Acne can start as soon as you conceive in some women. This is considered as one of the signs of early pregnancy. Most women may not understand the sudden outbreak of acne and may not relate it to one of the pregnancy side effects.
Acne may not be consistent throughout pregnancy and may not be the same for everyone. This may mostly start somewhere during the first trimester or anytime in pregnancy. In some, it may be present during their entire pregnancy period and in others, it may go away in the last trimester.
You are more vulnerable to breakouts if you already have skin problems or have general acne when you go through your menstrual cycle. Some women may not have any acne problem throughout their pregnancy.
What causes pregnancy acne?
Hormones
Hormones undergo a number of changes, especially during early pregnancy phase. Progesterone hormone levels spike, which is to prepare the cervix for delivery of the baby as you move closer to full term. This also affects the skin glands, causing them to produce natural oils in excess. This can clog the skin pores and result in zits.
Water retention
Your body tends to retain water during pregnancy, so as to help with the growing baby in the womb. Since the body flushes out less toxins, these may be expelled through sweat pores, leading to buildup of skin acne.
Measures to deal with pregnancy acne
It is highly recommended that you not try any over-the-counter medicines or lotions to try and fix the sore pimples. Most medicines, face washes and other beauty products may contain harmful chemicals which may enter your body and interfere with normal development of the baby. Stay away from all the unsafe stuff and focus on home remedies to deal with the nasty acne problem.
Home remedies
- Use mild soaps or cleansers to wash your face regularly.
- Try not to scrub your skin too hard, as it can dry up and cause irritation.
- Drink enough water to keep yourself hydrated and your skin soft. Water helps to flush out toxins and improve your skin’s health.
- Keeping your skin moisturized also helps in tackling acne issue. This may sound counter-intuitive, but applying natural oils such as coconut oil or almond oil on a regular basis, ensures that your skin does not produce excessive oils which leads to clogging of pores.
- Include more of green vegetables, leafy greens, fruits, nuts and seeds among other regular foods.
- Try to avoid oily, salty and sugary foods and beverages to reduce the acne issue.
If it is too severe and nothing seems to work, then you should talk to your health care provider and get help.
