Women really do GLOW when they’re pregnant… and this is the reason why
We've all heard of the term 'pregnancy glow' and it turns out it's a real thing... but unfortunately so is 'pregnancy acne'
WE’VE all heard someone talk about the famed ‘pregnancy glow’, but is it a real thing or just make believe?
Quite often it’s only characters in soaps who mention the famed ‘glow’, but there is actually a scientific reason why women who are expecting might look particularly healthy.
According to dermatologist Dr. Eric Meinhardt, it’s actually a pretty normal part of pregnancy.
Gynaecologist Dr Felice Gersh : “In pregnancy, blood volume naturally increases and there is also a natural dilation of blood vessels… to maintain proper blood flow to the placenta,
“These effects cause increased blood flow to the skin, and in particular of the face… giving it a lovely, healthy glow!”
On top of this all those pregnancy hormones can make the skin produce more oil, which adds to the glow factor.
The downside? It’s a fine line between ‘glow’ and ‘massive spot outbreak’ for some people.
Skin type and age are what will really determines which camp you fall into.
It’s just like being a teenager – which some people will be blessed with clean and fresh skin, others will struggle with hormonal acne.
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The only plus point is that pregnancy acne should clear up once your baby comes along.
The main thing is not to get stressed if you think you’re skin isn’t looking as dewy as your prego pal’s.
Felice explained: “Obstetricians are not even trained to look at this feature!
“Blood pressure, weight gain, baby’s growth, urine protein, laboratory results for such things as glucose regulation, ferritin (iron), nutrients, and antioxidants are what should be measured and monitored.”
It’s not just spots or glow which might pop up when you’re pregnant either.
There are a host of other skin-related conditions which can make an appearance, such as stretch marks and varicose veins.
Using oil and moisturiser on your bump might help ward of stretch marks, but there’s often not much that can be done about them or spider veins.
Some women suffer from itchy skin too, which is where a thick moisturiser can come in handy.
A lesser-known pregnancy skin condition is melasma, which causes light brown of grey patches to form on the face. It’s thought hormones are to blame for this one, although not much is known about the condition.
