Proper care of the skin and hair is specially important during pregnancy. A daily bath with a mild fragrant soap is a must. Clean your skin both morning and night with milk cream to which a little lime juice and turmeric powder has been added. Every morning before you go in for your bath take a teaspoon of curd and mix in a few drops each of almond oil and essence of rose. Rub it well into the skin and remove with cotton wool. This will soothe and feed the skin.
For the night make this skin food to four tablespoons of cream of milk add one tablespoon each of almond oil, cucumber juice, honey, rose water and lime juice. Mix well and put in a small jar and store either in the fridge or a cool, dry place. Apply every night before going to bed. Remove in the morning with a piece of cotton wool, then splash on cold water. This will put a bloom on your cheeks and sparkle in your complexion.
Wear minimum of makeup. If you have a tendency to develop rashes it will be exaggerated during pregnancy. Sometimes pigmentation of the skin takes place or the formation of small areas in which the minute skin veins become prominent. There is no remedy for these ailments but they disappear soon after pregnancy. You should give up all our social engagements and lead a very moderate life. Your motto should be Early to Bed and Early to Rise. Good sleep, fresh air, regular skin care, exercise coupled with right diet should give you health, strength and beauty throughout the time you are 'expecting.'
Following are tips for pregnant women stated in ayurveda:
• Pregnant women must drink a lot of milk and coconut water.
• Ghee extracted from cow milk taken regularly is good forpregnant women.
• The coconut water or milk consumed is beneficial if taken with mixed sugar, turmeric and saffron.
• White flesh of coconut is healthy for the mother and the fetus.
• For pregnant women gruel of rice with milk, ghee and sugar is good and nutritious.
Pigmentation changes:
Pigmentation changes more obvious on dark skin, these changes are caused by melanocyte-stimulating hormone which acts on the skin cells. Freckles, moles and the areola of the breasts darken; so does the inside of your thighs, armpits, eye areas and genitalia.
Chloasma
Chloasma is also called the mask of pregnancy; it resembles brown patches on the bridge of the nose, cheeks and neck. The patches are dark on light skin and light on dark toned skin. The only way to camouflage it is with the use of cosmetics; don't attempt bleaching. This again is temporary and goes away after few months of delivery. Folic acid deficiency is associated with discoloration of skin; sun exposure worsens things as you are more prone to tanning during pregnancy and the patches only intensify under sun rays. Use suitable protection like a 15+ sunscreen cream.
Skin pigmentation changes usually disappear on their own after delivery, but you can do a few things to safely minimize them in the meantime:
Protect yourself from the sun: This is crucial because exposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays intensifies pigment changes.
Use gentle cleansers and facial creams. Preparations that irritate your skin may make the problem worse.
Apply a concealing makeup. (Don't use skin-bleaching products now. Wait to see if the pigmentation changes go away after you give birth.)
Slather on the sunscreen. Exposure to sunlight will only exacerbate the problem and make the mask even more noticeable. To protect your skin during pregnancy, doctors recommend applying a sunscreen daily (even if you aren’t going outside). Look for formulations that include titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, which are more effective sunblocks, to help prevent the UV rays from interacting with your skin.
Try some all-natural masks. Orange pulp can help lighten the skin. Puree a whole orange, then apply it to your face for 15 minutes before rinsing it away. Or try a milk mask — mix together equal parts whole milk, almond oil, honey, and lime juice, and leave it on your skin for a half an hour. The lactic acid in the milk will help exfoliate and lighten your skin.
Get plenty of folic acid. It’s not just good for preventing birth defects — studies have shown that a deficiency in this essential vitamin can cause the overproduction of melanin that comes with melasma. So take those prenatal vitamins, and supplement with folate-rich foods like dark green vegetables, beans, strawberries, and eggs.
Exfoliate your skin. Once your pregnancy has ended, the hyperpigmentation associated with melasma should end too. Exfoliation will encourage cell turnover and bring the fresher, nonpigmented skin to the forefront. Make your own scrub with sugar and olive oil, or try lotions
Use lightening creams. Most over-the-counter or prescription lightening creams contain hydroquinone, although treatment with azelaic acid cream can also help lighten your skin. Many women have also achieved great results with creams that contain vitamin C or vitamin B (also called niacinamide). Doctors recommend avoiding these products during pregnancy and waiting until a few months after giving birth to see if the melasma goes away on its own. Otherwise, there is a risk of developing underpigmented, patchy skin as the melasma fades away.
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