First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy! It is quite the job growing a little miracle in your stomach. This influences all kinds of processes in your body, including your skin. There are pregnant women having the most amazing skin, but there are others suffering from sensitivity for everything they apply on it. What happens to your skin when you’re pregnant? And which products are safe to use as a mommy-to-be?
What happens to your skin during pregnancy?
Pregnancy glow
You've probably heard of the famous 'pregnancy glow'. While you are pregnant, a lot of things happen inside your body. Therefore, it is not surprising that your skin changes with it. This does not always have to be negative. The pregnancy glow is caused by more blood than normal going to the skin. This can provide a natural blush look on the cheeks, but unfortunately also spider neavi (also called cobwebs) or couperose in the face. In that case, it is useful if you have calming ingredients in your products, such as in the Avocado Mask. The effect of the ingredients in this mask ensures that the blood vessels are going to be less visible.
Pigmentation
Due to the hormones raging through your body, more pigment is produced than normal. This may result in that the pigment spots you already had becoming even darker or getting completely new ones. This is where the much-dreaded 'pregnancy mask' often comes into play. These dark spots mainly occur on the forehead, cheeks and sometimes around the mouth. It is very important that you protect your skin from the sun at all times with the help of a good sunscreen with SPF. It is also nice to use a product that contains vitamin C, such as the Vitamin C serum. This brightens the skin and has the power to fade pigmentation spots.
Impurities
These same hormones also cause excess sebum production, which can lead to blemishes. Here too, you have women who are more fortunate than others. If you are less fortunate, you can benefit from a good cleanser for the impurities in your face. The Triple AHA Straw-Jelly Cleanser ensures that the skin is cleaned in a mild way, which is exactly what your sensitive pregnancy skin needs. It also unclogs the pores, so there is no more excess sebum or dirt. This is an important process in combating impurities.
Which ingredients should you watch out for during pregnancy?
It is also useful to know which ingredients you should not use during pregnancy. There is a lot of information on the internet about it, so we'll put it together for you. It is good to know that no concrete research has been carried out that indicates that specific ingredients are actually harmful to mother and/or child, but it is recommended to avoid them (in large amounts) during pregnancy.
Retinol (Vitamin A)
During pregnancy it is important to avoid high concentrations of vitamin A. That is why you should not take supplements of this if you are pregnant. It is also important to be careful with foods that contain this high concentration of vitamin A. Studies have shown that little to no absorption of vitamin A takes place through the skin, but eventhough (medicinal) creams containing retinol (vitamin A) are strongly discouraged for pregnant women. The only product from Clay And Glow that contains a small amount of retinol is the Pink Clay Mask. It is therefore best to leave it alone during your pregnancy. If you did use the product when you didn't know you were pregnant, don't worry. But even when there is no medical warning for this product, it is better to be on the safe side or talk to your doctor.
Arbutin (and derivatives)
Arbutin is an ingredient that has a lightening effect on the skin, but it is best avoided during pregnancy. This ingredient and derivatives of arbutin are broken down on the skin to hydroquinone. Too little is known about the influence of hydroquinone on mother and child during pregnancy and breastfeeding. If you suffer from a pregnancy mask or dark spots on the face for any other reason, it is certainly a nice ingredient to lighten those. In this case, it is better to wait until after the pregnancy and breastfeeding period with the use of arbutin and derivatives.
Invasive beauty treatments
Finally, during pregnancy it is best to be careful with beauty treatments that involve lasers, needles and/or aggressive chemicals. Think of chemical peels, laser therapy or botox and filler treatments. It is always difficult to say in advance how you will react to the ingredients and to what extent they will penetrate your skin. The substances can end up in the bloodstream and that is an unnecessary risk that you would rather avoid. So, postpone these treatments for a while and plan them as a 'me-time' moment when you have become a mom.
