What are the best to know about skincare when pregnant?
The pregnancy test was positive congrats, you are officially preggo! As well as planning the perfect baby shower and baby room aesthetic, you will face many changes in your life and body. Due to hormonal changes, your skin may become different and skincare be helpful to go through this fantastic adventure of becoming a mother. However, pregnant women should be extra careful while picking their skincare products, as some ingredients may be harmful to their unborn babies.
Here is everything you need to know about skincare when pregnant!
Pregnancy is the best skincare: true or false?
Most people believe pregnant women have good skin thanks to the hormones rushing through their bodies, however, if some women experience the “pregnancy glow”, it is not valid for all of them. Pregnant women may face skin challenges, such as skin sensitivity, melasma (skin discoloration), and acne. While pregnant, many women notice new moles or changes in the existing ones. Pregnancy often causes new skin tags and a flushed face. Another infamous side effect of pregnancy is stretch marks.
Skincare is helpful to face all those pregnancy-related skin issues, however there are some precautions to take with the use of skincare when pregnant.
Skincare when pregnant: what are the best pregnancy-safe skincare products?
The best skincare products depend on the pregnancy-related problems you are facing.
The best way to prevent Melasma is to use sunscreen (with a significant SPF and reapplied often) and sun protection (such as a hat) throughout your nine months. Melasma is big deal as it is often persistent once the pregnancy is over.
Stretch marks are hard to avoid and very common among pregnant women. The best way to control it is to try to gain and lose weight slowly, which may be hard depending on your metabolism and your pregnancy cravings. Moisturizing the skin daily with rich oil helps to reduce stretch marks as it helps the skin to create more cells and expand without breaking. It is completely ok to have stretch marks after pregnancy (or weight gain or loss), there is nothing to worry about. There are cosmetic techniques to erase stretch marks that already appeared after the pregnancy, using laser or micro-needling.
Moles may get larger during a pregnancy, which is no big deal. However, women with a family history of skin cancer and larger moles of multiple colors should get them checked by a dermatologist to ensure they are not suffering from melanoma. Signs of melanoma are ABCDE (Asymmetry, Border irregularities, Colors, Diameter larger than six millimeters, Evolving or changing).
Skincare when pregnant: what to be aware of?
Our skin is permeable, meaning what we put on it, such as skincare gets absorbed into our body and bloodstream. While pregnant, using harmful skincare products may endanger the growth or development of the baby, better ensure all your skincare products are pregnancy safe!
Moreover, pregnancy enhances sensitivity, many pregnant women experience an allergic reaction, both to new products and ones they have been using for ages. The best is to try new skincare products slowly and one by one to let the skin adjust to your new routine and avoid allergic reactions.
Enhanced sensitivity also applies to odors, pregnant women often get hyper-sensitive and bothered by cosmetic perfumes. While pregnant, better go for fragrance-free skincare products.
Some skincare components are to avoid during pregnancy as they may be harmful to your baby or cause an allergic reaction.
As a general rule, better use natural products while pregnant. A product being available over the counter (without prescription) does not mean it is pregnancy-safe. Better check the ingredients list and, in case of doubt, ask your OB or pharmacist.
As mentioned before, all the products containing strong fragrances or essential oils are to avoid, it applies to bath bombs and scented lotions.
All the cosmetic treatments are to avoid during pregnancy, either botox, fillers, or laser.
As the skin gets more sensitive during pregnancy, it is not recommended to use exfoliating treatments, such as exfoliation masks, peels, or microdermabrasion.
Among the ingredients to avoid in skincare while pregnant, there is hydroquinone, typically used as a skin-lightening agent, retinoids (used in anti-aging and acne treatments), and high doses of salicylic acid, either taken orally or in a chemical peel.
Pregnancy skincare routine
Avoiding some ingredients does not mean avoiding all skincare! As pregnancy may cause acne or dryness, having a strong and adapted skincare routine is helpful to keep the skin healthy and clean.
You can start your pregnancy-safe skincare routine by washing your face with a fragrance-free and gentle cleanser, then moisturizer. Hyaluronic acid is pregnancy safe, making it a good ally for pregnant women who want to keep using anti-aging products. Another good pregnancy-safe anti-aging product is vitamin C serum. For pregnant women suffering from acne breakouts, products containing low doses of salicylic acid, such as over-the-counter face wash are safe during pregnancy. However, products containing higher doses of salicylic acid such as masks or oral tablets are to avoid during pregnancy.
As mentioned before, using sunscreen is helpful to avoid melasma.
[…] Once they succeed in conceiving, pregnant women should still be careful with the beauty products, as some ingredients harm their unborn child. Check our full article about skincare when pregnant. […]