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Ten Skin Problems Of Pregnancy
by: Ally McNeal
Pregnancy brings with it many changes,
emotionally, physically, and mentally. From a mental and
emotional standpoint, you’re preparing to adopt a new role of
parent, with all its accompanying responsibilities. Physically,
of course, you’re dealing with changes in the shape, function,
and movement of your body. While we have a society-wide belief
that pregnant women are always glowing, that, unfortunately, is
not always the case. No where is this more evident than in the
skin prolems of pregnacy.
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “the eyes are the window to
the soul”. If this is true, your skin is the window to your
current state of health and the changes taking place on the
inside. During pregnancy, aside from all the other issues, you
may also have to deal with a variety of skin changes, including
rashes, acne, stretch marks, breaking nails, hair growth or
loss, and dark blotches on the skin.
Most of these changes are directly linked to the enormous amount
of hormonal fluctuations women experience during pregnany.
During pregnancy, there are all kinds of changes which can have
impact on your skin, leading to new skin problems or worsening
of existing ones. In some cases, pregnacy may actually help
improve existing skin conditions. Let’s look at various skin
conditions in more detail, defining the main ten skin probelms
of pregnancy.
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1) Rashes. Rashes appear due to irritation of the skin. One
common pregnancy rash is called pruritic urticarial papules and
plaques of pregnacy (PUPPP). This is the most frequently seen
condition specific to pregnany. Women with PUPPP demonstrate a
rash which starts on the abdomen and can spread to the breasts,
arms, thighs, and buttocks.
2) Acne. Acne is another skin condition that may get better or
worse during pregnancy. Acne is, at least in part, driven by
hormones, so the hormones of pregnancy can lead to more
breakouts for some women, and clearer skin for others.
3) Oily skin. Oily skin is third skin condition which may arise
during pregnacy. This is related to increased levels of
androgen, the male sex hormone, which causes an increase in
sebum production. The more sebum produced, the oilier the skin.
Many women report that their skin and hair becomes oilier during
pregnany. Most of the time, these issues can be addressed with
over the counter oil controlling cleansers and products.
4) Stretch marks. The fourth skin prolems of pregnancy, stretch
marks arise when the under layers of the skin is stretched,
resulting in visible striations on the surface of the skin.
Stretch marks can be treated after the fact, but the best
treatment is always prevention. Keeping your skin well
moisturized, especially on your tummy, breasts, thighs, can help
reduce the appearance of stretch marks.
5) Spider angiomas. These are another possible skin problem of
pregnancy. Spider angiomas are groups of very tiny blood vessels
which gather around a central point and radiate out like the
legs of a spider. Pregnant women are likely to develop these on
their chest, faces, arms, and sometimes on other places on the
body. Most of these spider angiomas clear up after pregnancy.
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6) Chloasma. Chloasma, also called melasma, or
the “mask of pregnancy” is another skin condition which is diagnosed when
certain areas of the skin turn darker because of excess pigmentation. Most
often, this condition affects places of the skin which are most often
exposed to sun, like the upper lip, forehead, cheeks. This condition is
likely to clear up after pregnacy. Again, you can lessen your chances of chloasma by using a good (baby safe) doctor recommended sunscreen throughout
the course of your pregnany.
7) Too much hair. Changes in the hair are also common during pregnancy. Some
women lose a lot of hair within a few months after delivery, while many are
troubled with excess hair growth during pregnancy. Excess hair growth is
most often seen on the lip and chin, and is triggered by an increase in
androgen and other male hormones during pregnany.
8) Brittle nails. Many women experience breaking, splitting, or brittleness
to their nails during pregnancy. Physicians aren't quite sure why this
occurs, but it may be managed with an over the counter nail hardening
polish. Check with your doctor.
9) Skin tags. Skin tags are little pieces of skin which over-grow and hang
from the neck. These can increase in number during pregnancy. If you have
skin tags before pregnancy, it may be that pregnancy will cause these to
increase.
10) Atopic dermatitis. Also known as eczema, this skin condition may appear
or worsen during pregnancy. Marked by extreme skin itchiness, too much
scratching can lead to the skin become red, swollen, or cracked.
If you are pregnant, be sure to watch for these ten skin probelms of
pregnancy. If you begin to develop any of these conditions, seek appropriate
medical advice; you don’t have to suffer through these conditions for the
whole nine months. Chances are that your doctor will have recommendations
which can address your skin problems so you can have healthy, beautiful
skin, even while you’re pregnant.
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