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Beauty rules in pregnancy

By Ozo Mordi
28 October 2017   |   3:41 am
When you are 16 weeks gone, don’t lie on your back as this can make blood circulation to the placenta difficult. As you grow bigger, your womb presses on a major vein.

The modern woman craves to be beautiful at all times, moreso the Nigerian woman who is famed for her penchant to look good inspite of the odds. Yes, she desires to look good when she is expecting a baby.

But you need to be extra careful, expectant mum, in choosing your creams especially. Admittedly, dry skin is one of the effects of pregnancy, which may make you reach out for the so many options of moisturisers available today. Below are beauty preparations you may have to put on hold until after you have given birth to your baby:

Anti-aging and acne products
Read labels carefully before you use, in particular watch out for one that touts Retinoid. Retinoid are considered the most effective and proven topical treatment for your complexion. They are a group of compounds, which are related to Vitamin A. They have been used for years from the treatment of acne, to reduction of wrinkles, skin discolouration and improvement of the texture of the skin. They are also used in the treatment of damage caused by the sun.

Retinoid works by unclogging the skin pores and speeding up cellular turnover while increasing the production of collagen, elastin and hyaluroric acid- the main reason why it is not advised for use by a pregnant woman. It can penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream.

Retin A and retinol are both retinoid and both come in various strengths, as gels and creams, which makes them difficult to separate.

Retinol
Retinol is the natural form of Vitamin A and is found in many products that do not require prescription. But they are much weaker than prescription-grade retinoid. If retinol is mentioned as one of the main ingredients of a beauty product it is still very strong and effective enough to penetrate the skin.

Retin A
Retin A is a brand name given to tretinoin, which is an acid form of retinol. Retinol is prescription cream. They are seen as the gold standard in topical skincare among them, anti aging skincare, they are available through the dermatologist or a medical spa.

These are guidelines for use for women who are not even pregnant; it should be used at night before going to bed because Retin A can cause skin sensitivity. You can use it for life, beauty experts, say but add that, “except while pregnant or breast feeding.”

But experts warn that it can be harmful to the unborn baby.
Vitamin C is another drug you have to use sparingly when you are expecting. It is believed that used on very high doses, Vitamin C can have an adverse effect on the development of a child’s nervous and respiratory system. Now that you know, you leave them until after childbirth and breastfeeding.

Also, the use of products that contain salicylic acid when you are pregnant is not seen as safe. Although salicylic acid is used to make some anti- acne preparations, but such products are yet to meet the approval of medical experts for use by an expectant mother. Salicylic acid is not known to penetrate the skin or enter the bloodstream like retinol but look out for such products; if you have a breakout of spots and pimples when you are expecting, look for safe alternatives.

You and Exercise
If you have been exercising before you became pregnant, it is still safe to go on being as active as you used to be. If exercise has not been part of your lifestyle, however, you can take it up now that you are an expectant mum; but start with gentle ones and indulge in them for very short periods at a time. You can increase on the tempo and time duration as you advance.

However, avoid those exercises that could make you to fall down or the ones that you come in contact with another person, for example, boxing and kicking exercises. There are risks of being accidently boxed or kicked on your stomach thereby putting you and your baby at risk. Do not engage in a physical struggle or fight.

When you are 16 weeks gone, don’t lie on your back as this can make blood circulation to the placenta difficult. As you grow bigger, your womb presses on a major vein.

Look for exercises that an expectant mother can indulge in without stress but take them on gently in order to avoid over-heating yourself and losing too much through sweating. Drink plenty of water, stop and rest if you feel tired.

Use of products that change a skin-tone
The difference between toning and bleaching of the skin remains a grey area for those of us who are not in the beauty industry. But if your skin was black as charcoal but has gradually turned chocolate, you may need to forgo these products for this period-for baby’s sake.

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