Skin changes are common during pregnancy. While sometimes your hormones work exceptionally to make your skin glow from within, they may often go on overdrive as well, and cause not-so-pleasant changes in your skin, such as pigmentation or melasma.
Pigmentation or melasma is a skin condition that appears mostly during pregnancy and can be quite frustrating. But fret not, as melasma can be managed easily and is not a cause of grave concern. To help you manage pigmentation during pregnancy, we have listed a set of skincare techniques and home remedies that effectively limit the appearance of these patchy spots and also enhance your skin health from within.
What Is Melasma?
Before we discuss home remedies to tackle melasma, let’s understand a bit about this skin condition. Melasma, also known as chloasma, causes brown spots or patches on your skin. Since it’s a common skin issue experienced by pregnant women, it is often referred to as the ‘mask of pregnancy.’ Pigmentation during pregnancy usually appears on your face in three patterns:
- Centrofacial: Affecting your forehead, nose, and upper lips
- Malar: Affecting your cheeks
- Mandibular: Affecting your jawline and chin
Out of these patterns, the centrofacial pattern is the predominant one experienced by most women and these spots or discolouration may also be evident on your neck and shoulders.
Hyperpigmentation And Melasma: What’s The Difference?
Most people confuse melasma with hyperpigmentation. But let us clarify one thing here: hyperpigmentation is a broad term and particularly refers to any skin condition in which dark patches or discolouration appear due to several factors. For instance, scarring caused by pimples or acne marks caused by sun exposure, psoriasis, or eczema—all come under hyperpigmentation. This means any discolouration of the skin can be referred to as hyperpigmentation.
Melasma, on the other hand, is a bit tricky and is considered a type of hyperpigmentation mainly triggered by hormonal factors and UV exposure. Also, as compared to traditional hyperpigmentation (which only appears on the top surface of your skin), melasma occurs much deeper and requires extra care and attention to treat.
What Causes Pigmentation During Pregnancy?
The exact cause of melasma is unknown, but experts believe that UV exposure is one of the main factors that cause pigmentation during pregnancy. The other factor often blamed for this condition is your fluctuating hormones that cause high production of estrogen and progesterone in your body.
Diagnosis Of Melasma
Usually, a dermatologist can diagnose this condition by running a visual examination. However, they may also conduct several other tests to rule out any other underlying condition.
While diagnosing melasma, your doctor may also perform the Wood’s Lamp examination. In this procedure, a type of light is held close to your skin to determine whether it is affected by any bacteria or fungi. It also helps detect the layers of your skin that are affected by melasma.
How To Prevent Melasma During Pregnancy: Skincare Techniques And Home Remedies
Your hormones are out of your control. So you cannot actually do anything if that’s what is triggering melasma. But otherwise, you can take the following preventive measures to keep your skin safe from pigmentation during pregnancy.
- Use sunscreen whenever you are going out: Believe it or not, UV exposure is your skin’s biggest enemy and one of the biggest factors that trigger melasma. That’s why wearing sunscreen is a must for you. Always use a pregnancy-safe and broad-spectrum sunscreen for full-proof protection against the harsh rays of the sun.
- Use umbrellas and broad-brimmed hats: Apart from wearing sunscreen, carrying an umbrella or wearing a broad-brimmed hat can also help shield a major portion of your exposed skin. Also, whenever you are outside, try to stay in the shade as much as possible.
- Take your medicines without fail: Take the medicines prescribed by your doctor regularly and at the necessary intervals suggested by them. This will help get rid of the spots and patches faster.
- Don’t stress: Stress can worsen melasma. So do not freak out when you notice spots and pigmentation on your skin. Relax and try remedies to reduce them. To reduce stress, you can consider indulging in self-care activities that uplift your mood.
Home Remedies For Reducing Pigmentation During Pregnancy
Potato
Potato contains azelaic acid, which helps in reducing tyrosinase activity in your skin. This further helps in reducing spots and pigmentation. You can also use potato for treating any other form of hyperpigmentation.
You will need:
A raw potato
How to:
- Grate the potato and squeeze its juice.
- Apply the liquid to your spots and let it dry.
- Rinse with lukewarm water.
- Repeat daily for best results.
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera gel contains aloin, an ingredient with skin-lightening effects. It also helps remove dead skin cells and boost cell regeneration.
You will need:
1 teaspoon of fresh aloe vera gel
How to:
- Apply aloe vera gel to the affected areas of your skin before going to bed.
- Leave it overnight and rinse it the next day.
- Follow this ritual every day for the best results.
Turmeric
Turmeric has curcumin that reduces melanoma cells and lightens dark spots and blemishes. It also helps reduce tyrosinase activity in your skin.
You will need:
- A teaspoon of raw turmeric paste
- ½ teaspoon of diluted lemon juice
How to:
- Mix both ingredients and apply the paste to your face.
- Leave it on till dry, and rinse with lukewarm water.
- Repeat until the spots reduce.
Orange Peel
Orange peel powder exhibits anti-tyrosinase activity that helps reduce dark spots in your skin and whiten it.
You will need:
- 1 teaspoon of orange peel powder
- 1 teaspoon of honey
- 1 teaspoon of milk
How to:
- Mix the ingredients to make a paste.
- Apply the paste to the spots and leave it on for 20 minutes.
- Wash it off with lukewarm water.
- Repeat daily for best results.
Melasma and pigmentation during pregnancy are pretty common. You don’t need to get scared or freak out if spots appear on your face and other parts of your body during this time. Just focus on taking your prescribed medications and try the home remedies that we discussed to tackle this skin condition.
Also read:
Pregnancy CTM routine: Try this effective skincare routine to get glowing and healthy skin during pregnancy.
What is slugging: Check out this post to learn all the hype about this viral skincare trend and how to do it with pregnancy-safe skincare products.
Jello skin trend: Here’s a breakdown of the jello skin trend and how to achieve it with pregnancy-safe skincare products.
Featured image: Freepik.com
