Pregnancy face mask: act quickly and well

What is the cause of pregnancy mask?

The answer is in the question: pregnancy! Getting pregnant causes many upheavals in your body. Unsurprisingly, the culprits are the same as your mood swings, breakouts or nausea: our friends hormones. 
As your baby grows, your body secretes more estrogen and progesterone. However, it turns out that these two substances are both involved in melanogenesis (read: the synthesis of melanin). Hence a boom in brown spots at the slightest ray of sunlight… or almost.

When does it appear?

This hyperpigmentation of the face and body generally appears at the beginning of the second trimester of pregnancy. It is roughly around 5 months before giving birth that you are likely to notice an increase in brown spots. 

However, nature is not an exact science! The appearance of chloasma arises largely from the biological specificities of each woman. For some mothers, it occurs in the first trimester. And for others (the majority, in fact), it never happens.

Are you one of the women most affected?

Pregnancy spots are believed to affect 1 out of 20 French people. They mainly concern women with dark complexions. Please note: just because you have a light phototype (blonde hair, pale skin) does not mean you will be spared. On the other hand, you have less risk of developing chloasma. 

Less encouraging: you have already had brown spots during your previous pregnancy ? So, you should know that there is a high probability that you will have them again if you become pregnant again. But as you read this, you will be better equipped to face them. 😉

Before childbirth 

“If you want peace, prepare for war. » The more you know about pregnancy facial masks, the better you will be able to prevent or even avoid pregnancy masks! The most important thing to understand is that the sun plays a big role in its appearance. It's physiological: UV activates the production of melanin.

Apply a daily SPF50 sunscreen to combat UV rays. Choose yours carefully, as some filters and cosmetic ingredients are not recommended during pregnancy. Some controversial undesirables: benzophenone-3, 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor.

• Be gentle with your skin. Avoid mishandling it with mechanical scrubs or overly “stripping” cleansers. By weakening your skin's natural defenses, you make it more vulnerable to external aggressions, including ultraviolet rays.

• Adopt an anti-spot diet. Look for foods rich in antioxidants, zinc and vitamin C (green tea, grapes, citrus fruits, cocoa, etc.). Researchers have established a link between the ingestion of flavonoids and the inhibition of glycation (“driver” of skin aging).

After childbirth,

Bad news: the pregnancy facial mask has hard skin. It therefore does not go away overnight, even once your pregnancy is over. Worse: it can get worse during the breastfeeding period, which causes hormonal peaks. It would therefore be a shame to relax your efforts.

• Continue to protect yourself from the sun. Whether you are pregnant or not, wearing an SPF is a sine qua non condition to apply in all circumstances. Limit any exposure to the sun as much as possible to avoid accentuating a mask already installed.

• Review your beauty routine. Give pride of place to lightening active ingredients to reduce the intensity of your brown spots. Do not hesitate to use a serum to “boost” the performance of your treatment protocol. And of course, moisturize your skin religiously.