​Skin Changes during Pregnancy

Who doesn’t love thick, voluminous hair, stronger nails and a glowing complexion? You have to admit that there are many benefits bestowed upon the pregnant woman not to mention the fact that as you enjoy and bask in your body’s ability to enhance your natural beauty – but at the end of your nine months you’re given the gift of a beautiful bouncing and very cute baby! However, pregnancy can bring it with it a massive hormonal shift that may cause varying skin changes that are less than pleasing to say the least,. Thankfully the majority of these changes aren’t permanent, if you take some simple steps to educate yourself on the  products and treatments available and make time to love and care for your body during your pregnancy, you'll have your skin needs well covered!

Stretch marks

Pregnancy is a well-known culprit for the development of stretch marks, as the body expands at a rapid rate making the dreaded stretch mark quite a common issue for mums-to-be. A natural phenomenon that occurs as the body expands faster than the covering skin, the skin tears forming a scar as it heals – these scars appear visible on the surface of the skin as a stretch mark. Whilst there are many causes of stretch marks, factors such as skin type, age, diet and hydration levels can all contribute to the formation of stretchmark’s throughout your pregnancy. The moisturisation of your skin will help to stave off stretchmark’s and increase and enhance your skins elasticity. Beautyfeatures.ie recommends starting with a stretchmark preventative as soon as you find out your pregnant to limit their skin stretching and silvery lined effects. With certain areas of the body more prone than others such as your stomach (!), thighs and upper arms, it’s a great excuse to indulge in a daily massage routine using circular motions, morning and night.

Try: Mama Mio Goodbye Stretch Marks. A visible stretch mark minimiser that is designed for use throughout the pregnancy and beyond. Clinically proven to improve the texture and lighten the appearance of those pesky stretchmark’s.

Uneven skin tone

On one hand a pregnancy glow for some – and on the other, uneven skin tone! All mums-to-be experience pregnancy in their own unique way. For some it is the glowing complexion of the advertisements on the television however for others it can mean pigmentation and the darkening of your skin in areas such as the groin, breasts, the arms and thighs. Another form of pigmentation prevalent throughout pregnancy is called Melasma, known as the “mask of pregnancy” this facial pigmentation occurs in over half of all pregnant women. And even though these very visible changes can be traumatic and confronting, we promise it’s not something to freak out about. Uneven skin tone occurs when there is an inconsistent production of melanin by the body, and it can be as a result of many influences such as excessive sun exposure, the use of poor quality skin lightening treatments and internal causes such as the hormonal fluctuations associated with pregnancy, menopause or the use of oral contraceptives.

Try: Bio Oil, proven to balance the appearance of uneven skin tone, ingredients’ such as calendula and lavender work to restore your skin as it boosts circulation and nutrients to the discoloured areas. Plus it’s an amazing moisturiser and works at reducing fine lines and wrinkles. You may well find yourself making this a beauty must have well after baby has arrived.

Dry skin

To bounce back to your most beautiful and most confident after baby has arrived its vital to look after your skin throughout your pregnancy and address any pregnancy related skin concerns that may arrive. Being proactive and not reactive will ensure you maintain and preserve beautifully moisturised and youthful looking skin! The surge of pregnancy hormones can cause excessive dryness of the skin, which can lead to itchy and irritated skin. Thankfully Beautyfeatures.ie has a solution so that you don’t have to concern yourself with dry, flaky and itchy skin. An oil based formula such as Bio-Oil® will help to restore moisture, strengthen the skins barrier and because it features chamomile, it will work to soothe irritation and itchiness. It truly is a pregnancy skin lifesaver!

Try: Bio-Oil® or  Mama Mio The Tummy Rub Oil. This unique power packed blend of organic oils such as Omega 3, 6 & 9 will nourish and strengthen your skin protecting its elasticity and eliminating itchy tummies. Also a brilliant treatment for getting your skin back into pre pregnancy shape!

Shop the Mama Mio range now