Acne & Pregnancy
Pregnancy is an exciting time for every woman, but along with carrying a new life inside you, your skin, hair and nails experience many changes. During pregnancy, it is often that pimples rear their ugly heads to haunt women once more because acne is a common affliction for pregnant women. The fact is that more than one out of every two pregnant women can expect to develop acne. For some, acne may be severe.
Cause of acne during pregnancy
Acne or acne vulgaris is very common in mums-to-be and often starts in the first three months of pregnancy.
During pregnancy, especially during the first trimester, estrogen and progesterone levels increase therefore increasing the skin’s production of sebum.
This extra sebum together with dead skin cells creates an ideal condition for bacterial growth which can promote inflammation. The first stage of acne usually starts as oily skin; the next stage is the appearance of comedones (white heads and black heads). If the pore becomes inflamed due to the influx of white blood cells, pustules and papules appear. If the inflammatory response spreads to adjacent tissue, this represents cystic acne.
Managing acne during pregnancy
Mums-to-be need to be careful when it comes to treating acne as some medications can be harmful to your baby. Many prescription and OTC acne medications contain retinoids, a type of vitamin A. Pregnant and breastfeeding mums should avoid using these altogether. It is very important for any pregnant woman to ask her doctor before embarking on a medicated regimen.