Acne and Pregnancy

by Lindsey
(Indianapolis, Indiana)

Acne and pregnancy are not strange bedfellows, as some women are prone to think. Although this does not naturally occur to some pregnant women, there is still a lot of connection with acne and pregnancy due to hormonal changes and imbalances once pregnancy sets in. This is one simple truth I learned at the onset of my pregnancy.

For a mature woman who experienced her first pregnancy at the age of thirty, I resented the acne that tended to ruin a perfectly good feeling of entering an important phase of my life. I so prided myself for having outgrown acne at the right time during my teen years, I was not going to let this acne thing mess up my cheery disposition.

I didn't let the combination of acne and pregnancy get the better of me but instead I tried to recall the things I did or ate that might have caused my acne to breakout the way it did. I know that pregnancy and the sudden hormonal change may have caused me to produce more sebum to make me pimple prone, but their transformation into breakouts may have been triggered by another factor.

I realized that by wearing my hair, framed around my face, it was causing some dirt to stick closely to my forehead. The hairdressing gel I regularly apply on my bangs tend to stick to my forehead; this, plus the natural oils coupled with the dirt accumulating on my pores were causing the simple pimples to breakout. My best preventive action therefore was to wear a headband that can keep the hair away from my skin.

Since I was on a strict diet of fruits and vegetable and some lean meat, I was able to infuse the right nutrients like oligometric proanthrocyanidins or OPCs present in citrus fruits like grapeseed. These are natural plant substances which promote skin cell repair.I took note of this in some of the organic skin cosmetics that I use.

Most of all I went back to drinking plenty of water, to keep my skin hydrated since I kept a regimen of washing my face with mild soap and warm water more often.

Nevertheless, I checked this out with my doctor and he commended me for being sensible. As a pregnant woman, it's a big No, No---to consider those acne medications that others think as harmless. Some acne creams or ointments contain harmful chemicals that penetrate the skin and enter the blood stream. This may result to adverse effects on your pregnancy.

Acne and pregnancy can happen to any female at any age, but they can be remedied by natural methods so remember, you don't have to be drastic about it.

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