Skin Care During Pregnancy. The skin protects your inside organs from injury, bacteria, and viruses. Your skin, hair, and sweat glands help control body temperature. During pregnancy, you have to be extra careful with the skincare and beauty products you use because your skin is oversensitive and more prone to get damaged during this time.
Skin Care During Pregnancy: Common skin conditions during pregnancy
- Stretch marks: these are brownish or reddish streaks that run down the abdomen. Stretch marks occur in 80 to 90 per cent of all pregnant women.
- Chloasma: this skin change is also commonly referred to as the mask of pregnancy. Dark, splotchy spots appear on your face due to increased pigmentation – a common hormonal effect caused by pregnancy. The most common areas affected are the forehead, upper cheeks, nose and chin.
- Pimple breakouts and acne: the extra hormone secretion that occurs during pregnancy may cause oil glands to produce excess oil that leads to breakouts.
- Varicose veins: These are dark-blue veins that appear on your legs during pregnancy caused by body compensating for the extra blood flow to the baby. There are more common for those with a family history of varicose veins.
Skin Care During Pregnancy: Tips on skincare
- Moisturize with vitamin E oil to minimize the effects of stretch marks and to reduce the itchiness of your stomach, apply vitamin E oil or lotion. You can also massage your belly with cocoa butter if it itches or gets dry.
- Take a balanced diet especially foods rich in Vitamin C. Vitamin C is involved in collagen production and protects cells from free radical damage. Boost your skin’s vitamin C stores by eating plenty of vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Good sources include peppers (red/green/yellow), oranges, strawberries, lemons, and pineapples.
- Use a gentle cleanser to wash your face every day, preferably one that is glycerin-based.
- Don’t wash your face more than twice a day to avoid over-drying your skin.
- Moisturize; use a moisturizer that is appropriate for your skin. In some cases, your skin can get extra sensitive during pregnancy so for new products, always test a patch of skin behind your knee and wait 24 hours to see if your skin reacts.
- Wear a sunblock of SPF 30 or higher if you plan to stay out in the sun for a long time.
- Use makeup products that are labelled “noncomedogenic” or “non-acnegenic”. This means that they are oil-free and do not clog pores, they are safe for use and will not harm your baby.
- Avoid taking hot baths and showers.
- Take lots of water every day to ensure that the skin stays well hydrated.
- Make sure you get sufficient sleep every day.
Skin Care During Pregnancy: Ingredients to avoid during pregnancy
When purchasing skincare products to use during pregnancy, read the label and avoid products with the following ingredients as they may be harmful to your unborn baby.
- Retinoids
Retinoid is a powerful anti-ageing agent that can be used for effective results. However, the extremely high amount of vitamin A found in this ingredient can be harmful to your baby. With high levels of vitamin A in your bloodstream, there is a good chance that your baby may suffer from several birth defects. - Salicylic Acid
Salicylic acid is added to a large number of skincare products because of its ability to treat skin disorders like acne as well as its exfoliating and pore-cleansing properties. However, using too much salicylic acid in oral form during pregnancy can lead to birth defects.
