Dry skin often brings a lot of worries to a woman during pregnancy. However, this is a fairly common phenomenon, affecting approximately 1/3 of expectant mothers.
Usually this problem manifests itself on the face, neck, arms, legs. Irritation and increased sensitivity may occur in these areas. There are several reasons that can cause severe dry skin during pregnancy:
- water requirement;
- disruption of the endocrine system;
- development of hypothyroidism.
At 4-5 months, a woman needs to drink at least 2 liters of water per day. The volume of blood in the body begins to increase and amniotic fluid is formed. All the fluid that enters the body is directed to the needs of the fetus, and the woman’s skin may suffer from dehydration.
Therefore, during pregnancy, expectant mothers notice dry skin. But after 20 weeks, you need to reduce the amount of liquid you drink to 1.5 liters per day, since organs and tissues begin to retain the amount of moisture they need.
Due to disruption of the endocrine system, the hormone estrogen begins to reduce the secretory ability of the sebaceous glands. As a result, the amount of sebum produced, which is necessary to fully moisturize the epidermis, decreases, so severe peeling of the skin may begin during pregnancy.
Problems with the skin, as well as brittle nails and hair, often indicate hypothyroidism, as a result of which the thyroid gland produces less hormones. Very often during pregnancy, girls notice that the skin on their abdomen begins to ache. There's nothing wrong with that. Symptoms appear due to the following reasons.
- The belly begins to grow quickly.
- The skin is stretched.
Also, during pregnancy, itchy skin may begin. There are several explanations for this symptom:
- allergic reaction;
- change in hormonal levels;
- excessive sweating;
- the occurrence of cholestasis;
- strong stretching of the skin;
- infectious diseases.
Often itching can begin due to nervousness or due to a lack of microelements and vitamins. The reasons mentioned above do not affect the development of the baby.
Itching can be reduced with moisturizers. Usually it disappears completely immediately after childbirth. In any case, you need to consult a doctor, since itching may indicate the presence of internal diseases that require mandatory treatment.
Skin care during pregnancy
Dry skin often brings a lot of worries to a woman during pregnancy.
However, this is a fairly common phenomenon, affecting approximately 1/3 of expectant mothers. Usually this problem manifests itself on the face, neck, arms, legs. Irritation and increased sensitivity may occur in these areas. There are several reasons that can cause severe dry skin during pregnancy:
- water requirement;
- disruption of the endocrine system;
- development of hypothyroidism.
At 4-5 months, a woman needs to drink at least 2 liters of water per day. The volume of blood in the body begins to increase and amniotic fluid is formed. All the fluid that enters the body is directed to the needs of the fetus, and the woman’s skin may suffer from dehydration.
Therefore, during pregnancy, expectant mothers notice dry skin. But after 20 weeks, you need to reduce the amount of liquid you drink to 1.5 liters per day, since organs and tissues begin to retain the amount of moisture they need.
Due to disruption of the endocrine system, the hormone estrogen begins to reduce the secretory ability of the sebaceous glands. As a result, the amount of sebum produced, which is necessary to fully moisturize the epidermis, decreases, so severe peeling of the skin may begin during pregnancy.
Problems with the skin, as well as brittle nails and hair, often indicate hypothyroidism, as a result of which the thyroid gland produces less hormones. Very often during pregnancy, girls notice that the skin on their abdomen begins to ache. There's nothing wrong with that. Symptoms appear due to the following reasons.
- The belly begins to grow quickly.
- The skin is stretched.
Also, during pregnancy, itchy skin may begin. There are several explanations for this symptom:
- allergic reaction;
- change in hormonal levels;
- excessive sweating;
- the occurrence of cholestasis;
- strong stretching of the skin;
- infectious diseases.
Often itching can begin due to nervousness or due to a lack of microelements and vitamins. The reasons mentioned above do not affect the development of the baby.
Itching can be reduced with moisturizers. Usually it disappears completely immediately after childbirth. In any case, you need to consult a doctor, since itching may indicate the presence of internal diseases that require mandatory treatment.
Effective treatments
If you don't know how to properly care for your skin during pregnancy, consult a dermatologist. He will advise you and then prescribe the products that are right for you. The drugs you used before may now harm your baby.
Buy special products with nourishing and moisturizing properties. Today on store shelves there are a large number of masks and creams that can be used during pregnancy to treat dry skin. They will not eliminate the problem, but will protect the epidermis from environmental influences. Be sure to read the composition of the drug. You cannot use products containing cortisone and hydrocortisone, which are hormonal components.
During pregnancy, you can include oils that have nourishing properties in your skin care. Use sesame and olive oil, which contain many vitamins. They should be applied to the body daily after taking a shower. Hazelnut oil has an antimicrobial effect. It should be used every other day.
