I have never been shy of a thorough skincare regime in the effort to achieve short term and long term results. It’s amazing how an experience with ‘bad’ skin can leave you borderline obsessed with the skincare world – and isn’t it overwhelming? My optimal self-care rituals all surround a form of facial, whether that be at home, a painful, yet effective, clinical treatment or a blissful spa experience.
The treatments and skincare I found most effective had to cease once I fell pregnant. This included a high quality retinol and clinical treatments such as chemical peels and anti-ageing treatments. I opted for the purest, most natural form of skincare throughout my pregnancy and maintained at-home facials. The almighty hormones took a toll at one stage, however, for the most part I was happy with the natural state of my skin.
Over the past 2-3 months I wanted to create a rejuvenation plan for my skin that was both safe during breastfeeding and effective. I did my research and will share the treatments and products with my recommendations and ‘save your money’.
Disclaimer: I made the decision that these treatments and products are safe during breastfeeding based on my research and advice from medical professionals. However, every single person is different and I encourage you to see your regular medical practitioner if you are pregnant and/or breastfeeding.
Bakuchiol oil (An alternative to retinol)
Meet Bakuchiol – a phytochemical derived from the babchi plant (Psoralea corylifolia).
Bakuchiol has demonstrated antiaging effects similar to retinol, when applied topically. Both retinol and Bakuchiol have been shown to induce similar gene expression in the skin and lead to improvement of cutaneous photo damage (Dhaliwal et al., 2018).
A 2018 randomised, double-blind, 12-week study in which 44 patients were asked to apply either Bakuchiol 0.5% cream twice daily or retinol 0.5% cream daily demonstrated a significant decreased in wrinkle surface area and hyperpigmentation, with no statistical difference between compounds. In terms of adverse events, the retinol group reported more facial skin scaling and stinging and no side effects in the bakuchiol group (Dhaliwal et al., 2018).
This study highlights that bakuchiol is comparable to retinol in its ability to improve photo aging and better tolerated.
Product love: Beauty Reset Drops by Edible Beauty
Edible Beauty was founded by Naturopath Anna and aims to create products that nourish the body internally and externally with botanical, luxurious ingredients.
Absolutely no exaggeration when I say I LOVE THIS PRODUCT. The silky serum leaves your skin feeling hydrated and nourished, without any irritation.
Botanical actives: Bakuchiol (natural retinol), Squalane (hydrating action), Orchid and Magnolia actives (polyphenols, antioxidants)
Suited to: Cruelty free, Eco friendly, Pregnancy safe, Recyclable, Toxin Free, Vegan, and Wildcrafted.
References
Dhaliwal, S., Rybak, I., Ellis, S., Notay, M., Trivedi, M., & Burney, W. et al. (2018). Prospective, randomized, double‐blind assessment of topical bakuchiol and retinol for facial photoageing. British Journal Of Dermatology, 180(2), 289-296. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjd.16918
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