Pregancy symptoms and your skin

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I remember looking in the mirror and thinking “Where is that pregnancy glow everyone is talking about?” I mean, all I could see was lines around my eyes (of dehydration I convinced myself!), dark circles, redness on the jaw line, oh dear!

Pregnancy glow? I learnt later from more experienced mums that it doesn’t generally appear in the first trimester and I realised that I had to change my skincare routine as my hormones were all over the place- just like any other Mum to be, and I had to listen to my body a lot more than usual!

We can all recognise pregnancy symptoms but we don’t realise how much the hormones influence the skin... the feeling of being tired kicks in along with morning (or all day!) sicknesses, many women suffer from constant vomiting resulting in skin dehydration (fine lines around the eyes and the mouth may appear) therefore pregnancy is the time to re-think your skincare routine and indulge on a good face moisturiser.

Be aware of textures, if your skin is now combination to oily, reach for oil free moisturisers to prevent breakout such as DCL Ultra Light Hydrator and Malin + Goetz Vitamin E Moisturiser, which will provide your skin with maximum hydration without clogging the pores.

If your tendency is normal to dry, try light yet nourishing Ole Henriksen Herbal Day Cream SPF 15 or BOD Light Moisturising Cream.

During pregnancy the skin can change dramatically: if you were struggling with acne, your complexion could clear up overnight, if your skin never saw a blemish, it starts breaking out so make sure you revise your daily routine and update your bathroom cabinet!

Under the influence of pregnancy hormones the melanin pigment is more active which explains the darkening of the nipples and later on the apparition of the linea nigra (darker line down the stomach) which also means the skin is now more sensitive to the UVs. Even in the early stage of pregnancy the skin can be prone to pigmentation called chloasma or melasma (also known as Mask of pregnancy) and surprisingly olive skins are more prone to this condition than English rose complexions. One rule for all: use a day moisturiser with SPF 15 on daily basis and a SPF 30 in the summer: DCL Chemfree

SPF 30 is great as it provides 4 hours protection and is extremely light. The best prevention is to stay out of the sun if you can as even though the pigmentation lightens after giving birth, it never disappears.

Whatever the problem, always seek advice from your Beauty Therapist to make sure you are recommended the right routine but don’t over do it either: the skin is already struggling with changes so don’t overwhelm it with too many products. If you are going to indulge in beauty products, splash out on a good cleanser- DCL Non Drying Cleanser will remove make-up and gently cleanses even the most sensitive skin while On the Go Cleanser from Ole Henriksen is packed with antioxidant Vitamin C and essential ingredient for healthy skin.

In my case, I went from a pretty clear combination skin to a dreadful dry eczema covering my face I was not able to use anything but fragrance free, hypoallergenic products such as Avene and La Roche Posay (from pharmacies)! What a struggle for a beauty product junky like me! The day my little girl was born, it all disappeared and I was back to trying everything I could get my hands on (9 months of missing out!).

Even though most women do not really put on weight in the first few weeks of pregnancy, most of us notice an increase in the bra department! Well, in my case it wasn’t the sicknesses or giving up the glass of wine with the girlfriends that gave my secret away but the size of my “décolletage” and questions about a potential trip to Harley Street! Considering I have been a small B cup all my life it was a shock to wake-up with a generous D cup!

However a sudden stretching of the delicate breast tissue can lead to stretch marks and no matter what beauty brands claim; nothing can really prevent stretch marks, no matter how much the “miracle cream” costs! I would personally stay away from baby oil (the main ingredient being petroleum liquidum- which is extracted from petrol…not really mummy/ baby friendly in my books) and rather make my own concoction in the kitchen: take a clean empty glass bottle and fill up ¾ pure Argan Oil Kaeline Organic “Huile de Beaute” (which penetrates better than Sweet Almond Oil as it is lighter while more nourishing and works wonder on very dry, atopic eczematic skins and is baby friendly!) and ¼ Rose Hip Oil (wonderful nourishing oil which also improves skin’s elasticity).

This home made oil can be used all over the body, twice a day, insisting on the breasts and tummy. Don’t wait until the bump starts showing to hydrate, the earlier you start, the less risk of developing nasty stretch marks.

As a final advice: shop around, listen to people you trusts, ask for advice and ask for samples as you can never predict what will work and what won’t…don’t be scared of upsetting your beauty consultant or your therapist, one of the lovely fact of being pregnant is that people will care about you more than usual…

Article by: Stephanie Beucher-Ibrahim