As your burgeoning bump grows during pregnancy, you might notice other changes in your body too. Due to all the hormones floating around, your pregnancy skincare routine may differ from your normal one.

In this feature, we look at some of the common pregnancy skincare ailments and helpful fixes to get you through the nine months of fun ahead…

What to expect from your skin, when you’re expecting?

According to the Mayo Clinic, there’s four main ways that your skin changes when pregnant, these are:

Pregnancy acne

You might have had skin as soft as a baby’s bum before, but a sudden breakout of acne during pregnancy is perfectly normal. Using a gentle cleanser and regularly shampooing will help to combat this. Additionally, look out for products containing glycolic acid or lactic acid in your pregnancy skincare range. These are safe ingredients to use in low doses, as advocated by the beauty team at Harpers Bazaar.

Check out our blog where we take a look at the science behind pregnancy acne, and tips for keeping your skin in baby-bottom condition.

Pigmentation

Better known as dark spots, these can appear around your nipples, on your inner thighs, neck and even genitals. Our dear friend’s hormones are once again to blame for this. Additionally, many pregnant women also develop a dark line running down their tummy too (linea nigra). Dark patches can worsen with sun exposure, so keep that in mind. As with before, look out for skincare products containing glycolic acid, as well as Vitamins C E Ferrulic.

Veins

When you think of pregnancy skincare you might not automatically think of veins. However, these are one of the special gifts that pregnancy likes to bestow on us!

Varicose veins are quite common in pregnancy, seen in the legs, these are the result of enlarged veins, the pressure of your uterus and pregnancy hormones combined.

However, pregnancy induced varicose veins do get better between three and 12 months postpartum – something to look forward to.

Spider veins are another common ailment, due to a flux of hormones and the increased volume of blood putting pressure on vessels. Opt for fibre-rich foods (less straining) and those high in vitamin C – these are a great way to give your body a boost of collagen and elastin that help to repair veins.

Dr. Arora from @thefacebible covers pigmentation and veins as she answers all your burning postpartum skincare questions. Watch her Youtube video to learn how to get your glow back and keep that skincare on fleek.

Stretch marks  

You’re not alone here, in fact 50% to 90% of pregnant women gain stretch marks during pregnancy. One way to help minimise the effects of this common pregnancy skincare gripe is to use a high-quality product like NAYDAYA Scar Saviour. Full of natural organic goodness, it can be used from the first trimester onwards, to help reduce the appearance, texture and colour of scars.

Additionally, many new mums suffer with loose or saggy skin on their tummies, breasts or elsewhere after pregnancy. Health line recommends eating healthy fats and protein in your diet, drinking plenty of water and adopting strength training to restore your pre-pregnancy skin. Essential oils, skin balms and creams can also have many restorative properties, especially those rich in collagen, vitamin C and retinoid.

As a final thought, there’s nothing more beautiful than a pregnant woman. Learning to love our new bodies and all their crags, sags and scars is something that comes with time, as we heal from the inside out.