| Overview | Causes | Symptoms | When Start | Where Occur | Tips | 10 Home Remedies |
Overview
Acne in pregnancy is a very common issue affecting many pregnant women. Most women have acne in pregnancy. Many women feel uncomfortable with acne in their pregnancy because of the toll it takes on their self-esteem. This is usually due to a feeling of unattractiveness that the acne breakouts exacerbate during pregnancy.
The good news for the women who have this problem is that these acne breakouts are usually temporary. After the birth, you can expect that acne which occurs during pregnancy to clear up. Simply the same hormonal changes that caused this will readjust after birth.
Causes of Acne in Pregnancy
The cause of acne in pregnancy is most often attributed to hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy.
Hormones are a big part of pregnancy, and a major cause of acne, so often pregnancy and acne go hand in hand. Often women can have some of the worst acne during pregnancy caused by the multitude of hormonal changes during pregnancy. Even if they have never had bad acne, they will often experience really bad acne during their first trimester.
If you have had acne as a teenager, you have high chances of breaking out into acne in pregnancy. You might have considered the hormonal changes of your teens as something which might not recur, but pregnancy also has similar hormonal fluctuations and this time around it is on a much bigger scale. For those of you who have had acne continuing into your adult years, pregnancy is likely to make the situation more severe.
Symptoms of Acne in Pregnancy
Pregnancy can make acne worse or trigger new acne symptoms. Androgen hormones have higher levels during pregnancy and can trigger breakouts. Androgens increase the production of sebum from the sebaceous glands. The sebum mixes with shredded skin at the hair follicle and blocks the pore. This creates bacteria to multiply and leads to inflammation and skin breakouts.
Most often, pimples tend to pop right when you least expect it. For a woman who is experiencing post-pregnancy, acne problems are likely to surface right before your period. This is because of the estrogen levels falling and progesterone levels rise. This stimulates the sebaceous glands to produce extra oil, this excess oil found on your skin in turn produces an unwanted by-product, acne.
When Does Acne in Pregnancy Start?
For most women, acne in pregnancy is most severe in the first trimester. This is because the hormonal changes in the first three months of pregnancy have the most fluctuations.
The hormonal changes taking place in your body affect your sebaceous glands which secrete sebum, a substance that keeps your skin smooth. Under the influence of hormones, the glands become hyperactive and this causes your skin to break out into acne.
Where Does Acne in Pregnancy Occur?
Acne in pregnancy is not limited only to your face. If you have never had acne before, acne in pregnancy will generally appear on your cheeks and to a lesser extent on your forehead. For those of you who have had acne before, you are more likely to see it on your face, neck, and back as well.
In severe cases, you might get pimples on your shoulders and chest as well. If you have always had a severe problem with acne you might have to watch out for complications that could infect the pimples and scar your skin as they heal.
What Can You Do About Acne in Pregnancy?
You can follow a few simple tips to reduce the severity of your acne.
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