Pregnancy Acne
If you are pregnant and have an outbreak of acne, don’t worry. As annoying as this condition can be, it’s quite common during pregnancy and often disappears later in the pregnancy or after the baby is born. However, you’d probably like to have a remedy that works now.
The Causes
When a woman becomes pregnant, her body produces a higher level of hormones as her body prepares to meet the demands of a pregnancy. These elevated hormones cause an increase in the male hormone androgen. This causes the body to secrete more oil in the skin, blocking pores and allowing bacteria to grow. This leads to a seemingly endless cycle of pregnancy acne in an already hard-working mom-to-be.
Treatment Options
Non-pregnant woman have a wide range of choices available for reducing skin acne outbreaks. Some of the more popular prescription treatments include Accutane, Retin-A or antibiotics. However, many of these drugs are not considered to be safe for use during pregnancy as they are known to cause teeth and bone abnormalities in a fetus.. In fact, your doctor or dermatologist may be reluctant to prescribe anything at all until you are past the pregnancy and breastfeeding stage.
So what’s a woman to do?
Nutrition
The first step is to take stock of your nutritional status. A balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables is key. We know, you’ve probably heard this more times than you can count but it truly makes a difference in your health, the health of your baby and lastly, your skin. By eating more fruits and vegetables you are building up a virtual bank account of vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants and other substances that nourish both you and your baby.
If all you can do is eat one serving of fresh fruit and one serving of a fresh vegetable at every meal, that’s a great start. Sure, we’d like you do to more but even one serving of something fresh is a great start.
Hydration
We once were told to drink 8-10 glasses of water each day. What we weren’t told was that the natural water in the food we eat also counts toward the minimum requirement. Many fresh fruits are 50-75% water, which can offer a more flavorful way of hydrating your body.
It’s still important to drink some water, however, as water moisturizes the skin from the inside out. Water washes away toxins and and leaves a body with a healthy glow. It can also lubricate joints that are stressed from the weight of a growing baby.
Herbal Remedies
Herbal supplements have offered a gentle way of treating skin illness without the side-effects of drugs. Some herbs such as yellow dock, milk thistle and red clover have been used very successfully in folk medicine to clear up blemished skin. They work by helping to relieve the workload of the liver which is responsible for purging and cleansing the body of toxins. If the liver is sluggish or overtaxed it may not be able to complete its cleaning tasks. Bacteria builds up in creating skin acne.
By purifying the liver, the body’s waste material is whisked away, leaving healthy organs behind (the skin is an organ). Where drugs fight the underlying infection, herbal supplements build up the body’s own disease-fighting ability which has longer-term results than many drugs. There are excellent choices for many types of skin acne. The effects can be visible within a day or two depending on the product.
Beauty is Skin Deep
Hang in there and know that this is very likely a temporary phase. Just as you would soak a garden with water and nutrients, so must you soak and nourish your skin. Eat well, get a lot of sleep, try some supplements if needed, and lastly, have a good outlook on life. You have a baby on the way!
