Essential Skincare Guide During Pregnancy and Postpartum

Due to the tremendous physical changes your body experiences throughout pregnancy and after delivery, taking good care of your skin is crucial. In order to keep your skin healthy, avoid common skin problems, and promote general wellbeing for both you and your baby, it's crucial to employ safe and effective skincare products and procedures.

Common Problems During Pregnancy and Postpartum

Following are the major issue during the pregnancy and postpartum −

Skin Rash

A severe itchiness develops on the skin. It is brought on by the liver's inability to transport bile, which circulates throughout your body, properly. Some skin conditions exacerbate during pregnancy. Eczema, psoriasis, acne, lupus erythematosus, and vaginal candidiasis are among them.

Acne

When their sweat glands grow more active, most women tend to perspire more. The oil glands become active, especially in the third trimester, and acne or pimples can appear.

Hair/Nail Problems

You appear to have more hair on your scalp overall. This is so that your hair can have a longer life cycle due to the elevated oestrogen. Most women are very unhappy by the hair loss, which they see as clumps on the basin when they shampoo their hair, as the additional hair unfortunately sheds after birth. Loss may last for three to six months. Moreover, your face, back, and legs may develop more hair. Your nails may become split at the ends and brittle.

Problems with Blood Vessels

Because there are so many blood vessels just beneath the skin's surface, the increased blood volume also gives the cheeks an appealing blush. The increased oil gland secretions also give the skin a waxy sheen on top of this redness. The "pregnancy glow," as many people refer to it. At the conclusion of the second or third trimester, the number of varicose veins in the vulva and vagina may increase. The groin may feel "heavy" as a result of this.

Stretch Marks

The skin splits as a result of the tummy's stretching and distension. The term "striae gravidarum" refers to these broken lines. They are wavy purple lines that develop on the thighs, groin, breasts, tummy, and breasts. They become paler in colour after giving birth, but the striae are lifelong scars.

Pigmentation

The skin of your genitalia, nipples, and belly button will all deepen in colour. Existing moles and freckles deepen. Melasma, often known as a "pregnancy mask," is a black lesion that can form on your cheeks, forehead, nose, and chin. Here, the superficial and middle layers of skin have more melanin deposits. Thankfully, the hue disappears following delivery.

Tips on Skin Care During Pregnancy

Due to hormonal changes, maintaining healthy skin throughout pregnancy can be difficult. Yet, you can make sure your skin remains healthy and radiant by adhering to a few straightforward guidelines and utilizing safe cosmetics.

• Apply broad-spectrum sunscreen to your face every day to stop the pigment from getting even darker. Stay out of the sun.

• While moisturizing soaps are preferable, gentle soaps are advised during pregnancy. Avoid taking bubble baths or exfoliating your skin every day.

• A moisturizer with sun protection is beneficial. The sun protecting factor, or SPF, should be between 15 and 20.

• The stomach needs a nourishing physiological moisturizer and support from maternity-specific underwear. The majority of women still wear their regular underwear, but these don't support the skin that is separating. If these special pregnant panties were used, the splits would be smaller. To maintain the muscles in your abdomen strong, you must exercise.

• Keep your body clean because you will perspire and feel hot, but just take one bath per day. Cleanse your hair every day with a gentle shampoo.

• If you have severe eczema, see a doctor. You may need steroid creams, but only those with a low potency, since too much steroid use might cause your skin to become thinning.

• Make sure you consume calcium and vitamins. Low levels of calcium in your body might make some types of psoriasis worse.

• Antibiotic lotions, including those containing erythromycin or clindamycin, can be used to treat severe acne. Because tretinoin (Retin-A) cream is known to result in several abnormalities in the unborn child, it should not be used while pregnant.

• If you have a fungal genital infection, limit your intake of foods high in yeast, such as pau, wheat noodles, or cakes.

• Get enough sleep. A healthy fitness regimen makes the skin glow. Basic cosmetics like sunscreen, moisturizer, and gentle cleaners are used.

• Be joyful most of all, and avoid eating excessively or like you're feeding two. Later on, it may be challenging to lose the extra weight you've gained.

• Moisturizers aid in reducing itching. It helps to utilize a physiological moisturizer. Avoid applying paraffin to your skin since it might clog your pores. You might use chlorpheniramine tablets to get rid of the itching.

Tips on Skin Care After Delivery

You need to restore your skin back to normal because postpartum care typically lasts at least three months for working mothers and considerably longer for women who are not employed.

• Exercises may help you lose striae and tone up your abdomen.

• Cream with low-concentration vitamin A will aid in reducing abdominal scarring. Try to get adequate sleep, and do allow others to help with child care as you will be exhausted from caring for the child. You must be content and well-rested.

• The baby's very intense nipple licking may have left the breasts painful. Moreover, let the infant correctly suckle on the areolar region. Cleanse and moisturize the nipple area.

• To get rid of the melasma, keep applying sunscreen and a whitening product called hydroquinone cream.

• Use moisturizers on your body every day, especially after bathing.

• You can spray minoxidil on your scalp if you're experiencing a lot of hair loss.

• You can apply topical antibiotics, oxy cream, and a vitamin A cream in the evening to treat any leftover acne.

• See a doctor if you or your child have any skin rashes.

• To lessen the likelihood of keloid formation, apply a silicone gel sheet or silicone lotion to your caesarean section site (overgrowth of fibrous tissue at caesarean wound).

Pregnancy-Safety of Cosmetics and Skin/Hair Care Items

Pregnancy problems, aberrant foetal growth, and birth malformations can all result from exposure to specific environmental factors. The majority of skin and hair care products lack established evidence of damage during pregnancy. Not all products have undergone thorough pregnancy research.

Several skin and hair care products contain chemicals that can enter the bloodstream through the skin. Hence, you might want to avoid using these items while you are pregnant if you want to shield your unborn child from unwarranted chemical exposure, especially in the first trimester when vital organ systems are forming. There is no evidence that shampoos, hair sprays, soaps, lotions, and deodorants are dangerous while pregnant.

In general, using these items is secure.

Furthermore, it is unknown if anyone, including those who are pregnant or not, may safely utilize the chemicals found in artificial nail products. Ingredients in nail polish removers are extremely harmful if consumed. Avoid breathing in nail product fumes for an extended period of time.

Conclusion

It is essential for the health of both you and your unborn child to take good care of your skin during pregnancy and after delivery. It is possible to avoid common skin problems and improve general health by using safe and efficient skincare products and practices. Don't be afraid to seek out specialized guidance from a dermatologist or other healthcare professional.

Also, it's crucial to keep a good diet, stay hydrated, and get enough sleep to promote the health of your skin during these times. It's also essential to stay away from harsh chemicals, the sun, and smoking. It's important to keep in mind that self-care is crucial during pregnancy and after, and taking care of your skin is just one facet of that.