When women go through pregnancy, they experience many changes to the body. This is all down to hormonal fluctuations.
Some women may experience improvements in their skin during pregnancy such as clear skin and a glowing complexion. For others, increased hyperpigmentation, pregnancy acne and sensitive skin may be more common.
If you're going through pregnancy, you can support your body through the next nine months by adapting your skincare routine to nourish stressed skin and care for common skin conditions such as melasma, stretch marks and hormonal acne.
Here is your guide on what you can expect to change on your face and body during pregnancy and what you can do to take care of hormonal changes.
HOW DOES PREGNANCY AFFECT THE SKIN?
The main reason you experience changes in your skin is due to hormonal fluctuations. Changes in oestrogen, progesterone and androgen levels is what can cause dry, itchy skin during pregnancy that can lead to skin darkening and discolouration.
During this time, your body will likely have a suppressed immune system to protect your growing baby, making it harder for your body to fight off pesky blemishes and hormonal acne.
On the other side, you may find your skin to improve in what is known as the ‘pregnancy glow’. This is largely due to the increases in oestrogen and progesterone hormones in the third trimester, as well as increased blood flow. More blood circulation to you skin makes your face and lips appear beautifully flushed and plump.
HOW DOES PREGNANCY AFFECT THE SKIN ON MY BODY?
Aside from the obvious growth in the tummy area, your body will also experience changes.
Some women report experiencing dark pigmentation during pregnancy. This is known as melasma or chloasma - a common skin condition that darkens areas of the skin. This can occur as dark underarms, dark thighs or even on the face.
Stretch marks are also common during pregnancy as the skin around your tummy stretches making room for the baby.
WHY DO I GET ACNE DURING PREGNANCY?
When you are pregnant, an increase of androgen hormones are released. This hormone is responsible for activating your sebaceous glands creating more sebum production. While this excess oil can contribute to pregnancy glow, it can cause adverse effects in the form of hormonal acne or pregnancy acne.
Oilier skin can clog pores causing acne breakouts. These can occur as painful, cystic acne around the chin and jaw as well as increased blackheads on the nose. More spots on your face also comes with increased sensitivity, and this can be exacerbated by scratching itchy skin or picking at active breakouts. All these factors can result in dark spots and PIH (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation).
HOW CAN I GET RID OF HORMONAL ACNE DURING PREGNANCY?
Taking care of your skin during pregnancy is really about being gentle on sensitive skin, particularly for those who struggle with hormonal acne, and maintaining that healthy pregnancy glow.
Here is a pregnancy-safe skincare routine to help you through the next nine months!
YOUR SIMPLE SKINCARE ROUTINE FOR PREGNANCY
STEP 1: CLEANSE WITH A GENTLE MICELLAR WATER
Pregnancy-safe micellar water is a quick and easy way to cleanse for those sleepless nights. It’s a fuss-free cleanser that doesn’t need to be rinsed off.
Our Deep Clean Micellar Water is an organic cleanser that lifts off makeup and impurities from the skin. Its weightless formulation makes this a two-in-one cleansing and toning product.
You can also use an organic micellar cleansing water as the first step to cleansing for those who like a thorough double cleanse. The Moringa Peptides in this natural makeup remover help to lift even the most stubborn particles of makeup and use hyaluronic acid to hydrate dry skin.
Take two to three pumps of your favourite natural micellar water onto a reusable bamboo pad. Sweep all over the face taking extra care around the eye area.
STEP 2: REHYDRATE USING A NATURAL TONER
After cleansing, it’s important to rehydrate the skin and introduce a hydrating toner into your everyday skincare routine. Toners balance the skin and reduce immediate redness that you might experience from cleansing.
Our Daily Defence Moisture Mist is a strengthening toner that helps to improve the resilience of the skin’s barrier. Using prebiotics, this organic toner will help to protect the skin from environmental stressors, like pollution and free radical damage, whilst intensely hydrating using low molecular weight Hyaluronic Acid.
This toner comes in a spray meaning you can simply spritz all over the face to apply. Take it on the go for a quick refresh throughout the day!
STEP 3: INCORPORATE A NATURAL HYALURONIC ACID SERUM TO HELP DRY SKIN
Dry skin during pregnancy is common and can lead to itchy skin on the face. The addition of a Hyaluronic Acid serum will help to soothe sensitive skin whilst delivering hydration.
Hyaluronic Acid is a powerful ingredient that holds up to 1000x its weight in water and will help even the most sensitive skin.
The Hyaluronic Serum 200 uses low molecular weight Hyaluronic Acid, meaning that it has the ability to penetrate deep into the layers of the skin. For mature skin types, it helps to plump the skin from within and reduce fine lines.
Take a few pumps on your hand and apply on slightly dampened skin. This will help the serum bind to the water and deliver more hydration.
STEP 4: DEPUFF HEAVY UNDER EYE BAGS USING A NATURAL EYE GEL.
Those sleepless nights can make your dark circles more prominent and give you the appearance of dark under eye bags. While there is no way to get rid of them completely, adding an organic eye serum into your routine will help to depuff and improve blood circulation.
For your daytime skincare routine for pregnancy, the Hyaluronic Eye Complex is a lightweight eye serum that refreshes tired eyes. Infused the Tuberose plant stem cells, this organic eye gel will leave your eyes feeling plumped and brightened!
