Many pregnant women face skin problems during pregnancy. They are caused by changes in hormonal level, thus they are practically inevitable. However, the good news is that most of them disappear some time after birth of a child.
Here they are:
- So-called pregnancy glow: Even though you might not notice it yourself or even consider it to be just another fairytale, it does exist. It happens due to increased volume of blood in the cheeks, which makes them all rosy. Additionally, your oil glands work hyperactively, so your skin gets its shine.
- The pregnancy mask: Some pregnant women suddenly can not recognize themselves in the mirror because they have those colored spots, often yellowish or darker, which are called chloasma, also known as pregnancy mask. Most commonly can be located on the forehead, upper cheeks, nose and chin. They occur due to the fact that hormones produce more pigment, but not evenly. If you are dark-haired, you might also notice darker circles around your eyes.
- Acne: Even though you probably won’t get that horrible puberty-like acne, the chances are that you’ll have to adjust your cleansing rituals according to the needs of the new situation. Luckily, such situation won’t last eternally. On the other side, there are women that say their acne-submissive skin becomes acne-free during pregnancy. One thing is certain – you can expect skin change in pregnancy either way.
- Linea nigra. That is fine dark line that appears from your navel, usually around forth or fifth month, and goes to the public bone. It disappears couple of months after delivery.
- Dark areas become darker. You may find out that your moles or some other darker areas, such as areolas and nipples on your breasts, are getting much darker than they used to be. They usually get back to normal after pregnancy, but areolas may stay a little bit darker forever.
- Red palms and soles. Palmar erythema is skin condition you also might experience during pregnancy. It’s characterized by itching and redness of your palms and bottom of your feet.
- Spider veins. They are caused by pregnancy hormones again, together with increased blood volume and look like petite, wavy red or purple capillaries right under the skin. The hormones make them more visible in pregnancy. Adequate usage of make-up can cover these vessels, also known as spider nevi. This skin problem that occurs during pregnancy is something that is going to take more time to disappear. Sometimes even some of those spider veins simply stay; if you are bothered by them, dermatologists can treat them intravenously in order to minimize them.
- Skin tags. They are small polyps, which appear in the rubbing areas – under arms, between neck lines and under lines of a bra, which also disappear during first couple months after delivery.
- Heat rash. As you may experience for yourself, this is another skin problem caused by those hardworking hormones. Enormous sweating, combined with skin friction, results in skin covered with pimples and irritation.
- Itching and stretch marks. Majority of women experience itching because skin of a pregnant woman tends to dry. Most bothering itching, according to those women, comes from skin stretching on abdomen, hips and thighs. In order to prevent appearance of stretch marks on those areas, it is recommended to use lot of hydrating lotions and creams.
