Skin Issues and Winter Skin Care For Pregnant Women

With pregnancy come crazy hormonal and physical changes; For new moms, it can get quite terrifying seeing how drastically your whole body is changing right before your very eyes. And quite similarly, for moms who aren’t new to pregnancy, it still comes with something new each time.

One organ that almost always takes the biggest hit during pregnancy is, of course, the largest organ in the body– the skin. For a lucky few, it’s that period when their glow unlocks quite an elixir even they can’t explain; but for the larger pregnant population it’s so not the case as a few pregnant and once-pregnant moms say here:

My skin does not like pregnancy.

– Keonikia

I miss the pregnancy glow. It made my skin clear, my hair silky and my nails were long,  now I just look like a fucken crackhead!

– Lalymarie

I had the most luxurious growth on all my extremities (hair, nails, lashes, skin.. you name it) while I was pregnant. But all my joy turned to ashes when 3 months postpartum, I lost it all and looked like a wet rat with whiskers :(.

– Olawunmi

Seriously, when does this whole pregnancy glow thing start? My skin is literally the worst it has ever been, currently looking like a 14-year-old boy who washes his face with Dial.

– Doula

I had bad acne on my chin and neck in the first trimester; it was so gross and annoying but my skin came back to normal by the second and third trimester. A few people have told me I’m glowing and I’m just like “lol bitch where?” 

– Cassie

I, for one, did not get any real benefits until like after the 32nd week and I’m terrified to see what happens in a few short weeks after the baby arrives.

– Dana

I’ve never had acne in my life. Both pregnancies DESTROYED my face!

– Kimberly

Whewww. From the reactions up there, apparently, only one mommy got kinda lucky but even that got botched. Pregnancy is really a war-front if we’re being honest.

Whatever skin woes that accompany pregnancy get even worse during the winter season because now, your skin is getting stripped off all available moisture, looking all ashy, cracked, tight, chapped, flaky and whatnot. And it’s why you’re here right now. So without frigging around let’s get right to it! 

TIPS TO KEEP YOUR SKIN HEALTHIER THIS WINTER

– HOT SHOWERS SHOULDN’T BE A THING

Yeah, it might seem like a no-brainer: cold winter-hot shower. But you’ll be doing your skin no good with the frequent hot baths because you’ll be literally squeezing the moisture out of your skin doing this.

While we can’t say to completely stay away from hot showers, if you have to, keep your cubicle or bathroom door closed. Also, rather than rub your body and face dry, pat it instead so there’s still a little bit of moisture left on your body. 

– MOISTURIZE WHILE DAMP

The best time to moisturize is while your body is still damp. Work your moisturizer in generously and work quickly too. I personally like to moisturize while still in the cubicle since everything is still steamy in there. Coming out leaves the possibility of moisture evaporating off your body quickly. This would defeat the purpose of you moisturizing while damp anyways. 

– CHECK FOR HUMECTIFYING & OCCLUSIVE INGREDIENTS IN YOUR MOISTURIZER

Humectants are substances which have the property of retaining moisture. They hydrate the skin by locking in water molecules from your skin dermis to the epidermis like a magnet. Probably the most popular humectant out there would be Hyaluronic acid. Others include aloe vera gel, alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), seaweed, honey, glycerin, butylene glycol etc. 

However, with humectants, it’s quite the paradox because you run the risk of excessive drying if your moisturizer isn’t accompanied with an occlusive agent like shea butter, argan oil, beeswax, jojoba oil, safflower oil amongst many others. So what occlusives do is to form a lipid layer over your skin dermis to lock in moisture. So while your humectant is drawing in moisture, the occlusive locks it in.

Sometimes, your moisturizer would contain just one of either ingredient. What to then do in such cases would be to buy separate moisturizers that each have one of the two properties. So you’d want to apply the humectant-containing moisturizer first before the occlusive.

– MAKE AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) YOUR BEST FRIEND!

We already mentioned AHA as a humectant you need in your moisturizer but that’s not all this babe can do! Your first trimester is usually when you’ll experience the worst acne of your life and AHA will always be a dependable ally for periods like this. AHA is mostly preferred over the comparably harsher alternatives like glycolic acids or retinoids. Not only do they help treat acne, but they’re also one of the gentlest exfoliants in the market. Think that’s all? They also boost collagen production while at it. 

Honestly, I’d like to think AHA a quadruple-edged sword.

– USE SPF!!!

Yeah, it’s winter, the sun is hardly out but the sun rays are still doing the cancer-causing-UV work sis, don’t be fooled! So slather up on some sunscreen and protect that skin from UVA and UVB rays. Your sunscreen should contain at least, an SPF factor of 30. 

– STAY HYDRATED

You can tick all boxes but if you’re not downing at least 7 glasses of water a day, you might as well go roll in the snow and stay parched and ashy all through winter.

IMPORTANT CAVEAT: Because these issues are caused by hormonal surges during pregnancy, most of the tips suggested here are simply to help you better manage your skin situation during harsh winter situations. They’re not curative remedies.