MM Pregnancy skin
Have you noticed your skin starting to change? Here are just a few examples of what you can expect to see over the next nine months.
Skin changes during pregnancy
Katie Hilton iCandy Expert Midwife & Health Visitor
Stretch marks
Stretch marks are one of the most talked about skin changes that occur during pregnancy. In fact, almost 90 per cent of pregnant women will experience stretch marks. Stretch marks initially appear as pinkish or reddish streaks running down your abdomen and/or breasts. There are a number of things you can do to help reduce the risk of stretch marks including exercising and applying lotions, which contain vitamin E. If you find that nothing is working for you, don’t panic! Stretch marks should fade to silvery faint lines after pregnancy.
Mask of pregnancy
Mask of pregnancy is also known as melasma and chlosma. Melasma causes dark patchy spots to appear on your face. These spots most commonly appear on your forehead and cheeks and are a direct result of pigmentation. When you fall pregnant, your body produces hormones, which causes an increase in pigmentation. Nearly 50 per cent of women have some signs of mask of pregnancy. To help prevent mask of pregnancy you should wear a good sunscreen with at least SPF 15 whenever outside. Your skin is extra sensitive during pregnancy and exposure to the sun increases your chances of these skin changes.
Pregnancy glow
When you are pregnant, your body produces an extra 50 per cent more blood, this results in more blood circulating throughout your body. This increase in blood circulation can cause the skin on your face to appear brighter. Your body is also producing lots more hormones, which cause your oil glands to go into overdrive, leaving your face looking shiny. Both of these things result in the ‘pregnancy glow’. If this becomes a problem and your skin
36 Modernmum Varicose veins
Varicose veins are bluish veins that appear on your legs during pregnancy. They appear because your body is compensating for the extra blood, which is flowing around your body to your baby. The good news is there are things you can do to prevent them or decrease the symptoms, including: avoiding standing up for long periods of time; propping your feet up on a stool when sitting; avoiding sitting for long periods of time; taking gentle exercise; wearing support stockings; getting plenty of Vitamin C (as this helps to keep your veins healthy and elastic); avoiding excessive weight gain, and sitting with your legs higher than your head for at least 30 minutes each day.
Spider veins
Spider veins, also known as spider nevi, are minute, reddish blood vessels that branch outward. These veins, which are again caused by the increase in blood circulation, usually appear on the face, neck, upper chest and arms. They don’t hurt and usually disappear shortly after delivery. You can decrease your risk of spider veins by increasing your vitamin C intake and by not crossing your legs.
Dry itchy abdomen
As your abdomen grows, your skin stretches and becomes tighter. This can cause very uncomfortable dryness and itching. If you begin to experience severe itching in the later stages of your pregnancy alongside other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue and/or jaundice, then you should speak to your midwife or GP, as it could be a sign of cholestasis, which is related to the function of your liver. Your midwife or GP will most likely take blood tests to check on the functioning of your liver. To
becomes too oily, then consider using an oil free cleanser to clean your face. Other than that, just smile and enjoy the glow!
Use anti-itch creams such as calamine lotion to help provide further relief
help alleviate itching, keep your abdomen moisturised. You can also use anti-itch creams such as calamine lotion to help provide further relief. If you are diagnosed with cholestasis this can be treated with medication.
Linea nigra
Linea nigra is a dark line, which runs from your navel to your pubic bone. This line may have always been there, but you might not have noticed it before because it was a lighter colour. During pregnancy this line darkens. This is thought to be caused by the imbalance in hormones and it usually appears around the fourth or fifth month of pregnancy. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do to prevent this from happening, however, it should fade after you give birth.
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