Easy Skincare & Beauty During Pregnancy

As you’re battling morning sickness or skin annoyances such as adolescent-like acne, you want products that are effortless and effective. Fortunately, you can create a gentle, winning routine that’s safe during pregnancy. Here’s how to do it.
Easy Skincare & Beauty During Pregnancy

1. Simplify your routine

Instead of driving yourself crazy reading ingredient lists, pare down your routine to the basics: a gentle cleanser, calming moisturizer and sunscreen.

* Cleanser. Use a mild daily cleanser that’s either glycerin-based, soapless or doesn’t leave a residue, dermatologist Amy Newburger, M.D., tells American Baby. Wash your face no more than two times a day to ward off dryness. To lather up without drying out your skin, use Philosophy Purity Made Simple, a gentle glycerin-based cleanser.

* Moisturizer. Dryness can become a common problem during pregnancy, so a moisturizer to hydrate skin is a definite must. According to dermatologist Frederic Brandt, M.D., use moisturizers with antioxidants like grapeseed or green tea extract to defend against environmental damage. Also, don’t forget to moisturize your entire body. Try Mustela Ultimate Hydration, which contains glycerin and wheat germ oil to nourish dry skin during pregnancy.

* Sunscreen. Pregnancy is no time to skimp on sun protection, dermatologist Leslie Baumann, M.D., tells BabyCenter. Most ingredients found in sunscreen are safe, including physical blockers like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. However, always check with your doctor if you’re unsure about your sunscreen’s safety (or any product for that matter). Try Belli Anti Chloasma Facial Sunscreen SPF 25 to guard against both UVA and UVB rays.

2. Address problems safely

You probably rely on certain go-to products when you spy a pimple or a new brown spot. However, you’ll need to adjust your routine, because your products might not be safe during pregnancy.

* Stretch marks. Unfortunately, stretch marks are largely hereditary and hard to prevent. But you do have two effective options, dermatologist Ken Beer, M.D., tells WebMD: post-pregnancy laser treatments and topical treatments. After giving birth, you can consult with a dermatologist about laser treatments. In the meantime, look for creams with glycolic acid or green tea.

* Itchiness. Scratching miserably at your stomach, breasts, arms or legs? You’re not alone. The Mayo Clinic reports that pregnant women often have this problem. Also, ongoing skin irritations like dermatitis can worsen during pregnancy. To relieve itchiness, which tends to be worse in the third trimester, dermatologist Ellen Marmur, M.D., tells WebMD:

o Use milk. Ease itching by soaking a washcloth in milk and placing it on your belly.

o Try oatmeal. Add a handful of oatmeal to a warm bath.

o Soothe with moisturizer. Look for a moisturizing body lotion to hydrate and calm the skin, such as ATOPALM MLE Body Lotion.

o Talk to your doctor. Your doctor can prescribe steroid creams to alleviate itching. Importantly, keep the physician informed of any skin changes. Speak up right away if itchiness is accompanied by a rash or blisters. It could “be an autoimmune reaction known as pemphigoid gestationis or herpesgestationis,” according to WebMD. These reactions can increase the likelihood of premature birth and harm the baby’s health.

* Chloasma or melasma. Also known as the mask of pregnancy, these dark spots can appear on your face and body because of hormones. While no prescription treatment has been proven safe, topical treatments that use ingredients such as vitamin C or azelaic acid are worth a try, says Dr. Marmur.

Stay away from soy-based skincare products, which can exacerbate melasma or chloasma, Dr. Baumann tells BabyCenter. In addition, stay out of the sun and use a broad-spectrum sunscreen liberally. And don’t forget to wear a hat.

* Acne. Due to surging hormones, acne is quite common during pregnancy. But, before trying an acne-fighting product, talk it over with your doctor to make sure it’s safe.

