Video Transcript

Hi, this is Dr. Debra Jaliman of board-certified dermatologist in New York City, and author of the book Skin Rules Trade Secrets From a Top New York Dermatologist here to talk about skin care products that pregnant women can use. It's very important when you're pregnant to wear a broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30. Why is that? Oftentimes pregnant women get malasma called the mask of pregnancy where they get pigment changes on their face and this can be avoided if you wear your sunscreen. You can wear any sunscreen at all. My preference of course is a physical sunscreen, which contains zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. The reason I like these physical sunscreens is that nobody is really allergic to them. It's very rare to have an allergy to these types of sunscreen agents because they are not chemicals, they're made with physical agents. So many people like to use these. They're very light now. It used to be that they were very heavy and you used to see lifeguards wearing white noses, they had their noses covered in thick white paste. Now these sunscreens go on, they're very light and very easy to apply and they don't block the pores. There are many ingredients that pregnant women cannot use. For example, if a pregnant woman is prone to acne during her pregnancy, she's not supposed to use retinols or retinoids. Those can cause problems with the pregnancy. Another ingredient that pregnant women shouldn't use is salicylic acid. If you want to use something when you're pregnant and you are breaking out, use benzoyl peroxide products. But of course always check with your geriatrician to make certain that it's OK. You can also use glycolic acid when you're pregnant, that's another safe ingredient. Thanks for watching.