Parenting: Pregnancy

Just as a woman’s body undergoes various changes during pregnancy and after giving birth, many women often notice significant facial changes, too. In addition to the requisite “puffiness” resulting from water retention and weight gain, many women experience new symptoms, such as acne, dryness and discoloration.

Julie Archer of Alexandria, Va. experienced no abnormal skin conditions until she was pregnant with her third child. During that pregnancy, she noticed an increase in varicose veins. “This was new to me and I guess I was lucky not to see any changes in the appearance of my skin with my first two kids,” says Archer. “Of course, I got stretch marks, but those are expected.”

According to Dr. Fredric Brandt, M.D., P.A., of Coral Gables, Fla., women suffer everything from acne breakouts to rashes to enlarged pores and broken capillaries during pregnancy. Additional conditions include melasma (brown spots), seborrhea (red, itchy patches around nose and scalp area), rosacea (redness to the cheek areas) and keratosis pilaris, or bumps on the back of the arms. To ease these symptoms, he recommends topical antibiotics and body and facial moisturizers.

“During pregnancy women should follow a good skin care regimen such as a gentle cleanser, a hydrating moisturizer and a good sunscreen with parsol and titanium dioxide,” Dr. Brandt recommends. He suggests using the Lineless Cream, which is a product he created that uses a blend of green tea and grapeseed extracts to moisturize and minimize wrinkles.

“Known for its potent anti-inflammatory properties, green tea extract is also 20 times more antioxidant powerful than vitamin C and provides superior protection from free radical damage,” says Dr. Brandt. “Grapeseed extract works in tandem with green tea to increase intracellular levels of vitamin C and decrease the destruction of collagen.”

During pregnancy, he advises women to avoid the sun, chemical peels, Retin-A and prescription acne products.

While many women pay special attention to the skin on their growing tummies in an effort to prevent stretch marks, experts recommend special care also be given to the face during pregnancy. Bobbi Brown, president of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and mother of three, offers this advice to pregnant women with regard to skin care: “Women should stay away from chemical peels or any topical antibiotic treatments not approved by their physicians,” she says. “I also recommend that women stay away from steaming their skin, as this may make it look and feel dehydrated.”

For optimal skin fitness, Brown suggests a pregnancy skin care regimen that keeps skin hydrated throughout the day. Cleansers and moisturizers should be “balmy and rich in moisture,” she suggests. Furthermore, lotion should be applied to the face and body after showers and before bed.

During her own pregnancies, Brown experienced dry skin, which led her to create her new skin care line, Extra. For pregnant women with dry skin symptoms, she recommends any of the items from the Extra collection, specifically the Soothing and Moisturizing Balms, which are dense in moisturizers.

Brown also offers advice to ease the common telltale facial signs during pregnancy, such as raccoon eyes, brown spots or puffiness. “Concealer, concealer, concealer,” she says. “I would also suggest eye cream to help reduce puffiness. If you apply eye cream before your concealer it will make the application a little easier. Also, finish the concealer with pale-yellow powder, which will lock it in and keep it from slipping."

Vicki Iovine, author of “The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy,” discusses in her book “the mask of pregnancy” which some women experience. This “mask,” she says, “looks like you have a skier’s tan on the cheeks and forehead but that you had sunblock on the rest of your face.” Though this unique pigmentation does go away in time, Iovine recommends staying out of the sun, as that can exacerbate the problem. She also recommends using foundation to help blend everything together.

In addition to these obvious symptoms, such as acne or changes in pigmentation, some women during pregnancy complain that contrary to the widely touted “glow” of pregnancy, their skin looks dull and dreary.

To combat this, Brown recommends using a bronzing powder or a natural looking blush to help brighten up dull skin. “Either of these works wonders,” she says.

Joey Roer, founder of Joey New York, an all-natural skincare company that specializes in unique skin treatments and cosmetics, offers the following advice for women who suffer from breakouts during pregnancy: “Women experiencing breakouts should use blemish treatments containing salicylic acid to greatly diminish acne breakouts,” Roer recommends. “Using products that also contain calming ingredients like chamomile will also help ease symptoms and reduce the redness usually associated with blemishes.” From her own line, which she founded with her mother in 1993 to offer products normally only offered in spas to consumers everywhere, Roer recommends her Pure Pores Masque and Blemish Treatment, Pure Pores Hide and Heal, Pure Pores Roll-On Blemish Fix and Chin Breakout Relief. She also advises pregnant women and women who have just given birth to use extra care to moisturize their skin. “Joey New York’s Double Stuff Eye and Face Masque is great for extra hydration,” she says. “Both formulas are gel based and contain soothing, hydrating ingredients like cucumber, ginseng and chamomile. Not only do these products bring water and moisture to the skin but they diminish puffiness, redness and tired looking skin.”

Although Joey New York doesn’t have a specific skin care line for pregnant women, Roer says that all of her products are developed with pregnant women in mind. “They are all-natural and safe (even though we always recommend consulting with a physician if pregnant or nursing),” Roer says. “The one product I see many women use during pregnancy and after is the Calm & Correct Serum. It is designed for broken capillaries, dark circles under the eyes and spider veins on the legs. All these symptoms seem to be present during the pregnancy and post-birth stage.”