Skin Care: S.O.S. Pregnancy and Dry Skin

Skin problems during pregnancy sometimes arise, and sometimes they don't!

But why is that?

Some women notice an improvement in the health and beauty of their skin during pregnancy, while others witness the appearance of numerous imperfections, such as pimples, dry skin, and stretch marks.

Skin issues – in this particular stage of life – can have various causes: hormonal, related to pre-existing conditions (which may undergo changes during gestation), or skin diseases typical of pregnancy....

In most cases, these are problems that vanish after childbirth, but how should you care for your skin during the 9 months of waiting?

Let's take a closer look…

What skin is like during pregnancy

As we mentioned, the hormonal changes typical of pregnancy are also reflected in the skin, sometimes positively and sometimes not!

In this sense, the main issues during pregnancy can be:

• sensitive skin, sometimes even intolerant to many cosmetics normally used up to that point.
• Dry skin on both the face and body.
• Oily skin, pimples, blackheads, and shiny skin.
• Skin spots or hyperpigmentation, both on the face (pregnancy mask, melasma) and on the body.
• Couperose, which means unsightly red spots on the face.
• Itching
• Cellulite or orange-peel skin.
• Swollen legs.
• Swollen ankles.
• Fragile capillaries.
• Skin rashes.
• PUPPP dermatosis (Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy).

Today we will focus on dry skin.

Dry skin during pregnancy

The increase in estrogen, typical of the 1st trimester of pregnancy, can lead to skin drying out.

This means that: starting from an oily skin condition, it will tend to normalize, but in the case of normal or dry skin, the problem of skin dryness will appear or intensify.

But what does dry skin entail?

Here are a few examples: cracking, flaking, the appearance of fine lines, a "tight" skin sensation, and so on.

The discomfort caused by dry skin and dermatosis can be soothed by applying specific soothing and/or refreshing creams, specially designed for expectant mothers.

Here is an example of a skincare routine during pregnancy to treat dry skin:

• Face exfoliant (once a week), followed by a nourishing and moisturizing mask.
• Daily application (morning and evening) of a nourishing and moisturizing oil or cream, specific for dry skin (more or less rich depending on needs).
• For women over 30 (since skin dryness also promotes premature aging), use anti-aging products, especially around the eye area.

What kind of oil should be used during pregnancy?

Not all types of cosmetics and/or body care products are suitable for pregnancy, but first and foremost – to care for the skin as well – it is always good to start from the inside, with a healthy and balanced diet, where olive oil always plays a fundamental role against dryness!

For topical application, however, almond oil is important for improving skin elasticity and thus preventing stretch marks and dryness.

Almond oil – and especially sweet almond oil – has moisturizing and emollient properties and is rich in vitamins E and B; it can be applied at any time!

Applying almond oil twice a day is useful for reducing or preventing dry skin, itching, and stinging.

In general, all vegetable oils (jojoba, sweet almond, olive, sesame, calendula, St. John's wort, hazelnut…) can be applied to dry skin during pregnancy.

Even essential oils during pregnancy can play a key role: they cannot be used pure on the skin but must be diluted in other "fatty" substances, called "carriers," such as creams, natural oils, or butters, within soap/shampoo/body wash, or in clay (in the case of face masks, for example).

For dry skin during pregnancy, you can therefore use (diluted) mandarin, chamomile (in case of dermatitis), or rose essential oil. Meanwhile, the following are NOT suitable: yarrow, dill, anise, basil, calamus, camphor, cedar, cypress, cistus, clove, coriander, cumin, davana, juniper, hyssop, spike lavender, marjoram, myrrh, nutmeg, oregano, parsley, meadowsweet, rosemary, savin, sage, clary sage, santolina, celery, thyme, and verbena.

P.S. Speaking of essential oils, by utilizing aromatherapy to relieve anxiety and nausea, you can use lemon essential oil and lavender essential oil.

What body cream should be used during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, it is impossible not to talk about water retention as well!

For this reason, using draining creams during pregnancy promotes – as the name suggests – the drainage of fluids and improves microcirculation, thanks to muds or creams that often contain horse chestnut, blueberry, pineapple stem, or escin.

But let's get back to dry skin…

Exfoliating creams eliminate any dry, dead, rough, and irregular skin and prepare the skin for subsequent nourishing and soothing treatments, using, for example, the vegetable oils we mentioned earlier.

Skin tone can also be improved during pregnancy, with a push-up, firming, toning, or remodeling effect, depending on the case.

What are you waiting for?!

Go shopping for the next 9 months with The Unique Form!