Skin Changes During Pregnancy

The hormonal and emotional burst during the pre-partum stage temporarily affects the skin's tone, color, texture, moisture, attraction to bugs, and health.

Pregnancy is a time of richly flowing progesterone and estrogen. It is also a time of mood swings from happiness to anxiety and fear as well as sleep and appetite changes. Of course the skin, the largest organ is going to reflect some of those changes.

• Skin Color Changes in Pregnancy

Early in the pregnancy the woman may notice a darkening of her areola on her breasts. She may also see a gradually darkening or appearing line going vertically from her breastbone to the top of her pubic bone. This is called linea nigra.

Some women particularly those with darker skin to begin with may see a splotchy darkening of the face. The skin color may deepen over the cheeks and even the nose. This is chloasma dubbed the mask of pregnancy although it can appear on women who are not pregnant as well. Typically the combination of sun and hormones lies behind it. It may fade after pregnancy or otherwise can be corrected once breast-feeding is finished.

• Chloasma

This is commonly referred to as "mask of pregnancy" and includes lighter areas in your neck or face if you have dark pigmentation and vice-versa in women with light pigmentation. This is a consequence of higher levels of melanin, the component that gives your skin its colour. The sun can make the patches more obvious, so use a high factor sun cream protection. If you feel self-conscious, try using some make-up to fade the differences.

• Linea Nigra

This is a dark line running down your tummy, sometimes even crossing the navel. It marks where the abdominal muscles start pulling in opposite directions. Other areas may also go through changes in pigmentation include your nipples and freckles, but all these with fade soon after delivery.Many women normally have a faint linea alba (white line) running from their navel to the center of their pubic bone. It is barely visible before pregnancy. (You may not have even known it was there). Sometime in the second trimester a linea alba becomes a linea nigra, a dark line that is much more noticeable. In some women the line extends upward from the navel as well. The linea nigra is darker in darker skinned women and disappears several months after delivery.

• Rashes in Pregnancy

Breasts become enlarged and may crease over the skin on the chest hampering free airflow. Along with a growing abdomen there is little air between body parts and an itchy flaky heat rash or fungal rash may appear. This is easily treated by keeping the skin dry and free there or asking the healthcare practitioner for a topical cream to alleviate it. If truly bothersome.

• Heat rash. 

You may think that only babies get prickly heat rash, but pregnant women do, too. Caused by the combination of an already overheated pregnant body, dampness from excessive perspiration, and the friction of skin rubbing against itself or against clothing, prickly heat rash is pimply and slightly irritating. It is most common in the crease between and beneath the breasts, in the crease where the bulge of the lower abdomen rubs against the top of the pubic area, and on the inner thighs.

Body temperature is raised in pregnancy and sweat glands can become clogged causing miliaria, the tiny red bumps noted in area of the most sweat. Veins and vessels appear more prominent helping the increased blood flow.

• Pregnancy Acne

You probably thought your pimple days were over. While the acne of pregnancy is rarely as severe as that of adolescence, you may need to return to some of your teenage cleansing rituals. Fortunately, pregnancy is much shorter than adolescence; the bumps and pimples will subside shortly after delivery. Avoid abrasive scrubs or exfoliants; pregnant skin is too sensitive for these. Milder, oatmeal-based facial scrubs (available at nutrition stores) can help unplug the oily pores, and are much kinder to sensitive skin. Because of the risk of birth defects, the anti-acne prescription drugs Accutane and Retin-A cannot be used during pregnancy.

• Insect Bites and Pregnant Women

Some people think pregnant women are more susceptible to insect or mosquito bites and this may be true. Mosquitoes are attracted to some people more than others and what it is in the skin of those people has yet to be exactly identified. Since pregnant women are more cautious in using chemicals to repel insects, this too might make them a more likely target. Be sure and avoid insect bites but check before using any toxic chemicals on the skin while pregnant.

• Streaks and Stretch Marks

The rapidly stretching skin sometimes leaves red stripes or shows minute tears along the growing planes of the skin. These stripes or striae change throughout the growth phase and the woman's life from red to thin silver or beige. Some believe keeping the skin moist and supple will prevent the stretch but basically it is genetic and also depends on how big the stomach is and how much larger the breasts and thighs get. There are many home remedies and laser remedies for this but so far time seems to be the result-oriented.

• Hair and Nail Changes in Pregnancy

Although some have lush shiny hair during this period, others complain of thinning hair as the hair enters a resting stage and is shed. Change in thyroid can also produce hair loss. Nails can break more easily or separate from the nail bed.

Remember whatever changes are going on outside the pregnant body, even more changes are occurring inside with the growing fetus. Read also Beauty Treatments to Avoid in Pregnancy.

Pregnancy is notorious for wrecking your skin, but these skin changes during pregnancy usually disappear after you deliver your baby and have no health implications. However, if you develop a rash or you notice an inflammation or blisters that last more than a few days contact your doctor. Normal skin conditions during pregnancy include: