Skin problems after childbirth

Will brown spots on my skin go away?

Skin pigmentation that appears during pregnancy will disappear within a year after giving birth. Changes in pigmentation of the skin of the face and neck are called chloasma. The line running down the middle of the abdomen from the pubic bone to the navel is called the linea alba.
The appearance of age spots on the body is caused by high levels of hormones during pregnancy. After childbirth, the levels of these hormones will decrease. You will see that the spots will become less noticeable, although some will not disappear completely.
Perhaps skin pigmentation is a hereditary factor. People with dark skin, especially those of Asian descent, are more prone to developing pigmented patches.
If you want the spots to disappear, you need to avoid exposure to the sun. When exposed to sunlight, the spots darken even more. If you want or must be out in the sun, wear a wide-brimmed hat, long sleeves, and use sunscreen.
You may notice your skin darkening again in some areas if you start taking birth control pills that contain hormones. If you don't like it, talk to your doctor about another form of contraception.
If the spots do not lighten within a year after giving birth, make an appointment with a dermatologist. Perhaps he will advise you to use a bleaching cream first.

Will stretch marks (striae) disappear?

Stretch marks won't go away completely, but they will become less noticeable over the coming months and years. At first they are pink, brownish or purple. But gradually the pigmentation will begin to disappear, and they will become lighter.
If stretch marks are bothering you, there are a variety of lotions and creams you can use. Most stretch mark treatments simply moisturize the skin.
Creams with vitamin A derivatives, such as tretinoin (Retin-A), can reduce stretch marks. But such creams are sold only by prescription.
The doctor, as a rule, does not prescribe a cream with vitamin A derivatives if you plan to have more children. If you become pregnant while using the cream, it may harm the fetus. You should also not use this cream while you are breastfeeding.
You can fight stretch marks with laser therapy. It is most effective when the stretch marks are still red, brown or purple, but it still does not remove them completely. Cosmetic surgery is another option for treating blemishes. Keep in mind that both laser therapy and plastic surgery are expensive procedures.

Why does skin texture change?

The stress, hormonal changes and fatigue associated with motherhood all show up on the skin. Before and during pregnancy, your skin could be clear, and then about a month after giving birth, it suddenly becomes blotchy. This is called postpartum acne.
Treat your skin with care and cleanse your face twice a day with a gentle soap or toner. Do not rub your face so as not to irritate the skin in problem areas. You can use a soft cloth or simply wash your hands and then apply a water-based moisturizer if you have dry skin.
Consult your doctor if you need help. He may recommend using a cream containing benzoyl peroxide or a vitamin A derivative (tretinoin) in combination with antibiotics.
The doctor will advise you on one or another treatment method, taking into account the condition of the skin, and depending on whether you are breastfeeding or not and whether you are planning a new pregnancy. If you are using tretinoin cream, it is very important to use effective contraception as this cream may cause harm to the fetus.
You can also use combined birth control pills to treat acne, but only if you are not breastfeeding. This option is suitable only for those mothers who feed their baby with formula milk.
After having a baby, your skin may become drier, so it's best to avoid harsh cleansers as they can further irritate your skin.

When should you seek professional help?

If your skin condition does not improve or you have other symptoms that are concerning, contact your doctor.
Sometimes dry skin indicates a pathology of the thyroid gland. And dark spots on the skin sometimes indicate, on the contrary, its hyperfunction.
To determine your thyroid status, your doctor may take a blood test. Other symptoms that indicate problems with the thyroid gland include increased fatigue, unexplained weight loss or gain, and intolerance to heat or cold.
Typically, skin changes that occur during and after pregnancy do not require medical intervention. But if your skin condition is of serious concern to you, consult your doctor.
Keep in mind that spots and stretch marks are harmless, even though you may not like them. In fact, they are evidence that you did a wonderful job carrying and delivering your baby!

Becoming a mother for any woman is real happiness, which changes not only her worldview, her train of thought, but also her body and face beyond recognition. Skin on the face after childbirth: causes of deterioration, proper care and restoration of facial skin.

Causes of facial skin deterioration after childbirth

Many women are faced with the fact that while carrying a child, the skin of the body and face has a blooming, radiant appearance, and as soon as the cherished 9 months pass, then the beautiful appearance disappears into the unknown. This is due to many factors. Fewer hours of sleep and the so-called “postpartum depression” of a young mother takes its toll, and the skin becomes dull, inelastic and unhealthy, the loss of kilograms gained during pregnancy leads to sagging skin, once plump cheeks become an unpleasant sight after a short time.

The possible appearance of age spots does not bring happiness to a woman. After all, it’s not so easy to get rid of them. Dry skin and flaking occur due to the fact that breastfeeding involves the transfer of microelements and vitamins along with milk to the baby. Therefore, during lactation it is simply necessary to eat properly and rationally. To replenish the balance of substances in the body.

Facial skin care after childbirth

To take good care of your skin, you need to do more than just eat well. But also drink a lot of clean still water. A large amount of fruits, vegetables and greens will help replenish the body's loss of vitamins and restore freshness and smoothness to the skin. Home peeling and scrubbing procedures will be useful; they will help remove the stratum corneum of the dermis. Using moisturizing creams. Oils and masks for your facial skin will make it look decent in a short time. The main thing is to take care of yourself and not be lazy, despite being tired from the hassle of caring for a small child.

Be beautiful and healthy!

High levels of progesterone during pregnancy provide women with elastic and soft skin. However, after childbirth, everything changes dramatically. There are many problems with the skin. This is why skin care after childbirth is so important for a new mother. What needs to be done to restore its former elasticity? What are the most common problems and what is their cause, you will learn from this article.

Skin problems after childbirth

Many forums are simply filled with complaints from women in labor about changes in the skin after childbirth. Most often, mothers face:

- rashes on the face, as well as oily or dry dermis;
- goose bumps on the legs;
- problems of the dermis on the hands;
- various types of subcutaneous seals;
- dermatological problems of the dermis, accompanied by itching, peeling, pigmentation.
In order to have an idea of ​​how to deal with this or that change, you should understand in detail each mentioned pathological phenomenon.

How to tidy up your skin after childbirth?

Caring for a baby, especially if it is the first-born, does not give a woman the opportunity to take care of her appearance. Limited free time forces mothers to look for quick methods to tidy up their faces after childbirth. However, not everyone knows that it is necessary to select methods for solving problems according to your skin type.

What if skin problems after childbirth consist of dryness?

Dry dermis after the birth of a child is not a rare phenomenon. The skin looks lifeless and reacts negatively to various irritants - cosmetics, hygiene products. Problems with the face after childbirth in this case are observed in the form of redness, itching, and peeling. Lack of progesterone significantly affects the health of the dermis. The face suffers primarily due to the minimal number of sebaceous glands located in this area.
Facial care after childbirth is complicated not only by lack of time, but also by breastfeeding. Therefore, you should select the most suitable and safe means. For example, at home you can prepare a natural cream or a restorative mask.

Face cream after childbirth

The recipe for preparing an effective remedy for restoring skin after childbirth is quite simple. You need to mix 50 grams of butter with 2 tsp. olive oil. Then the mixture should be heated until melted, and after it has cooled, add 2 egg yolks and ½ tsp. honey In addition, a glass of chamomile extract decoction is poured into the resulting mass, tbsp. l. camphor oil and ½ tsp. glycerin.

This cream can be used daily in the morning and evening. The natural composition quickly moisturizes dry skin, relieves inflammation and gives it a healthy look.

Face mask after childbirth

To prepare a regenerating mask for dry skin you will need: tbsp. l. olive oil, tsp. honey, 1 egg yolk, tsp. lemon juice.
Mix all the listed ingredients in one container and apply the resulting mass to your face. Wash off the mask after 20 minutes with warm water. Egg yolk contains a lot of useful substances and vitamins A and E. Therefore, its use will improve the condition of the facial skin after the first application.

How to cleanse your face after childbirth?

Many women in labor complain that after childbirth their face becomes very oily and ask: “What to do about this problem?” Despite the fact that this type of skin looks the most youthful among all existing types of skin, it causes a lot of inconvenience to its owner. Enlarged pores, as a rule, multiple rashes and the attraction of dirt and dust are the main characteristics of oily skin.

Oils to eliminate facial skin problems after childbirth

You can normalize your skin condition and get rid of oily skin with the help of some oils. In 10 ml of gutter oil, add 1-2 drops of oil of one of the components: geranium. Lemon, cananga, lavender, cypress.

Sandalwood oil is also significantly effective. The product can be applied at any time of the day. The oil should remain on the face for 10 minutes.
Another suitable oil is sandalwood.

After childbirth, goose bumps on the legs: what to do?

Goose bumps on the legs represent excessive keratinization of the epidermis due to endocrine system disorders and vitamin deficiency. All this can be typical for women in labor. Therefore, they are faced with this disease. Ideally, a woman should seek help from a dermatologist who will prescribe treatment. However, mothers of infants do not always have this opportunity.

At the initial stage, before visiting a specialist, you can take a complex of vitamins, including a significant content of elements of groups A, C, E. You can also take a short course of retinoids. However, if you notice an allergic reaction, you should stop taking the drug.

