Pregnancy is the happiest time for all women which they experience in their lifetime. A women’s body undergoes multiple changes during these 9 months of pregnancy. These changes not only occur internally (inside the body) but their reflection appears on the skin too, given to the shifts and curves in the hormonal balance and blood flow. Almost 90% of women experience skin changes in pregnancy. Different women will experience different kinds of skin changes during pregnancy. And as most of them are unaware and not prepared to face these changes they get worried when these changes occur. Through this blog, we aim at clearing the haze and bursting the clouds around this topic.
Certain skin changes happen generally to everyone but can get aggravated during pregnancy. These are:
Hyperpigmentation: Most women experience pigmentation throughout their lifetime. This pigmentation can be generalized or localized on a specific body area like the neck, underarms, and private parts. Dark spots and patches can appear during pregnancy due to hormonal surge.
Melasma: Also known as the Mask of Pregnancy or Chloasma, it refers to stubborn, dark-brown patches on the cheeks, forehead, chin and upper lip. These are generally symmetrical in the pattern. Most of the times this pigmentation fades away after delivery.
Acne: This is another common issue that one can face due to hormonal fluctuations. The increase in androgen levels especially in the first and third trimester can aggravate the acne problem in pregnancy. Acne occurring due to pregnancy and postpartum pregnancy generally clear up after hormones return to normal.
Hairfall: The most common period of hair loss is about 3 months after delivery, due to hormonal changes in pregnancy. This is temporary and goes away on its own.
Hair Growth: Excessive hair growth is often linked to the hormonal fluctuation and hence, women can experience excessive and abnormal growth on body areas like arms, legs, back, belly during pregnancy.
Skin Tags: Skin tags can aggravate during pregnancy due to increased weight and hormonal changes. Fat tissue of body and leptin secreted by the fetus is a hormone that promotes the growth of skin cells and leads in aggravation of skin tag formation.
Atopic Dermatitis: This is characterized by red, itchy bumps that can appear anywhere on the body. About 20-40% of women who experience eczema during pregnancy have a history of atopic dermatitis before becoming pregnant.
Warts: This is a viral infection of the skin which leads to skin growths over the skin. Women with a history of the same can experience this during pregnancy.
Spider Angioma: These are enlarged blood vessels that look like spiders' bodies. Due to increased estrogen levels during pregnancy, this becomes a common appearance on a women’s body and can also disappear after delivery.
Now let’s have a look at skin changes that happen specifically during pregnancy:
1) Besnier’s Prurigo or Prurigo of pregnancy
This dermatosis occurs during the first trimester of pregnancy where the women experience rashes, eczema, and allergies on arms, legs, and belly. This most commonly happens in people who have a history of atopic dermatitis.
2) Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy (PUPPP)
This occurs during the third trimester of pregnancy. These appear as rashes similar to hives which are a sudden inflammatory reaction to sudden stretching of the skin. This is more common in areas where stretch marks appear like belly.
3) Pemphigoid gestationis
This is common in pregnant women where they witness pustular eruptions on legs and arms. It can be itchy and painful.
4) Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy
This condition appears as sudden itching in palms and soles which can spread to other body areas. In this condition, 20% of women can have a deranged liver function test. Thus, it is advised to get liver function tests done during pregnancy.
Most of the skin conditions are benign and do not affect the health of the mother or the fetus. However, if the skin condition becomes worse and distressing, one must consult a nearby dermatologist right away.
Keep Healthy! Keep Glowing!