Skin products to avoid during pregnancy

"Pregnancy is a time of great change for every mama-to-be! The trouble is, most women have little idea on how to approach a pregnancy-safe skincare routine."

- Claire Williams, WOW facial founder & CEO

We asked our team of skin experts at WOW which products to incorporate to assist with hormonal changes, and which to drop to ensure both yours and your little one’s safety - Here’s the WOW-approved list of ‘do’s and don’ts’.

The Do’s

Stay Hydrated & Moisturise (Lots!)

You’ll soon start to realise that your baby takes a lot of the moisture from your skin. So, hydration is crucial, as well as using a good hydrating serum and good quality moisturiser, so be sure to drink plenty of water and moisturise both day and night to avoid your skin drying out.

Gentle Exfoliation

Whilst exfoliating helps remove dead skin cells and impurities, improving the skin’s tone and texture, during pregnancy exfoliation is also an important step in preventing stretch marks.

Pregnancy-Safe Facials

During pregnancy it’s common to experience hormonal acne, rosacea, dry patches and fine lines, as well as see new signs of hyper-pigmentation which may appear as discolouration which is why we tailored the original WOW facial to remove any potentially harmful products for pregnancy, and curate a ‘WOW I’m Pregnant facial’ designed specifically to support pregnant women’s skin.

The facial consists of a deep cleanse, and exfoliation to prepare the skin for LED light therapy which will both heal and stimulate the skin with professional strength blue, red and green LED lights. The great thing about LED light therapy is that it can treat a multitude of skin conditions.

Artificial LED lights send waves deep into the skin’s epidermis and depending which colour light is used a different chemical reaction will be evoked, providing various therapeutical benefits and they can be mixed to give optimal results. Red light promotes circulation, helps reduce inflammation and regulates oil production, so it’s ideal to treat acne. Blue light also targets acne bacteria, making it perfect for acne prevention. Whilst green light targets the base of the epidermis to improve pigmentation.

Next, The Mask by WOW facial is applied to surcharge the skin with hydration stem cells and peptides, to sooth and deeply nourish the skin after the LED treatment. Finally, the best suited WOW finishing serum will be selected by the WOW practitioner to leave skin hydrated and glowing, followed by our Synergy 6 SPF50 to protect the skin from the suns rays, as during pregnancy your skin is particularly susceptible to sun-damage. Expecting mums will be left feeling fresh faced and glowing.

The Dont’s

AVOID: Retinol, Salicylic Acid & Parabens

Three ingredients we highly recommend avoiding during pregnancy are Retinol, Salicylic Acid and Parabens which is also the stance of most medical professionals. All three of these products can be harmful for you and your baby during pregnancy and in extreme cases have been known to cause complications.

"During pregnancy, skin overproduces cells which creates an appearance of brown marks across the skin aka ‘the pregnancy mask’."

Claire Williams, WOW facial founder & CEO

Sun Exposure

Skin is more susceptible to ‘melasma’ during pregnancy. This is where the skin overproduces cells which creates an appearance of brown marks across the skin aka ‘the pregnancy mask’. Whilst ‘melasma’ does usually fade post-pregnancy, it’s been known to remain more permanent and require treatment to restore the skin to its usual appearance. It’s simple to avoid; limit prolonged sun exposure and wear physical or natural SPF50 (non-chemical) at all times.

Interested in trying a ‘WOW I’m Pregnant’ treatment? Tap 'find a practitioner' in the main menu to book a skin assessment with a WOW practitioner in your local area - begin your journey to #WOWSKIN.