Skin care during pregnancy should be gentle, so avoid rough peelings and scrubs, use liquid soap rather than regular soap. Use shower gel with nourishing, moisturizing ingredients and try to choose high-quality creams with natural ingredients without strong fragrance.
While pregnant, you should avoid lotions containing alcohol. Give preference to cosmetic cream or special milk that gently cleanses the body. There are various pharmaceutical drugs that will help cope with the problems that arise.
Regenerates damaged areas
If you follow all the advice, but there is no result, you will have to seek the help of a specialist. The following are symptoms that require immediate medical attention.
- During pregnancy, the skin not only dries out, but is constantly itchy.
- Purulent wounds appear.
- Neoplasms affect the abdomen.
Preventing the problem from occurring
- Cleanse your skin morning and evening. Do not use soap or other products containing alkali. They greatly dry out the epidermis and have an aggressive effect on it. Wash your face using a special cleanser.
- For the beauty and health of your face and body, you need to follow the correct daily routine and eat well. High-quality and long sleep is very important, because if you lack sleep, any treatment will not be as effective.
- During pregnancy, your skin may become dry due to excess makeup. During pregnancy, any lipstick or foundation can cause many problems. Review the medications you are taking, as they often cause an allergic reaction in the form of itching and rash.
- When you notice your skin itching during pregnancy, pay attention to the amount of water you drink. Every day you need to drink several liters of clean water, in addition to tea, juice and mineral water. Carry thermal water with you. This product has moisturizing properties and can quickly replenish insufficient moisture.
Drug treatment
If during pregnancy dry skin is very flaky and itchy, which is accompanied by the appearance of purulent lesions on scratched areas, the woman should immediately consult a dermatologist. Only a specialist, after an examination, will be able to prescribe medications that will not harm the expectant mother and child. In addition, you should avoid peelings, scrubs and lotions containing alcohol. If the skin of a pregnant woman is severely irritated, one of the following medications may be prescribed:
Causes of dry skin in pregnant women
Pregnant women often notice that the skin on their face and body becomes dry and flaky. Skin sensitivity also increases and signs of irritation appear. In this case, not only the face suffers, but also the arms, legs, and neck.
Dry skin during pregnancy is a sign that the body needs to replenish its water balance. To ensure the life of the baby in the fourth or fifth month, pregnant women need to drink no less than 2 liters of fluid per day. At this time, the amount of blood in the body increases, and amniotic fluid is formed. The water that enters the body of a pregnant woman, first of all, goes to meet the needs and requirements of the baby, but it may not be enough for the rest. But after the twentieth week, moisture retention occurs in tissues and organs, so you should not drink more than 1-1.5 liters of water per day.
Changing the functioning of the endocrine system helps reduce sebum secretion, this happens thanks to estrogen. Therefore, the sebaceous glands work in a less active mode, and the skin is not completely moisturized. The concentration of progesterone, which is responsible for skin elasticity, also decreases, so acne or peeling may appear.
Dry and thin skin, brittle hair and peeling nails, as well as a number of other symptoms, may indicate that the thyroid gland is not producing enough hormones.
Preventing skin problems during pregnancy
The following recommendations will help avoid drying out the skin of women in any position:
Should you tell your doctor about your symptoms?
Many pregnant women do not pay due attention to such a symptom as dry and flaky skin on the face and body. However, the doctor must be aware of all changes that worry the pregnant woman. Therefore, it is worth talking about dry skin. This is necessary so that, together with your doctor, you can choose the best way to eliminate dryness.
Remember that dry epidermis may be a signal of the onset of an illness that can adversely affect the child's health. Sometimes an allergy begins with itching, which is transmitted from mother to baby.
Only a doctor can determine the exact causes and make a diagnosis. To do this he must:
- listen to everything that worries the patient;
- examine the skin;
- check for individual dry and flaky areas;
After determining the cause, an appropriate treatment complex is prescribed. Often this means adjusting the diet, taking vitamins, and using cosmetics with a moisturizing effect.
Does dry skin affect the fetus?
You need to worry in such situations only when the dryness of the body shows that the onset of a disease or pathology is occurring inside. However, in most cases it is just an allergy to food or household chemicals. The danger is that intolerance to any substances or disease (if any) can be transmitted from the mother in utero to the child.
Dry skin itself does not have a negative effect on the baby. This phenomenon will not in any way affect the development and health of the fetus.
Only the mother can suffer, since sometimes such a defect entails several other unpleasant ailments that will not bring pleasure to any woman.
Dry skin often leads to other unpleasant symptoms:
- Stretch marks appear on the body in some places;
- itching sensation;
- peeling;
- dandruff;
- formation of microcracks.
