations for each concern!

Product Recommendations





Body Wash: iS Clinical Body Complex Body Lotion: Hydrinity Encore or iS Clinical Youth Body Serum or ColoreScience Environscreen Body SPF




Vaginal Dryness / General Discomfort: CO2 VLIFT Pro



Make Up: ANY ColoreScience product. There is a FULL line tailored specifically to makeup. Blush, Lip Gloss, Bronzer, Highlighter you name it! It's SPF, it's SUNSCREEN and it's MAKEUP!!

Multi-Use Products:

Have a few concerns and want one product to target multiple things- these will be your go to's!
iS Clinical Super Advanced Serum: Use this serum full face if you are concerned about fine lines, deeper wrinkles, dull complexion, pigmentation. Use this serum on your belly, breasts, thighs and bum if worried about stretch marks.

iS Clinical Two Step Peel Pads: These peel pads are such a fan fav and so versatile! Use these peel pads full face,neck,chest,stomach,hands,thighs,bum anywhere! I use these peel pads all over until the towelette is dry!
Hydrinity Hyacyn Active Mist: This is an EVERYTHING mist. Especially once you have your little one earth side. I use this on everything and everyone. - Acne - Rashes - Peri-Oral Dermatitis - Bug Bites - Blemishes - Eczema - Burns - Quick disinfectant
-Diaper Rash - Cuts/Scrapes - Psorisis - After a work out -Travel -While fighting a cold / Preventing a cold

iS Clinical Active Serum: The active serum is great for those stubborn blemishes that are sporatically around your afce, great to help reduce the texture and apperance of pores as well as providing the skin with a nice exfoliation for more of a natural glow. This serum can be used to reduce inflammation, reduce texture improve appearance of skin and help those new cells be visible!

RECAP:

  • No laser hair removal. Waxing is fine
  • Not a lot of studies are available to prove exact results. Therefore alot is avoided due to unknown information
  • Services to avoid: No microneedling, radio frequency, high frequecy, light therapy, LED
  • Ingredients to avoud: No avobenzone, Oxybenzone, retinol, Salicylic Avid, Benzoyl Peroxide, Parabens, Hydroquinone and some essential oils
  • Services to indulge in: Fire & Ice, Foundation Facial, CO2 Pro Lift, Facial Yoga, Microdermabrasion or dermaplaning.
  • Skin heals and responds different when pregnant. Even if you cant see or feel changes be careful with your skin so future damage is less likely.
  • Always let your practitioner know you are pregnant
  • Always consult and check with your doctor or medical team
  • We have products ready and available for you that are safe and suit your needs that are pregnancy safe.
  • If it says to avoid an ingredient while pregnant it is best to avoid when breastfeeding. although this rule does not always apply with facial services.
    Thank you for trusting our recommendations. We hope to see you in our Clinic, right here located in London Ontario. Cheers to you mama and happy growing!

Love the Inspirations Beauty Team,


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