STEP 5: DON'T FORGET TO MOISTURISE USING AN ORGANIC FACIAL CREAM
Don’t let all that hard work go to waste and lock in your previous steps of hydration using a natural moisturiser.
The Daily Renew Facial Cream is a pregnancy-safe moisturiser that you can use in your day and nighttime routine. Using organic Argan Oil and natural hyaluronic acid, your skin will be left nourished and soothed.
Massage gently into the skin using upwards motions, taking care on the delicate neck area and eyes.
TOP TIP: USE A BRIGHTENING FACE MASK TO MAINTAIN PREGNANCY GLOW!
At Evolve Beauty, our Radiant Glow Mask is a pregnancy-safe face mask to leave your skin glowing! The raw cacao powder helps to purify congested skin and the coconut particles gently exfoliates to brighten your complexion.
This is the perfect natural facial mask that you can squeeze in to give yourself that well-deserved relaxation! Apply for five minutes before rinsing off with warm water.
WHAT CAUSES STRETCH MARKS?
Stretch marks during pregnancy are caused by the stretching of the skin around the tummy quickly over a short period of time.
They can appear anywhere on your body but are most common on your tummy, hips and thighs during pregnancy.
HOW DO I GET RID OF STRETCH MARKS AND SCARS?
While you can’t get rid of stretch marks and scars completely, there are some things you can do to prevent the appearance of them and help prevent stretch marks in the future.
Using a natural body oil is just one way to improve the appearance of them. Oils like Rosehip oil have cell renewal properties that help skin regeneration. It is rich in fatty acids and Vitamin A that help to improve skin texture over time and reduce the appearance of stretch marks.
Our Super Berry Body Oil is a pregnancy-safe body oil that uses Rosehip oil, upcycled Raspberry oil and Pomegranate oil to deliver intense nourishment to the skin.
HOW DO I USE A BODY OIL?
If you’re wondering how a natural body oil can be added into your existing body care routine, here’s how.
STEP 1: CLEANSE USING A GENTLE BODY WASH
Cleansing the body is important to wash away any dirt and impurities that have built up throughout the day. Using a pregnancy-safe body wash such as our Super Berry Bath & Shower Oil will perfectly cleanse sensitive skin without stripping the body of its natural oils.
Formulated with upcycled Raspberry Oil and Pomegranate Seed Oil, your skin will receive all the antioxidant benefits to help improve the appearance of stretch marks and scarring.
Apply a small amount of your organic bath and shower oil and massage into the skin. The addition of water turns this shower oil into a silky emulsion to leave your skin feeling soft and nourished.
STEP 2: MASSAGE AN ORGANIC BODY OIL INTO THE SKIN
Take your favourite pregnancy-friendly body oil and squirt a few pumps into your hand. Slowly massage onto the skin using circular motions. Take extra care on stretch marks and tight muscles. You should feel more relaxed and nourished.
The Rosehip Oil in the Super Berry Body Oil aids in delivering intense moisture to the skin and helps to promote cellular renewal for those who want to improve the appearance of stretch marks.
Massage gently into your skin after cleansing. This step will help to moisturise and soften dry skin that is common during pregnancy. Its non-greasy feeling makes it the perfect massage oil to relieve stressed skin and tight muscles.
HOW TO CARE FOR DARK PIGMENTATION AND MELASMA ON THE SKIN?
Due to the changes in hormones you experience during pregnancy, you may find that parts of your body are darker than others. This hyperpigmentation can appear as dark armpits, neck and thighs called melasma/chloasma. Usually, hyperpigmentation on your body during pregnancy goes away after delivery of the baby.
There’s little you can do to treat melasma but there are things you can do to prevent pigmentation from getting worse.
TIP 1: APPLY SPF TO PROTECT SENSITIVE SKIN.
The sun is responsible for speeding up premature ageing leading to wrinkles and fine lines. So, applying SPF daily ensures that you’re properly protecting the skin against sun damage whilst helping with pregnancy pigmentation on the face.
A great pregnancy-safe SPF moisturiser that you can add in your pregnancy skincare routine is the Climate Veil SPF 20. It is beautifully tinted to give you light coverage if you want to even out your skin tone.
Climate Veil is formulated with reef-safe zinc oxide to give you mineral sun protection against UVA and UVB as well as hyaluronic acid for hydration. Zinc oxide is a great pregnancy-friendly ingredient for pregnant women as it is not absorbed into the skin.
TIP 2: USE A NATURAL BODY EXFOLIANT TO EVEN OUT SKIN TONE.
If you find difficulty improving the appearance of melasma, you can add a body exfoliant into your daily body care routine after pregnancy and after breast-feeding.
Using a product like the 360 Smoothing Body Contour helps to exfoliate the body without the abrasive scrub. Infused with AHAs (alpha-hydroxy-acids), this organic body cream will get rid of dead skin cells on the surface of the skin to reveal healthy and renewed skin.
Using low molecular weight Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate and Peruvian Maca to help stimulate cellular renewal, this natural body cream will leave your skin feeling firmer, softer and nourished.
To use, simply massage onto freshly cleansed skin. Take extra care when applying to dry areas on the body such as knees and elbows as well as areas of discolouration.
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