For newly expecting mothers, the amount of new information thrown your way can be downright terrifying. Everything from your diet to your basic biology gets turned on its axis leaving you searching for answers in stacks of dusty baby books like you have a home economics exam tomorrow.
In order to shed some light on at least one sliver of the pregnancy information pie (sorry if that sparked a craving), we compiled this list of the ways in which your skin could change during your pregnancy as well as how you can help alleviate and even avoid each issue.
PREGNANCY GLOW
Definition
The reason that the most common compliment pregnant women get is that they are glowing is due to two biological reactions to pregnancy:
1. Your body produces ~50% more blood resulting in more circulation to your skin causing it to be brighter
2. Your body also produces a lot of hormones that can result in an increase in oil production leaving your face a bit shinier.
How to handle it
If your shine gets a bit too intense, use a gentle cleanser followed by moisturizer. The key is ensuring your pores don’t get blocked with excess oil and keeping your skin moisturised so the overproduction of oil isn’t triggered.
MASK OF PREGNANCY
Definition
The yang to the pregnancy glow’s yen, the mask of pregnancy causes dark spots to appear on your face. There’s no guarantee that this will happen but don’t be surprised if you start to see some hyperpigmentation begins to occur on your forehead and cheeks.
How to handle it
As foreboding as the mask of pregnancy sounds, it’s relatively easy to prevent. Because your skin is extra sensitive in general during pregnancy, prolonged exposure to UV radiation from the sun can more easily trigger this hyperpigmentation.
To prevent these dark patches from appearing, pay extra close attention to how much time you’re spending in the sun and make sure you never leave the house without a strong SPF.
You could also use a serum with the ingredient arbutin, which actively helps to reverse hyperpigmentation like Lira Clinicals Pro Firming Serum.
STRETCH MARKS
Definition
Chances are you’ve heard of this one since 90% of all pregnant women will experience it. As you might’ve guessed from the name, stretch marks occur from the breakdown of elastin in your skin to accommodate the rapid expansion of the skin on your belly.
They appear as pink, dark red, brown, or purple marks depending on your skin colour.
How to handle it
You can try to prevent stretch marks before they happen by maintaining a nutrient-rich diet, staying hydrated, and try your best to control your weight so your belly distends as gradually as possible.
However, as hard as you might try, stretch marks may show up anyway. Once you find out your expecting, immediately begin applying a good body lotion. Lira Clinicals Firming Body Lotion has designer peptide combinations, restoring plant stem cells, and nourishing botanicals to give skin essential hydration while boosting collagen production, providing more structure for the rapidly expanding skin on your belly.
Given time, stretch marks fade into thinner, grey streaks. But, if you catch them early enough with firming lotion therapy, you can minimize them even further.
VARICOSE VEINS
Definition
Varicose veins are swollen veins resulting from your growing uterus putting pressure on a central vein in your leg. That pressure, in combination with the increased amount of blood in your pregnant body, results in certain veins bulging out and potentially irritating your skin.
How to handle it
There are a few ways to prevent these sore, unsightly veins:
- Get plenty of exercise
- Elevate your legs at an angle higher than your heart when lying down. Since the veins in your legs are already working against gravity, give them a break when taking a rest.
- Try not to cross your legs when seated
- Don’t stand or sit for extended periods of time if possible. Mix things up and move around often.
- Sleep on your left side to help relieve pressure on the central vein in your leg.
If you happen to get varicose veins despite maintaining these healthy habits (it’s genetic for some, sorry), continue practicing these habits well after you’ve given birth. It may take a few weeks or months before your varicose veins begin to disappear if they do at all.
Pregnant or not, the lavish lines of skincare from Just Magic will keep you glowing all year round!