FAQs on Pregnancy and Skin Changes

I have a dark vertical line running that starts from my belly button and moves down. What is it?

The linea alba is a white line running down from the belly button and is present in all non pregnant women although rarely noticed. Fluctuating hormone levels and changing skin pigmentation during pregnancy cause the linea alba to become darker and the line to become more prominent and noticeable. At this point the line is renamed the linea nigra or the black line. Once the baby is born and hormone levels return to normal the line will usually disappear and will once again be known as the linea alba.

My skin has become extremely oily during pregnancy. I have a healthy diet, don’t eat chocolate and I stay away from fatty foods. Why is this happening?

Pregnancy hormones fluctuate and vary on a constant basis. Some women find their skin is extremely dry while others have problems with excess oil production during pregnancy. This is all normal and is precipitated by your own unique hormonal levels. Maintaining a healthy diet, keeping your skin clean and moisturized and drinking plenty of clean, filtered water will decrease your chances of extremely oily, dry or acne-prone skin.

During my second trimester I began to notice freckles and dark spots appearing on my face. What causes this to happen and will these go away after my baby is born?

Changes in skin color and pigmentation are quite common during pregnancy. In fact, it is well known that if you have freckles they may become darker, moles and birth marks will also darken while you are pregnant and you may even notice additional brown spots (moles, marks or freckles) appearing on your body. Don’t worry, most of the increased pigmentation will return to normal shortly after the baby is born although some regions of hyper pigmentation will never quite be as light in color as before. The reason these regions become darker can, once again, be blamed on the highly fluctuating levels of hormones present in the pregnant woman’s body.

Everybody tells me that pregnancy has made me “glow”. What are they talking about?

People are referring to your “pregnancy glow”. While for some women pregnancy can bring on acne and other skin conditions, for others pregnancy brings a flushed, glowing appearance to the face. Many women, in fact, find they feel and look radiant and bright during their pregnancy. The pregnancy glow is caused by increased blood circulation to the face and other areas of the body, blood vessels that are closer to the surface of the skin and an increased heart rate and blood pressure.

I have never had acne before I was pregnant. I am now in my fourth month of pregnancy and have been having very bad acne outbreaks. Someone told me I should try medication that contains vitamin A but I’m not sure if it is safe for my unborn baby. What should I do?

Vitamin A in large doses (topically or orally) has the potential to be highly toxic to both you and your baby. If your acne cannot be controlled through diet, daily facial cleansing, toning and moisturizing and drinking plenty of clean, filtered water, it is recommended that you see your primary care physician. He or she may be able to recommend a safe medication or alternative to use during pregnancy that will not endanger the health of you or your baby. It is highly advised to always read skin product and medication labels and to never use a product that is not recommended during pregnant.

My skin has become very itchy, especially across my abdomen. Is there anything I can do to stop the dryness and scratchy feeling?

Moisturize, moisturize and then moisturize some more! The skin on your abdomen will continue to expand at an amazingly fast rate for the next few months. Keeping it moist and as supple as possible will minimize your risk for stretch marks and keep the dryness and itching to a minimum. Look for skin care products that contain ingredients such as Shea or Cocoa butter plus nourishing oils, herbs and vitamins.
Examples include: Belli Cosmetics Elasticity Belly Oil , Mustela Stretch Mark Intensive Action, Dermalogica UltraRich Body Cream, MD Skincare Intense Body Moisture, SkinMedica TNS Recovery Complex Body Lotion, Neova Body Therapy Lotion, and L'Occitane Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Cream.