Pregnancy-Safe Skin Care Guidelines: Expert Consensus Recommendations

This research presents a comprehensive consensus on pregnancy skin care, synthesizing expert recommendations to ensure maternal skin health while prioritizing fetal safety. It outlines safe and effective skin care practices tailored to the physiological and hormonal changes during pregnancy. Key guidelines emphasize the use of gentle cleansing, adequate hydration, mineral-based sun protection, and the selection of dermatologically safe ingredients such as vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and azelaic acid. The consensus highlights the avoidance of potentially harmful substances including retinoids, high-dose salicylic acid, and certain chemical sunscreens. Additionally, the research provides clinical guidance on managing common pregnancy-related skin conditions and cautions against aggressive cosmetic procedures. The outcomes serve as a critical resource for dermatologists and healthcare providers to optimize skin care regimens during pregnancy, balancing efficacy with safety for both mother and child.

Study Overview

• Status: Enrolling by invitation
• Conditions: Pregnancy; Skin Care; Dermocosmetics

Detailed Description

Background and Rationale

Pregnancy is associated with profound hormonal, immunological, and metabolic changes that directly affect the skin. These changes can manifest as physiologic alterations (e.g., hyperpigmentation, striae), exacerbation of pre-existing dermatologic diseases, or pregnancy-specific dermatoses. Safe and effective skin care during pregnancy is critical, as many commonly used dermatologic ingredients cross the placental barrier, lack human safety data, or pose teratogenic risks.

Despite the high prevalence of dermatologic concerns in pregnancy, current clinical guidance remains fragmented, variable across regions, and often based on expert opinion rather than standardized consensus. To address this gap, we employed a structured Delphi expert consensus process to develop evidence-informed, practical, and regionally adaptable guidelines for pregnancy-safe skin care.

Methods: Delphi Consensus Process

A structured three-round Delphi methodology was used to achieve consensus among a multidisciplinary panel of dermatologists, obstetricians, and pharmacology experts.

2.1. Panel Composition

N = 25 experts

Representatives from dermatology, maternal-fetal medicine, and clinical pharmacology

Minimum of 5 years of clinical experience

Geographic representation from MENA, Europe, and Asia

Steps in the Delphi Process Round 1: Exploration

Experts provided open-ended responses on:

Essential principles of pregnancy-safe skin care

Ingredient safety classifications

Preferred management of common dermatologic conditions

Cultural and regional care considerations

A qualitative analysis was performed to derive core themes.

Round 2: Structured Statements

75 draft statements were generated and rated using a 9-point Likert scale

1-3: Disagree

4-6: Uncertain

7-9: Agree

Consensus defined as ≥ 75% of experts rating 7-9.

Round 3: Refinement and Final Voting

Statements near consensus were revised for clarity.

Final voting achieved consensus on statements, forming the basis of the guidelines.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 15

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Egypt
  • Cairo, Egypt
    • Venus Research Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

e study population consisted of a multidisciplinary panel of experts selected to represent diverse clinical, academic, and regional perspectives relevant to dermatologic care during pregnancy to ensure comprehensive evaluation of skin care ingredient safety, therapeutic practices, and procedure-related considerations for pregnant women.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon OR physician practicing aesthetic medicine.

  • Minimum of 5 years of clinical experience.
  • Practicing within Egypt or the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
  • Willingness to participate in Delphi rounds and provide expert ratings.
  • Ability to read and respond to surveys in English.

Exclusion Criteria:

Inability or unwillingness to complete Delphi rounds.

• Lack of clinical experience with Pregnant ladies.
• Industry representatives without direct clinical practice.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Expert Panel; A cohort of dermatology and aesthetic medicine experts from the MENA region participating in a Modified Delphi process to develop consensus recommendations on Skin Care dermo cosmetics in Pregnancy

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Achievement of Expert Consensus on Pregnancy-Safe Skin Care Recommendations	The primary outcome of this Delphi study was to establish consensus-based, evidence-aligned recommendations for safe skin care practices, cosmetic ingredients, and dermatologic treatments during pregnancy. Consensus was defined a priori as: ≥75% of experts scoring a statement 7-9 on a 9-point Likert scale (agreement), with a median score ≥7. This outcome reflects the degree to which experts converged on the safety categories, usage guidelines, and clinical management strategies for skin care in pregnant patients.	6-12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Classification of Dermatologic Ingredients and Procedures According to Safety Profile	A key secondary outcome was the categorization of commonly used dermatologic and cosmetic components into: Safe Use with Caution (insufficient or limited evidence) Avoid (potential teratogenic risk or high systemic absorption) This includes topical ingredients, professional procedures, and over-the-counter skin care actives.	6-12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Venus Research Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): December 25, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 6, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 6, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): December 19, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 19, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 6, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pregnancy; Skin Care; Consensus; Recommendations
• Other Study ID Numbers: Pregnancy-Safe Skin Care-Venus

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Delphi studies do not collect patient data, medical records, biological samples, or identifiable clinical information. Experts only give opinions, not "IPD." Their responses are anonymized, and sharing identifiable expert-level responses is not required and often discouraged

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No