Pregnancy is indeed a wonderful thing. It’s amazing how your body adjusts to make way for another living thing. But then again, expectant mothers also dread these changes. Aside from the morning sickness, I’m sure you most dread the physical changes. Aside from the weight gain, which is most apparent and unavoidable, changes are also seen on your skin. Some of you may suffer from pigmentation and discoloration, spots, acne, and even dryness of the skin.
These things that are happening to your skin are normal. You’re not the only one. These changes are brought about by the changing levels of hormones as well as the changes in your immune system. While these changes cannot be avoided, there are ways to treat them, and the good news is, you can do it in the comforts of your home without the help of skin experts.
Here are the usual skin problems that you may encounter during your pregnancy and ways to remedy them.
1.Skin Pigmentation
The most common skin pigmentation experienced during pregnancy are melasma and chloasma. These dark spots are very apparent and usually appear on the face such as over her forehead and cheeks. This is why it’s called as the “mask of pregnancy.”There are anti-pigmentation treatments and facials, but if you find them quite pricey or if you simply don’t have the time, you can use any of the following ingredients and do any of the following home treatments:
•Lemons – Use them directly on your pigmented skin. However, not all people’s skin react positively from lemons.
•Potato – Yes, it can do wonders to your skin, and no, you will not ingest it in the form of fries or potato chips. What you can do is to cute a potato in half and rub it gently on your pigmented skin every day. Another way todo this is to grate it, squeeze the juice, and scrub it on your skin.
•Sandalwood powder + turmeric powder + milk – Mix all these ingredients until it turns to a paste. Apply mildly on the pigmented areas while gently massaging your face. Wash it off afterwards.
•Papaya -It’s not a new discovery that papaya is an active ingredient in spot correction. For your skin pigmentation during pregnancy, spread the papaya pulp directly on the skin.
2. Dark Spots Like skin pigmentation, dark spots may also appear on the face usually. This darkening of some areas of your face is also due to the changes in hormonal levels and immune system. Here are some ingredients that you can easily find at home and instructions on how you can improve those stubborn dark spots:
•Mint – Use mint leaves and water to make a paste. Directly apply it over the dark spots and let its it on for 15 minutes before rinsing. You can do this twice or thrice a week to observe positive results.
•Orange – Make a powder from orange peel and pour some raw milk. When it reaches to a pasty consistency, spread it on the face and rinse after 15-20 minutes.
•Avocado – Mash avocado or squeeze the juice and apply iton the affected areas. To achieve best results, you can do this daily.
3. Dark Neck This darkening of the neck during pregnancy is known as acanthosis nigricans. You may notice that your skin on this part becomes dark, thick, and velvety patches. Sometimes, you may also experience itching. To get rid of this, try either or both home remedies:
•Lemon – Squeeze fresh lemon juice and using a cotton ball, apply it to your neck. Let it sit on for 10-20 minutes and rinse with water. Avoid basking under the sun after applying this treatment because it might cause irritation.
•Cucumber – Grate fresh cucumbers and scrub it on the affected area. Cucumber is popularly used for cleansing with a calming and soothing effect.
4. Acne More than one out of two pregnant women suffer from breakouts. This is the most common skin problem during this stage of a woman’s life. Yes, even those who haven’t suffered from acne during their teenage years tend to breakout. There are over-the-counter treatments and prescriptions available to fight acne, but there are several studies saying that the use of these medicines can have an effect on the unborn child. Some link it to the risk of birth defects. It doesn’t mean that you should just shrug it off. Why don’t you try any of the following remedies using natural ingredients?
•Apple cider vinegar – You can mix 1/3 apple cider vinegar and 2/3 distilled water and apply it to your skin using a cotton ball to absorb oil. Apple cider vinegar is used as a natural toner. To get best results, choose raw and unfiltered apple cider vinegar.
•Honey – Honey is a perfect acne and spot cure because of its antibacterial and antiseptic properties. Before applying honey to your face, wash first using warm water. Apply the honey directly to your spots and pimples for 20 to 30 minutes and then wash with warm water as well. After, you would feel that your skin is soothed and is able to breathe.
•Baking soda – You can create a natural spot treatment by combining a tablespoon of baking soda and a tablespoon of water. Apply the mixture to the affected areas and let it dry before rinsing.
5. Stretch marks This is one of the most pressing concerns of expectant mothers. The stretch marks would even be more apparent after giving birth. This is because of hormonal changes and mostly because you just lost the fat that you gained usually in the abdomen area. Some women even resort to surgeries, but of course, this can be very costly. There are also a wide range of products like creams and lotions, but more often than not, they don’t help. The best option is to go for natural home remedies such as the following:
•Egg White – Use egg whites for your stretch marks. Regular use will yield positive results.
•Vitamin E oil – Combine vitamin E oil with a moisturizer and lather iton the stretch marks daily
.•Castor oil – First, put castor oil on the affected areas. Next, cover the area with a plastic bag, and put a hot compress or hot water bottle on it. Keep at it for 30-40 minutes and then rinse.Reduce the stress of pregnancy with these easy home remedies, and soon enough, your skin would be the least of your concerns. Enjoy and happy birthing!
