Pregnancy is among the most beautiful experiences in a woman’s life as it introduces us to a new life. This life changing and challenging experience comes with its own changes, one among them been changes in the skin. As hormonal changes occur throughout the body, and skin being the largest organ of the body, gets affected the most.
Why And How To Take Skin Care During Pregnancy?
In order to maintain the glow and health of your skin it becomes important to follow a skin care routine during pregnancy and after giving birth to the baby. Sometimes these changes are physiological or they can also be presented as skin disorders. Another reason that you must take care of your skin during pregnancy is that you do not face any skin problems post delivery.
Skin Care Tips To Follow During Pregnancy
Use a Sunscreen
It is important to protect your skin from harmful sun rays and in order to do so use a broad spectrum sunscreen on your face every day to prevent darkening or pigmentation of face. User sunscreen which has the sun protective factor of at least 15 to 20 and avoid going out in the hot sun.
Moisturize
During pregnancy Moisturizer help in decreasing the itching of the skin, using a moisturizer which comes with a sunblock is helpful and physiological moisturizer proves to be useful. One must not use moisturizers which contain paraffin as this can clog the skin pores.
Maintain Hygiene
Even if you feel sweaty and hot limit your baths to just once a day only to keep your body clean. Use a mild shampoo to keep your hair clean and while a mild soap is recommended during pregnancy moisturising soaps are better than that. It is advisable not to scrub your skin daily and avoid bubble baths.
Eat Healthy
While you’re pregnant you must ensure that you take your vitamins and calcium on time as some types of psoriasis get worse with low calcium in your body. If you have a fungal genital infection you must reduce the intake of food which contain lots of yeast like wheat, bread, noodles or cake.
Sleep
During this phase having adequate sleep helps the skin to glow and proper rest is must. All you have to do is get proper rest and avoid getting puffy eyes and dark circles.
Wear Maternity panties
The body of the woman goes through physiologic changes during pregnancy as the tummy needs to be supported with special maternity panties. While a majority of women tend to wear their normal panties even after getting to the later stages of pregnancy but these normal panties don’t support the distending skin.
When you wear special maternity panties made for pregnancy, the splits are less. You can also do light exercises to avoid condition called incontinence, where urine leaks out when you cough or sneeze hard. So in order to avoid this condition, make the right choice!
Skin Care Tips to Follow After Delivery
After the delivery of your baby, the skin goes through various changes as some may experience pregnancy glow that stays throughout others may encounter pigmentation, acne, dark circles, hair loss and stretch marks. After the birth of an infant you stay busy most of the time tending to him or her with barely any time left for yourself. Still, all it takes is 10 minutes of your time to keep your skin and hair looking great.
Use Sunscreen:
It does not matter if you stay indoors, it is best to use sunscreen to ensure you don’t aggravate the pigmentation or get new spots. Cover your skin with a good sun block with an SPF of 30 or 50 when you step out for more than 10 minutes. To clear melasma use hydroquinone cream
Moisturize Daily
The most important and irreplaceable step for a healthy skin care routine is – Moisturization! Especially after your bath, continue to use moisturizers specifically made for pigmented skin. Maintain this routine every morning and night by using a mild and lightweight moisturizer which is also oil free.
For Acne
In order to cleansing your face, make use of a mild cleanser with ingredients like aloe Vera and eucalyptus. Topical antibiotics, oxy cream and a vitamin A cream in the evening for mild acne is also helpful. Only use a mild scrub that contains soft granules once a week.
For Scars and Stretch Marks
Massage your breasts and belly with olive oil regularly to keep them moisturized and avoid getting stretch marks. To improve the scars in your belly any low potency vitamin A cream would help. Using a reputed anti stretch mark cream on the affected areas also helps as well. Mindful healthy diet and exercise are key measures for reducing stretch marks. Brisk walking, light exercises or yoga to help you reduce the stretch marks but only perform them after talking to your doctor.
Cellulite
Start by staying hydrated and maintaining a healthy diet to promote skin elasticity. Regular exercise can help improve blood circulation and reduce the appearance of cellulite. Incorporating dry brushing and moisturizing with firming creams can also aid in tightening and toning the skin. Lastly, when dealing with cellulite in specific areas of the body, particularly the stomach which is commonly affected after pregnancy, it is worth considering professional treatments like massage or cupping therapy. For more information find out how to get rid of cellulite on the stomach in this article.
For Breasts
When the infant sucks too vigorously on the nipple, the breast become sore. In this case, you must allow the baby to suck properly on the areolar area and after doing so clean the breast area, especially around the nipples and moisturize them well.
For Dark Circles And Puffy Eyes
The best way to get some sleep post pregnancy is to sleep when your new-born is sleeping even though it may feel odd, it helps you to get rest. For puffy eyes and dark circles application of a eye cream which is reputed, is advised. Your body goes through various changes and becomes exhausted post pregnancy so ensure to have a healthy diet and drink enough water to stay hydrated.
If you’ve had a caesarean delivery you can use a silicone cream or a silicone gel sheet on your wound. This reduces the chance of keloid which is the overgrowth of fibrous tissue at the cesarean wound.
References:
www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/pregnancy-safe-skin
www.google.com/url?q=https://www.healthhub.sg/live-healthy/998/pregnancy