Avoid the following active ingredients, because they might harm your developing baby:

o Retinoids. Because Accutane causes birth defects, it isn’t safe for use during pregnancy. Also, dermatologists suggest patients stop taking Accutane a month before trying to conceive, according to Fit Pregnancy. It’s also important to skip topical retinoids, such as Avage, Differin, Renova, Retin-A and Tazorac.

o Salicylic acid. When topically applied, this beta hydroxy acid hasn’t been associated with adverse effects. But, when taken in its oral form (i.e., aspirin) in high doses, it can cause birth defects and complications during pregnancy. Also, avoid salicylic acid face and body peels, suggests BabyCenter.

o Benzoyl peroxide. To be on the safe side, dermatologist Jody Levine, M.D., tells Fit Pregnancy to skip benzoyl peroxide, because some of it might get absorbed.

So, what ingredients are safe? Dermatologist Sumayah Jamal, M.D., Ph.D., tells WebMD, that the following is safe to combat acne:

o Over-the-counter topical treatments containing sulfur, glycolic acid or other alpha hydroxy acids and at-home microdermabrasion.

o Prescription medication such as erythromycin cream and azelaic acid.

3. Enhance your beautiful glow

The best way to enhance your natural glow is to choose a few basic products to highlight your features. To maintain a beautiful, natural look, American Baby and WebMD suggest the following tips:

* Banish blemishes and dark circles with concealer.

* Ease your acne symptoms with foundation formulated for oily skin and mineral-based loose powder. Try Philosophy Air-Brushed Canvas SPF 15, which combines concealer, sun protection and powder in one for perfect coverage and a soft finish.

* Define lashes with mascara. Check out a waterproof version for those teary-eyed moments.

* Look for multi-purpose products that you can use on your eyes, lips and cheeks.

* Swipe on a lipstick that features SPF protection — your lips need defense against the sun, too.

Everyday protection and treatment of the skin

Lifestyle:

• Drink 2 liters of clear water a day, eat lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts.
• Get plenty of sleep. Good 7-9 hour rest through the night helps organism to restore level of oxygen in the blood that is responsible for quick renewal of your body’s cells.
• Avoid direct sunlight, keep you face covered when in the sun – use high factor sunscreen, put on sunglasses and a wide brimmed hat.
• Quit smoking and avoid stress situations that can show up on your face no matter how thoroughly you take care of your skin.
• Women: Never go to bed with make-up on, it can seep into your pores, clogging them. Wash your skin twice in the end of the day – first to take off the make-up and then to wash the skin itself.

Everyday protection and treatment of the skin:

• Wash your skin thoroughly to keep its surface clean, avoiding clogged pores and inflammatory processes in the skin. Handle it very carefully – never pull, tug or scrub it.
• After washing your face at night be sure to remove dead skin cells (exfoliate) with the gentle scrub at least twice a week: use products containing alpha hydroxy acids (AHA), which are derived from fruit, milk and sugar cane and have anti-inflammatory properties.

  Home remedy: a tablespoon of sugar or oatmeal will work just fine.

  Facial mud and clay masques also help exfoliate dead skin cells, dry up pimples and rinse away blackheads. These masks normalize the skin, absorbing excess oil, shrinking large pores, improving skin’s texture, replenishing vitamins, minerals and moisture.

• Nourish your skin by making facial masks from plain yoghurt, banana, avocado and taking vitamin C that helps in formation of collagen, improving skin’s texture.
• Keep you skin well hydrated throughout the day.

  Home remedy: add a few drops of chamomile (rose) essential oil to the distilled water, pour it into the spray bottle – and spray it on your skin as frequently as possible, shaking gently before each use.

• Keep your skin supple and looking good by stimulating the blood circulation in it. Daily exercise and a shower alternating between hot and cold water will improve the bloodflow in your body thus providing your skin cells with vitally needed oxygen and nutrients.
• A glass of hot water with lemon daily helps to energize your entire organism, including liver and gall bladder, cleaning the blood of toxins responsible for problem skin.

How to Use a Facial Mask

Facial masks are a great way to treat your skin to a once a week spa treatment. You can find masks for any skin type with a variety of different ingredients. There are mud masks to help to smooth your skin as well as some that are specifically designed to help with acne problems. All masks are good for your skin and help to tone and sooth your skin.

A mask for your face should be applied once or twice weekly. You don’t want to use them too frequently as they can upset the natural oil balance of your skin. The way that most facial masks work is that you put them on your face and wait for a specified period of time until you feel it dry and your skins starts feeling a little tight. Read more

Your Miraculous Skin