Caring for dry skin during pregnancy
When carrying a baby, women should be careful not only when taking medications, but also when choosing cosmetics. When caring for your skin, consider the following points:
- Do not buy hormonal medications, and also avoid cosmetics that contain aggressive chemicals, as they can enter the body and negatively affect the development of the fetus.
Together, these measures help improve skin condition. If following these rules does not lead to a positive effect, consult a dermatologist.
What to do for dry skin during pregnancy
The most important thing is to understand why such a change occurs in the skin, and based on this, build a suitable scheme for care and restoration.
The first thing you need is to provide your body with a sufficient amount of fluid, or rather clean water.
After all, the entire stage of pregnancy is based on the intrauterine creation, growth and development of another person (consisting of 80% water), with its own functioning systems.
At the cellular level, water determines vital processes and exchanges that occur in both mother and child. If there is a shortage of it, a woman will immediately notice it, primarily with dry skin and general malaise.
It is necessary to adhere to a competent approach to drinking during certain periods of pregnancy.
This fact requires attention due to certain changes and stresses on the female body, as well as the successive stages of fetal development. Your doctor will undoubtedly be involved in this issue, who will explain in detail when and how much water you need to drink.
For your information. In the first months of pregnancy, it is recommended to drink at least 2 liters of clean water, not including tea, soups and other similar products. But to avoid swelling, after about the 30th week, you need to drink less water, especially at night, on average it’s about 1 liter.
Undoubtedly, the diet should be normalized. After all, our overall health, and in this case, the proper development of the baby, depends on what we eat.
Food greatly affects the condition of human skin. They are the main and natural source of all the necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients that are involved in vital processes.
Naturally, the mother's body needs constant additional nutrition. Therefore, you need to not just eat for two and everything in a row (this is the path to inevitable and unnecessary extra pounds), but give preference to healthy and wholesome food, most of which are vegetables, fruits and animal protein.
Cosmetics and treatments against dryness
If you have dry skin during pregnancy, various pharmaceutical products, natural oils and home treatments can help:
- During pregnancy, be sure to include nourishing oils in your complex of facial care products. This can be natural olive or sesame oil, which are beneficial, in particular, due to their high vitamin content. Apply them to dry areas every day after you shower. Also, look for hazelnut oil, which has antimicrobial properties (use every other day).
- It is recommended to avoid harsh peeling and the use of rough scrubs. Choose gentle products that will not injure the skin.
- Instead of ordinary soap, buy liquid soap. Shower gel should contain nutrients and moisturizing ingredients. Any cosmetics should be based on natural ingredients.
- Do not use products that contain alcohol. To cleanse your face and body, choose cosmetic milk or cream that gently removes dirt and makeup.
Folk remedies
For dry skin of the face and body of a pregnant woman, it is recommended:
Causes of dry and flaky skin in pregnant women
Changes in skin condition during pregnancy vary. Several factors provoke this:
- Transparency. It is observed due to increased blood flow in a pregnant woman. Blood flows to wash the fetus.
- Itchy skin on the abdomen, chest (see also: itchy skin in late pregnancy). Appears mainly in the 2nd and 3rd trimester, when they stretch and increase in volume.
- Prickly heat. At 9 months, itching and blisters are observed due to increased sweating. This is caused by a lack of vitamin A.
- Stretch marks on the stomach, thighs. They occur in almost all expectant mothers. Dangerous only if accompanied by pain.
- Blue spots on the legs. Appear during hypothermia or exposure to cold climates. They go away after childbirth.
- Dark spots on the face. Occurs in women with pale skin. They disappear after the baby is born.
Dryness and flaking of the skin can also be caused by other reasons. The main one is lack of water in the body. In the 1st trimester, many suffer from drinking imbalance. You should increase your water consumption as it is needed for:
- increasing blood volume;
- formation of amniotic fluid;
- uterine growth;
- development of child organs.
Fluid from the body of the expectant mother comes primarily to meet the needs of the child. If a woman doesn't drink enough, water is lost from her tissues. This threatens loss of elasticity and drying of the skin. At the end of the 2nd and 3rd trimester, water consumption should be reduced, as it begins to linger in the tissues of the pregnant woman.
When the thyroid gland malfunctions, which occurs in pregnant women, hormones are produced in greater or lesser quantities. This threatens hypothyroidism, the symptoms of which are dry skin, brittle hair and nails. Also observed:
- Increased estrogen. It stops the work of the sebaceous glands, whose function is to moisturize the skin. The palms and soles are predominantly itchy and red.
- Decreased progesterone. The elasticity of the skin decreases, dryness and acne appear.
Should you report your symptoms to your doctor?
