Safe Cosmetic Solutions for Expecting Mothers and Post-partum, Winter 2015 Newsletter

Pregnancy is a time filled with excitement, nervousness, and joy. Along with these exciting emotions often come other, not so pleasant, effects of pregnancy like acne and facial skin discoloration. While treatment options are limited during pregnancy, they are available. Acne occurring during pregnancy can be treated with prescription and cosmeceutical topical products. skinfo^® Clear Skin 5% ($14) is safe and very effective at eradicating unwanted blemishes. Glycolic Gel Peels and Clear Pore Facials performed in the office are also safe for treating acne during pregnancy and will clear acne more quickly than topical agents alone. GLYTONE Mini Gel Peel ($60) is good for busy mothers who cannot find time for a professional facial or peel appointment. For deeper, stubborn pimples, called acne cysts, injections of diluted steroid medication are extremely effective, or for a home use device try Tanda Zap ($50), which gives a non-painful burst of safe, antibacterial blue light. Treating unwanted facial skin discoloration, also called melasma, during pregnancy, can be accomplished with cosmeceutical topical agents such as skinfo^® Bright ($63), and Clinicians Complex^™ Skin Brightening Serum ($68) or SkinMedica^® LYTERA^® Skin Brightening Complex ($125). These skin lightening agents gently fade discoloration and may be combined with Glycolic Gel Peels, SilkPeel, or DermaSweep^™ to achieve better results.

Post-partum is a time of adjustment – to your new bundle of joy and changing body. Often during the post-partum period patients become re-connected with their skin and desire improvement in fine lines, wrinkles, and pigment. Fortunately, during this period most cosmetic treatments are safe.However, you should always speak with your medical provider to ensure cosmetic treatments are safe for you and your baby if you are nursing post- partum. Lines on the forehead and around the eyes can quickly be smoothed away with neurotoxin injections like Botox^®, Dysport^®, and Xeomin^®. Hyaluronic acid fillers like Restylane^®, Perlane^®, JUVÉDERM^® Ultra, and JUVÉDERM^® Ultra Plus can easily be injected into unwanted lines around the mouth to soften them. Facial discolorations can be improved with q-switch laser treatments and cosmeceutical topical agents. Unfortunately, pregnancy also wreaks havoc on a women’s body leaving unwanted pockets of fat and loose skin. Luckily, CoolSculpting^® and Vanquish^™ are two minimally painful no down-time procedures available to help your body return to its natural shape faster. Loose, sagging skin of the abdomen, thighs or arms can be treated with Apollo^® or Thermage^®. Both Apollo^® and Thermage^® use radiofrequency energy to gently heat the skin which leads to tightening of the skin and smoothing away of cellulite.

Whether you are expecting a child or just delivered one, Advanced Dermatology and skinfo^® can work together with you to achieve all your medical and cosmetic skincare goals.