Pregnancy myth: You can't zap zits

I had ultra clear skin my whole darn life. The kind of skin people get jealous of. I was pretty happy with my stroke of luck. Then I got pregnant. Pregnancy changes everything, but I didn't expect it to change my skin. It's not like I broke out all crazy, but I did get a few pimples, and for someone who'd barely had a blemish her whole life it was traumatic. THEN I hear, you can't use any sort of pimple fighting products while pregnant. WHAT THE....? Fact - you can fight pimples during pregnancy, you just have to do it correctly. What you can do:

• Keep your face very clean - wash that make-up off at night.
• Use a natural clay mask to clean your pores, or a nice natural scrub my favorite scrub are the earthy, All Natural Facial Grains (I heart them).
• Use a topical antibiotic such as clindamycin. Talk to your health care provider about your topical options.
• For extra painful or bad acne, you may be able to have cortisone injections; if your health care provider gives you the go-ahead.
• Dab a drop of tea tree or lavender essential oil on your zit - if your health care provider oks it.
• The silly but it works cure - dab a bit of natural soap onto your pimple at night, let it dry, wash off in the morning. I swear it works for small pimples.

What you can't do: Avoid retinols, vitamin A products, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and alpha hydroxy. REALLY avoid etretinate and Accutane - both have been shown to cause serious birth defects. Talk to your health care provider if you have questions, because he or she may have other ideas about what can help you fight zits during pregnancy. You don't have to suffer blemishes during pregnancy, you just have to outsmart them.