Avoiding Skin Pigmentation during Pregnancy

Skin and Pregnancy.

Appropriate skincare and proper medication can take care of acne and spots that occur during pregnancy. The acne problem that besets pregnant women is no different from common acne. Both are caused by an overproduction of sebum(oil). This overproduction is triggered by hormonal imbalances – regular during pregnancies.

Skincare

There are some very simple steps that you can institute to treat pregnancy acne. The first place to start is with skincare:

• Gentle Cleansing. At least two times a day, wash your face with warm water. Use a mild soap as the cleansing agent. Use your hands after having thoroughly cleaned them before washing your face. Avoid products that could irritate your skin – facial scrubs, astringents, masks, etc. Many of these products irritate the skin, worsening the outbreak of acne. However, be careful that you do not wash or scrub your skin excessively. That itself might end up as the cause of irritation for the skin. 

• Regular Hair Shampooing. For people who are prone to developing acne around the hairline, it is important to shampoo hair regularly. The frequency of shampooing should be regulated such that it stops the outbreak of acne.

• Avoid Pinching Blemishes. It is important to resist the urge to pick or squeeze the blemishes/acne on the skin. This causes infection, aggravation of the blemish and scarring post-healing. 

• Choice of Cosmetics. Stay away from oily or greasy cosmetics, creams, sunscreens, hair products and scar/acne concealers. Buy beauty and skincare products that are labeled as being water-based/non-comedogenic. Products marked as non-comedogenic indicate that they are designed to not cause an acne outbreak.

• Skin Hygiene. Basic mindfulness of hygiene, such as keeping hair clean and away from the face, helps keep acne at bay. It is also a good idea to desist from resting unclean hands on the face or touching unclean objects on the face. Wearing tight clothes and donning tight hats aggravates skin conditions. This is especially true for places with hot and humid weather. Such weather causes excessive sweating. Sweat combined with excessive oil secretion causes acne.

Medication

There are several medications available to treat acne and spots that occur during pregnancy. However, ingesting medication or applying them to the skin as topical creams during pregnancy can cause complications. Medicines enter the bloodstream and can adversely affect the fetus. Insufficient studies have been done on the effects of the over-the-counter (OTC) formulations on pregnant women and the fetus. 

The usual skin formulations contain erythromycin and clindamycin and are considered safe. However, the safety of using some other formulations with ingredients such as benzoyl peroxide as a treatment for pregnancy acne is yet to be assessed.

See Also

What Makes Facial Masks so Important for Your Beauty Routine

Some other acne formulations are known to trigger congenital disabilities. These include oral isotretinoin and other topical retinoids. Pregnant women should avoid these medications. 

For women dealing with pregnancy acne, it is always best to consult a dermatologist or a GP. Following specialist medical advice is always the best option.

^{Pregnancy Skincare: Acne, Pigmentation, Stretch Marks & more!}