Any change in condition during pregnancy should not be overlooked. It is imperative to inform your doctor about dry skin, despite the fact that this is a common occurrence for a pregnant woman. He will identify the cause and prescribe methods to eliminate it, which may include:
- change in the amount of fluid consumed;
- nutrition correction;
- taking vitamin complexes;
- use of special creams and other cosmetics.
Dryness is caused not only by the listed reasons, but also by some diseases or allergic reactions. The doctor must conduct an examination to promptly detect and eliminate them. A missed allergy can be passed on to the child.
How to care for dry skin during pregnancy?
Proper care of the face, hands, feet and body helps expectant mothers avoid discomfort and changes in skin condition. Various cosmetics and folk remedies tone, cleanse and nourish tissues. Proper care for dry skin consists of several rules:
- take baths with essential oils, glycerin, decoctions of flax seeds and oats;
- apply masks containing honey;
- rub sunflower oil, animal fats, butter into problem areas;
- wipe your face with milk;
- make compresses from infusions of calendula, chamomile or mint.
To eliminate rough skin on the elbows, arms, and feet, apply a rich cream or oil, wrap in plastic and a woolen scarf, and leave overnight. Rubbing flaxseed, sea buckthorn, and sunflower oils into the skin of the abdomen and thighs will help prevent the appearance of stretch marks. If used daily, the skin becomes moisturized and elastic.
When caring for your face, you need to remember the need for daily cleansing and applying moisturizer. You should avoid decorative cosmetics or limit their use to a minimum. The hands suffer the most from daily household chores. At night you should apply a nourishing cream or lubricate them with oil.
Cosmetics and procedures
Having learned about her situation, a woman should reconsider the cosmetic products she uses. It is imperative to remove those that dry out the skin of your hands and body: soaps, creams. Instead, purchase moisturizing and nourishing ones. It is better to use cream soap, shower gel, lotion, tonic, milk. You can use baby creams and natural oils. Products containing alcohol are not permitted. You definitely need to give up scrubs and peeling.
When caring, special attention should be paid to problem areas of the skin: hands, elbows, knees. Nourishing oils and moisturizing creams with vitamins are suitable for this.
When choosing cosmetics, it is better to consult a gynecologist. He must confirm their safety for the baby and the absence of a negative reaction if the woman has concomitant diseases. If the dryness is very severe, accompanied by redness and itching, you should visit a dermatologist for a more thorough examination. He will prescribe treatment and suggest optimal care products. On the recommendation of a doctor, Bepanten, Panthenol, Pantoderm can be used to normalize the condition of the skin.
Folk recipes
There are many folk methods to get rid of dryness and moisturize the skin. Masks made independently from simple ingredients are always popular. They must be applied immediately after preparation. You cannot store the prepared mixture, as fresh products quickly lose their beneficial properties. After use, rinse well with warm water and apply cream. Recipes for face and body masks:
- Mix milk and honey in equal volumes. Apply to skin for 15-20 minutes. Instead of milk, you can use natural yogurt.
- Mix a glass of full-fat sour cream and vegetable oil, add an egg and the juice of half a lemon. Apply to problem areas and leave for 20-25 minutes. Optimal for rough areas – feet, elbows.
- Grind the avocado into a pulp, add 1 tsp. honey and yogurt. Leave on face for 20 minutes. Avocado essential oils penetrate deep into tissues, nourishing them from the inside.
- Mix 2 tsp. cottage cheese and flaxseed oil, 1 tsp each. parsley juice and fish oil, a little orange zest. Keep on skin for 10 minutes.
- Cook milk oatmeal, add yolk and avocado oil. Apply for 10 minutes.
- Take 4 drops of vitamins A and E (sold in liquid form at the pharmacy), add 2 tbsp. l. oat flour (crushed oats) and olive oil. Apply the mask to the skin for 20 minutes. Suitable for all parts of the body. After several uses, the skin is saturated with vitamins, moisturized, and acquires a healthy appearance and elasticity.
What to do with dry skin during pregnancy?
To deal with a problem, you must first determine the cause that led to its occurrence. Next, based on the result, you should build a treatment regimen or special care for very dry skin. During pregnancy, a woman must ensure that the following actions are compulsory:
- Provide the body with sufficient fluid. It is best if it is ordinary clean water. The lack of fluid in a woman’s body affects not only the condition of her skin, but also her well-being.
- Eat a balanced diet. Preference should be given to fresh vegetables and fruits, as well as foods rich in animal protein.
- When cleansing your skin, avoid using toilet soap, including baby soap. Instead, you should use a special moisturizing milk, micellar water, or, in extreme cases, cream soap.
- Regularly nourish and tone the skin using special face masks that can be easily prepared at home.
- Don't forget to apply moisturizing creams, oils or lotions to your skin. It is not necessary to use cosmetics from expensive brands. This can be regular baby cream, or olive or sea buckthorn oil.
