Dr Barbara Kubicka recently shared her advice for pregnant ladies in Beauty Magazine’s feature, entitled ‘Beauty and the Bump’.
Here in an extended feature, she explains the skin’s needs during pregnancy.
Skin During Pregnancy
Pregnancy most often changes a person completely – mind, body and soul – and things are never quite the same again afterwards.
The massive hormonal changes combined with the effect of a different diet mean that throughout the pregnancy process, the skin is prone to change. While some women appear to glow with flawless skin, others suffer from the first trimester with a range of problems and conditions from the recurrence of acne to rashes and patchy complexion.
The third trimester is where the most dramatic changes and problems can appear, including stretch marks, melasma (pregnancy mask) and even varicose veins.
Avoiding Skin Problems in Pregnancy
The potential for skin conditions during pregnancy can be reduced with some sensible healthcare advice.
- Diet: Firstly, avoid the temptation to ‘eat for two’ with unhealthy choices and oversized portions. Binging on crisps or chocolate is a sure fire way to upset the balance of the skin and often the cause for breakouts of spots. Choose a sensible balanced diet with good proteins (fish and chicken) and plenty of veg to ensure good nutrition. In terms of portion size, while you may need to eat a little more, this should only be a relatively small increase in food intake. Eating too much will cause additional weight gain, which can contribute to the appearance of stretch marks.
- Hydration is also important. Pregnant women need to drink a little more but it is best to choose water and avoid carbonated or caffeine based drinks. Kangen alkalised water is pure with a number of reported health benefits.
- Sun exposure: The skin is more sensitive to the sun during pregnancy and prone to pigmentation issues such as melasma (pregnancy mask). Diligent use of a good quality, high factor sun screen is vital – as well as simple things such as wearing a large hat and staying out of the sun during its peak hours.
- Daily Skin Care: Finally, good skincare regimes should include regular cleansing and moisturising of the skin. A rich serum or oil can be helpful in managing complexion problems and working on dry patches.
- Injectable cosmetic treatments such as botox or dermal fillers should be avoided during pregnancy, although certain masks or facials can be helpful for improving the skin, as well as relaxing for mum-to-be.
Dr Kubicka offers advice and appropriate care for ladies at all stages of pregnancy and after childbirth too. Her post-natal treatments are also very popular, helping women to feel confident about their skin again and hiding the inevitable signs of tiredness; taking full account of nursing, work and lifestyle factors.
CLINICBE
Dr Kubicka, MD, CIME/ICAM, MBCAM founded Clinicbe to offer a new holistic approach to skincare treatments; treating the patient as a whole in order to get the best possible results from any treatments they may have.
Private consultations include individual advice on nutrition and lifestyle to help tackle skincare issues from within and compliment professional treatments.
For further information or to arrange a confidential consultation, please contact us on 0207 125 0521 or email info@clinicbe.com
