All women simply glow during pregnancy (even if they don’t feel that magical most of the time), however, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to nurture your skin and prepare it for the upcoming period of stress. With hormones-gone-wild, you might soon lose your glow and start looking less than radiant. To keep your skin under control and get out of your pregnancy without too many scars and marks, here’s how to exercise proper mom-to-be skincare:
Handle Pigmentation Changes
As you probably know, pregnancy will take you on a real rollercoaster of hormones. This wild rise is something to be expected, but it does bring a bunch of unexpected results for your skin. Hormonal changes in some women cause changes in pigmentation on the face, neck and armpits. This skin issue can be handled with a mixture of lemon and cucumber juice applied on the problematic spots whenever you remember to do so. Another remedy for pigmentation is to use a honey oat mask and a face pack with milk and turmeric—this can lighten the dark spots.
Exfoliate
If your pregnancy skin is less than glowing, don’t worry. With some exfoliation during pregnancy, you can go back to your initial radiant look. Exfoliation removes the buildup of dead skin cells, products, makeup and natural skin moisture and oil that might be blocking your pretty complexion. Rubbing down with your mild scrub or cream with fruit acids will remove the grime and allow fresh and glowing skin to take the stage. If you’re choosing a scrub, make your exfoliation movements gentle and light, otherwise, you might end up looking ruddy. Don’t worry, even if you scrub lightly, the exfoliating granules will do their job. To prevent irritation with fruit-acid creams, make sure to follow the recommendations on the packaging.
Prevent Acne Breakouts
If you usually have oily skin prone to acne, you might have bad acne breakouts to look forward to during your pregnancy, especially in the first trimester. To prevent or reduce acne, make sure to consult with your dermatologist (don’t start any treatments without asking for a professional opinion when you’re pregnant) and ask about products with glycolic acid, alpha-hydroxy acid, erythromycin and similar ingredients that work miracles with acne.
Exercise
Some women are recommended to rest and relax as much as possible, but if you don’t have a risky pregnancy, it’s important to remain active and fit for your baby. Working out and sweating also activates all your organs, churns out the toxins, increases blood flow in the skin and gives you that healthy complexion. To see what other moms in your situation did, you can consult some of the leading motherhood apps and find useful tips about their pregnancy experience. Of course, you’re not going to start any extreme workout challenges, but light to moderate activity is more than beneficial. You and other expecting moms can even form an exercise group and motivate each other while offering support. Love the belly
In many cases, the pregnant belly can become riddled with itchy stretch marks. These marks can also appear on the breasts and booty. There’s not much you can do to prevent them, but you can certainly reduce them by applying topical creams on the areas from the very start of your pregnancy to its end. Many natural moisturizers like coconut oil, aloe vera, olive oil and similar can also be used and help you achieve great results.
Moisturize
Any time during your pregnancy, you can develop dry skin, lips, heels and hair—it’s uncomfortable but not unusual. To combat dry hair naturally, you can use the aforementioned coconut oil, but also milk cream and wheat germ oil. This last ingredient is very rich in essential vitamins and fatty acids that can help relieve the soreness and dryness in your nipples as well.
Use Sunscreen
During pregnancy (and otherwise), make sure to always use sunscreen of at least SPF 15 and extensive protection from UVA and UVB rays. Due to your hormone levels fluctuating, your production of pigment cells might increase and cause blotchiness when exposed to a lot of sun. To keep your complexion uniform, use sunscreen every day. If you often forget to put it on before leaving the house, you can grab a moisturizer with SPF and kill two birds with one stone.
Skin problems can be quite prominent in some women during pregnancy, but if you follow these skincare tips, you will handle them like a professional. The enjoyment of pregnancy is much more rewarding than a few light stretch marks anyway!
Diana Smith is a full time mom of two beautiful girls interested in health and beauty related topics and alternative medicine. In her free time she enjoys long walks in the woods, hard exercising and preparing healthy meals for her family.
