Is this my face?

One morning after taking a shower you head for the mirror and for a brief moment, you cannot believe what you are seeing. You pose, ‘ls this really my face or am I dreaming?’ For some reason, you have developed a rash, making it unbearable for you to look at yourself in the mirror. You have acne, a condition you successfully avoided in your teenage years!

To many women, regardless of their skin condition or history, acne occurs as a side effect of pregnancy, due to the fluctuating hormones in their body. During pregnancy, your body normally undergoes a lot of changes, both mental and physical, causing skin changes such as acne. Although acne appears during the initial stages of pregnancy, it automatically subdues during the second and third trimester of pregnancy.

Causes
Acne is caused by changes in the hormone called oestrogen. If you already have acne, your skin may either worsen during pregnancy, or clear up altogether! This is because hormones like progesterone, which act on your sebum (natural oil) glands, encourage a greater production of sebum, which in turn encourages/aggravates acne. Further, if you do not keep your body properly hydrated, getting rid of excess oil will be difficult.

In some women, acne can be as a result of high stress levels. Therefore, during pregnancy, a woman needs moral support and understanding to keep her away from stress.

With the higher levels of progesterone, the sebaceous glands, the oil producing glands in the skin become big, with more secretion of sebum. This combined with the dead cells blocks the pores and helps in the multiplication of bacteria. This condition leads to the inflammation of the skin and eruptions called acne.

Acne causes dark scars which might remain on your skin. This condition should be dealt with very carefully during pregnancy. The bad news is that you can neither predict the onset acne, nor can you prevent it from occurring. If you are worried about acne, there are various treatment options that you may seek. However, do ensure that you discuss the best possible course of action with your doctor or dermatologist, given that some remedies may be harmful to your baby.

Please note that just because a treatment is herbal, or can be bought over the counter at the pharmacy, that does not necessarily make it safe.

Do try the following safe products:

■ Benzoyl peroxide
■ Azelaic acid

Avoid using Erythomycin, which is prescribed only for the worst cases, together with all other oral medications. Also keep off products that contain the following, as they have been shown to be harmful to the foetus. They should also be avoided if you are trying to get pregnant:

■ Isotretinoin (Accutane)
■ Any retinoids

Watch out for the popular ingredient glycolic acid, as well. It has not been proven safe for pregnant women.

Do’s and don’ts to keep the acne to the minimum while ensuring baby’s safety:

■ YOU should not touch the spots affected by acne with your hands as it might lead to infection by bacteria.
■ YOU should not squeeze the pimples as this might smear the infection to nearby uninfected areas, leading to the development of scars at a later stage.
■ YOU should eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables which have been thoroughly washed.
■ YOU should exercise your body as this will help in the circulation of the blood to all parts of the body thus reducing acne.
■ YOU should rinse your face thoroughly using plenty of water after applying soap to free it from irritation and bacteria.
■ YOU should apply an oil-free moisturiser and use an oil-absorbent micro fibre cloth to keep the acne in check.
■ YOU should avoid stress at all times, which might be the reason for the outbreak of acne. Try and keep yourself relaxed and do things which are of more interest during pregnancy.
■ YOU should seek the advice of a gynaecologist or a physician before taking any oral medicines during pregnancy. All in all. it is wiser to avoid any such medications.

END:PG15/46