Body Care During Pregnancy

Pregnancy hormones can affect almost every part of your body, including your breasts, skin, hair, teeth, and gums.To keep your body in good shape, you'll probably need to make some changes in your daily routine. Your growing abdomen may affect your posture, too, so check the way you stand and move.

Skin in Pregnancy

Your skin will probably "bloom" during pregnancy. All the extra hormones encourage the skin to hold moisture that plumps it out, making it more supple, less oily, and less prone to pimples. The extra blood circulating around your body also makes your skin glow. But there can be problems, too. Red patches may get bigger, acne may worsen, areas may become dry and scaly, and you may notice deeper pigmentation across your face.

Skin care Here are a few general tips for looking after your skin during pregnancy. Soap removes natural oils from the skin, so use it as little as possible. Try using baby lotion, or glycerine-based soap and body wash. Always add some oils to your bath to lessen the dehydrating effects of hard water, and don't lie in the tub for too long, since this dehydrates the skin. Aromatherapy oils have a particularly wonderful effect and leave a film of protective oil on your skin that keeps it supple, and prevents dehydration and damage due to water loss. Makeup can help cheer you up, and it helps moisturize the skin as it prevents water loss.

Deeper pigmentation This happens to nearly every woman, especially on areas of the body that have pigmentation already, such as freckles, moles, and the areolae of the breasts. Your genitalia, the skin on the inside of your thighs, underneath your eyes, and in your armpits may become darker, too. A dark line, called the linea nigra, often appears down the center of your stomach. It marks the division of your abdominal muscles, which separate slightly to make room for your expanding uterus. Even after you've had your baby, the linea nigra and the areolae usually remain darker for a while, but will gradually fade.

Sunlight intensifies areas of skin that are already pigmented, and many women find that they tan more easily when they're pregnant. Since ultraviolet A (UVA) rays can lead to skin cancer, and the effect they have on the unborn baby is unknown, it's important to avoid sunburn. If you're out in the sun, use a sun block, especially on pigmented areas such as your nipples. Keep your skin covered up in hot sun, and don't use sunbeds.

Chloasma This is a special form of pigmentation, also called the mask of pregnancy, which appears as brown patches on the bridge of the nose, cheeks, and neck. The only way to handle chloasma is to make it less noticeable with a blemish stick or the coverup cosmetics used for birthmarks. Never try to bleach out the pigment; the patches will begin to fade within three months of labor. Conversely, some black women develop patches of paler skin on their faces and necks. These will probably disappear after delivery and can be camouflaged during pregnancy.

Spider veins When you're pregnant, all your blood vessels become sensitive-they rapidly dilate when you're hot, and constrict quickly when you're cold. As a result, tiny broken blood vessels called spider veins may appear on your face, particularly on your cheeks. Don't worry; they'll fade soon after delivery, and will probably have disappeared altogether within three months.

Pimples If you've always had a tendency to get pimples before periods, you may get them now. This is particularly likely in the first trimester, when the pregnancy hormones stimulating the sebaceous glands in the skin haven't yet reached a balanced level. Keep your skin as clean as you can, and use a cleanser two or three times a day to prevent breakouts. If a pimple does appear, apply a tiny smear of antiseptic cream. Never squeeze your pimples-this only spreads the infection into the deeper layers of the skin.

Stretch marks About 90 percent of pregnant women get stretch marks. These usually appear across the abdomen, although they can also affect the thighs, hips, breasts, and the upper arms. Nothing you put on your skin (including oil) and nothing you can eat will prevent stretch marks because they're caused by the breakdown of protein in the skin by the high levels of pregnancy hormones. If you gain weight gradually, that should allow the skin to stretch without tearing, although some women are blessed with more elastic skin than others. While the reddish streaks may look prominent while you're pregnant, during the weeks after delivery they'll become paler, and shrink until they're nothing more than faint silvery streaks that you'll barely notice.

Teeth in Pregnancy

During pregnancy, you're more likely than usual to suffer gum problems because of your increased blood supply and the high level of progesterone, which softens all of your body's tissues. The increased blood volume also puts pressure on the tiny capillaries around your gum margin, which often bleed easily. A balanced diet helps prevent tooth and gum problems. Eating plenty of calcium-rich foods and high-quality protein, along with a good supply of vitamins B, C, and D, helps to protect you. It's important to see your dentist at least once during your pregnancy and have your teeth cleaned professionally to reduce the risk of gum infections. Be sure to tell your dentist that you're pregnant, since it's safest to avoid X-rays.

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