What You Need To Know About Using Those ~Mesmerizing~ Magnetic Face Masks During Pregnancy

You’ve probably seen the mesmerizing magnetic face mask phenomenon on social media lately — hell, even Madonna’s here for it. These masks use mud and clay with iron particles, among other ingredients. After applying, you use a magnet to “clean” your face, and the magnet pulls the iron granules off, and all the dirt and gross stuff from your pores with it. It’s so fun to watch, it’s hard to not want to try it — especially if you’ve been having breakouts from being pregnant. But is it safe to use a magnetic face mask during pregnancy? It may look fun and effective, but will it affect your baby or your pregnancy?

I spoke with acupuncturist Dr. Elizabeth Trattner, and she says the main reason your skin freaks out when you're pregnant is because your hormones are fluctuating and going nuts inside your body due to that little bean in there wreaking havoc. “Also, a pregnant woman can be stressed, or not eating well, which will affect the skin,” she says. “The same goes with change in sleeping patterns and nausea. In Chinese medicine, acne can be from many reasons — blood deficiency (anemia), dampness (all pregnant women are damp), and heat. Most women experience a huge shift in their skin because the interior terrain is drastically different,” Trattner explains. Stress, not eating well, “dampness,” from being hot, and not getting enough sleep are the most common issues of being pregnant, so no wonder it takes a toll on your face.

What to do, what to do? Turns out, using a magnetic face mask to deal with those pesky hormonal breakouts seems to be OK, Trattner says. And they’ve been around for quite some time, in one way or another. “Magnetic masks were developed using the principles of Chinese medicine and acupuncture points,” Trattner explains to Romper. “All the magnets are placed over all acupuncture points on the face. They are safe because none of those points are contraindicated in pregnancy directly on the face.”

However Trattner warns to make sure you or your esthetician doesn’t get that stuff on the webbing of your hand because it can potentially impact your intestine since that hand web is "Large Intestine 4," according to acupuncture points. If you’re worried about this happening or don’t want to take the chance, Trattner says she prefers jade masks, as they have cooling properties, “which helps in general and also while pregnant,” she adds.

Trattner’s other recommendations for safe and natural ways to cleanse your face while pregnant include oil cleansing, which was “made popular by Shu Uemura Oils of Japan and cold creams from 50 years ago (like what your grandmother used).” Apparently, oil actually dissolves oil, Trattner says. And right now, many organic and natural cosmetic companies like Luxe Botanics and Kindred have perfected this by using “hexane-free, organic, ethically sourced oil from around the world,” she notes. “These are safe to use during pregnancy and are better alternatives to harsh cleansers, which can be toxic because they contain sodium laurel sulfate.” These cleansers can even work for acne-prone skin or combination skin, which seems like it is counterintuitive, but it’s not, Trattner explains.

Want to pamper yourself and help control that horrible pregnancy acne by way of the super cool magnetic face mask? It should be safe to use, just make sure the mask only gets on your face and nowhere else. Otherwise, there are a ton of other options for cleansing your skin, and pampering yourself while you're pregnant. Thankfully, this wonderful symptom of "pregnancy face" should go away once you've given birth.

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