Local agents also work well with goose bumps, in particular ointments, gels, and creams that contain hormonal corticosteroids. Lotions based on acetylsalicylic acid have also proven themselves well. In addition to medications and cosmetics, you can use pleasant and at the same time useful techniques to combat this problem.

Bath

Experts say that you can forget about goose bumps with the help of the thermal effects of water. To do this, run a bath; the water temperature should be such that it does not burn the skin. Add up to 100 g of pine needle extract and 45 g of corn starch to the water. Transfer the responsibilities of looking after the baby to someone in the household and go to rest for 20-25 minutes.

Note! The water level should not rise above chest level.

Massage

After water treatments, you can continue the fight against goose bumps with the help of massage. Massaging with anti-cellulite silicone cups makes it possible to restore a healthy appearance to the dermis and eliminate fat deposits. They can be purchased at the pharmacy.
Before. Before starting the massage, apply moisturizing oil or cream to the skin and move the jar over problem areas of the skin without creating excessive pressure on the instrument.
You can carry out the procedure right in the bathroom. The massage should be completed after the skin becomes red. Upon completion of the procedure, cover the dermis with a product containing a high content of acetylsalicylic acid.

Wraps

In modern cosmetology, healing wraps have become widespread, which allow you to quickly restore the skin after childbirth and relieve it from many problems. Chocolate, seaweed, and cherries are used as healing agents. Let's focus on honey wrap.

Mix the bee product with water in a 5:1 ratio, then add tbsp to the mixture. l. gelatin. Mix everything thoroughly and leave the paste for 15 minutes. Waiting is necessary for the gelatin granules to swell.
At the end of the specified time, apply the resulting mass to problem areas and wrap in cling film. Soak for half an hour, then rinse off the honey in a warm shower or bath. Finally, apply a nourishing cream to your skin.

Eliminating hand skin problems after childbirth

The condition of the skin of the hands is reflected not only by hormonal changes in the body, but also by constant contact with water, which is inevitable with the appearance of a baby in the house. Naturally, the dermis cannot withstand such a load. Hard water dries out the skin and promotes the formation of microcracks, which cause discomfort. What to do in this case.

Cosmetologists and dermatologists give some advice on this matter:

1. All household work around the house should be performed only with gloves. Of course, this accessory creates some discomfort, especially when washing dishes, but for the sake of the health of the skin of your hands, you can endure it. Moreover, over time, this safety measure will become a habit, and you will no longer feel the gloves. You can also use a special cream as a means of protection.

2. After each unprotected contact with water, you should moisturize the skin of your hands using some effective product.

3. It’s a good idea to make anti-inflammatory and dermis-softening hand baths before bed. Decoctions of oak bark with the addition of essential oils and liquid vitamins A and E, which can be purchased at the pharmacy, are highly effective.

4. At night, it would be a good idea to use a nourishing cream or healing agents, if you have not already protected your hands from the formation of painful cracks.

5. About once a week, you can give your skin a feeling of velvet and silk using paraffin masks. To do this, you just need to put your hands in a warm substance that can be purchased at the pharmacy. After the paraffin has hardened, you need to put on disposable cellophane gloves, and winter gloves on top of them, and keep the mask on for an hour. Paraffin improves blood flow and nail condition.

6. During breastfeeding, vitamins for nursing mothers should be your companions. It is recommended to take them throughout the entire period of lactation. The vitamin complex has a positive effect not only on the condition of the skin, but also on the nails. And also hair.

Skin formations

It is not uncommon that after childbirth, various neoplasms such as pimples, blackheads, and redness may appear on the skin of many parts of the body. There are a lot of provoking factors. You can learn more about them from the article – Acne after childbirth. However, the greatest danger is painful lumps under the skin after childbirth. Since seemingly ordinary subcutaneous pimples may be evidence of the development of a dangerous disease. For example, infections caused by staphylococcus. Damage to the sebaceous glands or hair follicles manifests itself in the form of boils.

Be that as it may, lumps under the skin require examination and a specialist’s opinion. At the same time, you should not delay your visit to the doctor. It is much easier to eradicate any problem at the initial stage of development.

General recommendations

Local care for the face after childbirth or the skin in general is not enough. Restoring the dermis requires an integrated approach. The products that are present in our diet every day significantly affect the condition of not only internal organs, but also the skin. A balanced diet is an excellent preventive measure against vitamin deficiency, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and various diseases.

The menu must include foods rich in vitamins A, B, C, D, E. In addition, the new mother should walk in the fresh air as much as possible and try to get enough sleep at least sometimes.

The skin after childbirth can recover in the first months. But this statement only applies if it is properly cared for.