Are chemical peels safe during pregnancy? What is safe, what to avoid, and gentler alternatives for pigmentation and acne.
Navigating pregnancy-safe skincare can be complicated, but as a medical doctor with a focus on cosmetic ingredient safety, I’ve simplified the search for you. Visit my Skincare During Pregnancy: Begin Here guide for a full index of ingredient safety reviews, pregnancy and IVF-safe recommendations, and doctor-vetted product guides.
Today, we discuss the safety profile of chemical peels during pregnancy.
With hormonal changes during pregnancy, you may experience skin issues such as increased pigmentation or acne, and wonder how safe skin peels are in this situation. Or maybe skin peels were a favorite beauty routine of yours before you got pregnant, and you are reviewing your beauty regimen now that you have to care for two.
Read on to find out if a chemical peel during pregnancy is a safe glow-up method or is best avoided.
Quick Navigation
The Basics
What are chemical peels?
Simply stated, a chemical peel is a cosmetic procedure that involves applying a chemical to the skin to exfoliate (or peel) the upper layers, revealing rejuvenated and smoother skin that may reduce the appearance of blemishes such as pigmentation, wrinkles, scars, and acne.
Depending on how deep the peel penetrates the skin, they can be classified as light, medium, or deep, and this is one of the factors in determining the safety of chemical peels during pregnancy.
A Reality Check
Skin peels while pregnant may not be helpful
Yes, there are pregnancy-safe chemical peels!
But the issue with using chemical peels while pregnant is that the problems you are trying to solve with the peeling (dullness, pigmentation, acne, and so on) are caused by elevated hormones, which will continue to remain elevated throughout pregnancy and for some time afterward.
Even if a peel were performed now, given the persistently elevated hormone levels, the condition is likely to recur soon, leading to significant dissatisfaction.
The skin is also very sensitive at this time and may react negatively to the chemicals used in the peel, leading to irritation, redness, or increased breakouts.
If you have used skin peels in the past, your skin may still react negatively to them as your body’s immune response changes in pregnancy.
It is also important to remember that as the pregnancy ends and hormone levels gradually return to normal, these blemishes may fade to varying extents without the need for intervention, or with just over-the-counter products.
Thus, it is often advisable to wait a year postpartum before undergoing a facial peel, if needed.
What’s Considered Safe
Pregnancy-safe chemical peels
No data are currently available on the safety of chemical peels during pregnancy. However, light chemical peels are generally considered safe, as they do not penetrate deeply.
These light chemical peels are of lower concentrations of AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) such as lactic and glycolic acid.
Salicylic acid, a BHA (beta-hydroxy acid), is highly effective for acne but penetrates deeply and is not recommended for use during pregnancy. If used, the area to which it is applied should be limited.
A popular peel for reducing pigmentation and improving skin texture is the TCA (trichloroacetic acid) peel. It is available in various peeling depths, including a light peel; however, it has been associated with fetal growth retardation and low birth weight and should therefore not be used during pregnancy.
Jessner’s Peel is another popular peel for acne and hyperpigmentation, containing a high concentration of salicylic acid, and is thus contraindicated.
(For more information on salicylic acid safety while pregnant, read: Is Topical Salicylic Acid Safe in Pregnancy and Lactation?)
A Strong Word of Caution
What about home-based peels?
The use of AHAs like lactic and glycolic acids at concentrations of 10% or less, and BHAs like salicylic acid at 2% or less, is generally deemed pregnancy-safe.
These concentrations are commonly found in cleansers and face creams.
With the explosion in e-commerce, it is becoming increasingly easy to obtain high-concentration chemical peels marketed for home use, along with online video guides on how to use them.
I would recommend steering clear of these products, whether or not you are pregnant, as performing a chemical peel is a nuanced medical skill that takes time and experience.
The side effects of an improperly performed peel can be lasting and taxing on both your financial and mental health.
The Risks
Risks of chemical peels during pregnancy
The same hormones that alter your body’s chemistry and lead to increased blemishes can intensify reactions to any skin treatment and increase the likelihood of additional side effects.
It can cause more redness, irritation, allergic reactions, and worsening skin blemishes.
Even those who have used peels in the past may experience adverse side effects as skin sensitivity increases and the immune system changes.
And of course, while pregnant, you will be limited in the types and depths of peels that can be safely performed.
Gentler Options
Pregnancy-safe alternatives to chemical peels
There are a lot of options to safely tackle the acne, increased pigmentation, and dullness of skin that many pregnant women experience.
I have posts on these topics that I will link here:
Takeaway
The short version
Some chemical peels may be safe to use while pregnant, under the supervision of your doctor.
Getting a skin peel while pregnant may not be helpful, as the persistently elevated hormone levels during pregnancy make the problem likely to recur soon.
Ideally, one should wait a year after delivery to undergo a chemical peel, as hormone levels tend to stabilize by then.
There are other, easier and safer options that are also pregnancy safe to tackle the acne, pigmentation, and skin dullness that often lead women to seek out peels.
Trivia
Cleopatra and her milk baths
Even Cleopatra used skin peels to enhance her beauty. She bathed in sour milk regularly, which contains lactic acid, an AHA (alpha-hydroxy acid) that is a very popular skin peel for hyperpigmentation and acne.
Legend has it that 700 donkeys were needed to provide the milk necessary for her milk baths!
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Are chemical peels safe during pregnancy?
No data are currently available on the safety of chemical peels during pregnancy. However, light chemical peels, made with lower concentrations of AHAs such as lactic and glycolic acid, are generally considered safe as they do not penetrate deeply, and should only be done under the supervision of your doctor.
Which chemical peels should I avoid while pregnant?
Salicylic acid peels penetrate deeply and are not recommended during pregnancy; if used, the application area should be limited. TCA peels have been associated with fetal growth retardation and low birth weight and should not be used, and Jessner’s Peel is contraindicated due to its high concentration of salicylic acid.
Can I do an at-home chemical peel while pregnant?
AHAs like lactic and glycolic acid at 10% or less, and salicylic acid at 2% or less, are generally deemed pregnancy-safe, and these concentrations are common in cleansers and face creams. High-concentration peel kits marketed for home use are best avoided whether or not you are pregnant, as performing a peel is a nuanced medical skill and an improperly performed peel can have lasting side effects.
Will a chemical peel even help during pregnancy?
Often not much. The dullness, pigmentation, and acne you are trying to treat are driven by elevated pregnancy hormones, which stay elevated throughout pregnancy and for some time afterward, so the condition is likely to recur soon after a peel. Many of these blemishes also fade on their own, or with just over-the-counter products, once hormone levels return to normal.
When can I get a chemical peel after delivery?
It is often advisable to wait a year postpartum before undergoing a facial peel, if needed, as hormone levels tend to stabilize by then.
What can I use instead of a chemical peel while pregnant?
There are many pregnancy-safe ways to tackle acne, increased pigmentation, and dullness, including pregnancy-safe melasma treatment, sunscreen, acne treatment, and vitamin C serums; see the guides linked in the alternatives section above.
Questions about treating your skin in pregnancy?
If you would like doctor-vetted guidance on pregnancy-safe ways to address pigmentation, acne, or dullness without a peel, I would love to help.
