Many women expect to have ‘glowing’ skin when they fall pregnant, however those lucky woman who have radiant skin throughout their pregnancy are few and far between. Due to raging hormones, excess blood flow and your expanding body, pregnant woman have to endure many skin problems during those nine months. These problems range from acne, stretch marks, melasma and broken blood vessels.
Acne
While pregnant your body is going through many changes. Hormones tend to run riot and this can result in acne. Break outs are likely to occur on your face, chest and back. Blackheads are also common due to the oil glands responding to androgen, the male sex hormone that increases during pregnancy. This causes the oil glands to produce large quantities of oil which clogs the opening of the oil gland and results in blackhead. Cleansing your skin on a daily basis as well as drinking lots of water might improve the condition but it is generally something you will have to ride out.
Spider Veins
During pregnancy your heart increases the blood volume output to supply the baby with oxygen. By the time you reach the end of your pregnancy the volume of blood flowing through your body will have increased by about 50%. As a result some women develop tiny dilated blood vessels in there skin, know as ‘spider veins’. These may go away after pregnancy but if not there are laser treatments available to remove these veins.
Stretch Marks
Over 90% of women will develop stretch marks during pregnancy due to the weight gain and the pulling and stretching of the skin. These marks appear as pink or purple lines and are usually found on the stomach, thighs and breasts. While these are hard to prevent, and even more difficult to treat once they develop, stretch marks can be improved by using certain lotions before and during pregnancy. Creams, oils and lotions with alpha-hydroxy will increase your skins elasticity and this can keep stretch marks to a minimum.
Melasma
Chloasma, also known as melasma or the mask of pregnancy is a skin condition that many women are unaware of until they enter pregnancy. This is when patches of skin on the cheeks, forehead and upper lip turns a tan or brownish colour due to excess pigment in the skin’s upper layer. To try and prevent this use sun cream on your face while pregnant. These patches should go away after pregnancy.
If you suffer from any of the above conditions while pregnant, and want to cover and disguise them as best you can, Vichy has launched their Dermablend Foundation Corrective Cream-Stick. This make up is specifically designed to cover unsightly marks on the skin and is recommended by dermatologist. It lasts for up to 16 hours and is even water proof. It will cover and camouflage all of the above skin conditions so you can still have that ‘glowing’ skin throughout your pregnancy. To learn more about Vichy Dermablend click here.
