| 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.
You must never rub, squeeze, or break your pimples manually. This will only cause infection and it might scar your skin. Avoid touching your pimples, your hands can also transfer infection making the acne worse.
You must try and wash your face at least twice a day with a gentle cleanser or face wash. You can use natural skin products that are safe and mild. This will gently cleanse your face of the excess oil, dirt, and make-up. It will go a long way in ensuring that new pimples do not erupt. A word of caution though.
Do not overdo the cleaning part as it may harm your skin, repeated washing, and using harsh cleansers or soaps can stimulate your sebaceous glands causing them to hyper secrete.
One of the best ways to treat acne in pregnancy is to make a change in your daily diet. Eating a better diet can help by preventing future acne breakouts.
You can include foods like fish with salmon, fruit like strawberries in your daily diet. These types of foods are loaded with antioxidants and help to treat one of the internal factors of acne. One of the best treatment strategies for treating acne in pregnancy is to look at internal factors like diet.
Drink more water and avoid or limit the use of carbonated beverages. It is well-known water has a number of cleansing benefits that can help clear up your skin. By drinking enough water, many women have found them helpful in preventing future acne outbreaks.
Avoid stress in pregnancy Stress management is very important, so if you learn to control it you’ll also control your acne breakouts.
Regular exercise will help you control acne because it increases the blood flow to your skin and give it a better tone and a healthier look.
Natural Remedies For Acne in Pregnancy
Milk With Nuts
Boil some milk. Then add nutmeg, crushed. Apply the mixture on acne for 2 hours. And it will disappear without leaving a mark.
Lemon Juice With Groundnut Oil
Get 1 tablespoon of lime juice mix with groundnut oil. Apply to skin to prevent blackheads and whiteheads.
Lemon Juice and Boiled Milk
Mix lime juice and boiled milk. Set aside until it cools down. Wash your face with it to prevent pimples and dry skin.
Papaya Juice
Apply papaya juice include its pulp to your swelled pimples.
Honey and Cinnamon Powder
Mix honey and cinnamon powder until its texture become creamy. Apply this on the face before going to sleep. And the next morning rinse it off with warm water to prevent pimples.
Garlic
Get garlic and rub it on your pimple and it will disappear.
Tomato and Cucumber
Find a tomato and cucumber pulp. Apply on acne, leave for an hour then rinse with normal water.
Orange Peel
Make an orange peel and mash it until the texture become creamy. Apply it on the skin for 20-30 minutes. Then rinse with water.
Mint Juice
Apply fresh mint juice on the face before going to bed to prevent pimples and acne to occur.
Tea Tree Oil And Aloe Vera
Two of the best natural treatments are Tea Tree Oil and Aloe Vera. These natural treatments are very effective for destroying acne-causing bacteria and for clearing skin. They also help prevent scarring which may be caused by acne breakouts.