Skin problems during pregnancy sometimes occur and sometimes don't!
But why?
Some women, during pregnancy, notice an improvement in the health and beauty of their skin, while others experience numerous imperfections, such as pimples, dry skin, and stretch marks.
Skin problems - at this particular time of life - can actually have several causes: hormonal, related to pre-existing conditions (which may change during pregnancy), and pregnancy-specific skin diseases….
In most cases, these problems disappear after childbirth, but how to take care of your skin during the 9 months of waiting?
Let's try to understand better...
How is the skin during pregnancy
As we said, hormonal changes, typical of pregnancy, are also visible on the skin, sometimes positively and sometimes not!
In this sense, the main problems during pregnancy may be:
- sensitive skin, sometimes even intolerant to many cosmetics normally used until that moment.
- Dry skin both on the face and body.
- Oily skin, pimples, blackheads, shiny skin.
- Skin spots or hyperpigmentation, both on the face (pregnancy mask, melasma) and body.
- Couperose, that is, 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 estrogens, typical of the 1st trimester of pregnancy, can lead to skin dryness.
This means that: starting from oily skin, it will tend to normalize, but in the case of normal or dry skin, the issue of skin dryness will appear or worsen.
But what does dry skin cause?
Here are some examples: cracks, peeling, the appearance of small wrinkles, the feeling of tight skin, 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 pregnant women.
Here is an example of skin care during pregnancy to treat dry skin:
- Exfoliating face (once a week), followed by a nourishing and hydrating mask.
- Daily application (morning and evening) of a nourishing and hydrating oil or cream, specifically for dry skin (more or less rich depending on the needs).
- For women over 30 (since skin dryness also promotes premature aging) use anti-aging products, especially around the eyes.
What type of oil is used during pregnancy?
Not all types of cosmetics and/or body care products are suitable for pregnancy, but first of all - to also take care of the skin - it is always good to start from the inside, with a healthy and balanced diet, where olive oil always plays a key role against dryness!
For topical application, almond oil is important to improve the elasticity of the skin and therefore prevent stretch marks and dryness.
Almond oil - especially sweet almond oil - has moisturizing and emollient properties and is rich in vitamins E and B, and can be applied at all times!
Applying almond oil twice a day is useful to reduce or prevent dry skin, itching, and tingling.
In general, all vegetable oils (jojoba, sweet almonds, olive, sesame, calendula, hypericum, hazelnuts…) 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 "greasy" substances, called "carriers," such as creams, natural oils, or butter, inside soap/shampoo/bath foam or clay (for example, in face masks).
For dry skin during pregnancy, you can use (diluted) mandarin essential oil, chamomile (for dermatitis) or rose. While oils such as yarrow, fennel, anise, basil, calamus, camphor, cedar, cypress, rockrose, cloves, coriander, cumin, davana, juniper, hyssop, lavender spike, marjoram, myrrh, nutmeg, oregano, parsley, queen of the meadows, rosemary, sabina, sage, clary sage, santolina, celery, thyme, and verbena are NOT suitable.
P.S. Speaking of essential oils, using aromatherapy to relieve anxiety and nausea, you can use lemon essential oil and lavender essential oil.
What body cream to use during pregnancy?
During pregnancy, it is impossible not to talk about water retention!
Therefore, using draining creams during pregnancy promotes - as the name suggests - the drainage of fluids and improves microcirculation, thanks to mud or creams, which often contain horse chestnut, blueberry, pineapple stem, or escin.
But let's go back to dry skin...
Exfoliating creams remove dry, dead, rough, and uneven skin and prepare the skin for subsequent nourishing and soothing treatments, using, for example, the vegetable oils we mentioned earlier.
Even skin tone can be improved during pregnancy, with a push-up, firming, toning or remodeling effect, depending on the case.
What are you waiting for?!
Shop for the next 9 months at The Unique Form!