It’s a phrase every pregnant woman hears at some point, whether it’s from loved ones or strangers: “You’re glowing!” Yet just what does it actually mean? Do women naturally get hold of a nice, warm flush as soon as they’re expecting, or is it merely a myth? We went to the experts to discover out.
“There are physiological adjustments that occur in women throughout pregnancy that add to a facial ‘pregnancy glow,'” explains Debbie Palmer, D.O., a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Replere Skincare. “A couple of factors that add to this include increased hormones, which create facial oil glands to make a lot more oil, making the facial skin a lot more shiny, and an boost in blood circulation to the skin, making facial skin brighter or blushed.” As a result, pregnant women wind up looking a little additional radiant.
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That said, pregnancy isn’t necessarily sort to everyone’s skin. As a result of the boost in bodily hormones and oil production, some women begin to see blemishes and also acne popping up, says Draion M. Burch, D.O., a.k.a. Dr. Drai, a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist. To decrease this frustrating adverse effect, he recommends exchanging to an oil-free cleanser.
A lesser-known skin condition that can easily make throughout pregnancy: melasma, in some cases called the “pregnancy mask,” which provides the face a brownish blotchiness. “The mask of pregnancy or melasma is hyperpigmented or brown facial patches of skin caused by a combination of bodily hormones and sun exposure,” explains Dr. Palmer. While these splotches tend to disappear 3 to 6 months after pregnancy, patches can easily reappear along with repeated sun exposure. To avoid this from occurring, Dr. Palmer recommends using a zinc oxide/titanium dioxide sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or better and a hat — something we should all do, not merely pregnant women.
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