Taking care of your skin after a pregnancy
Now that you have your baby in your arms, and watch as they begin to open their eyes and look around, your skin begins to breathe happiness through each and every one of your pores.
Although we know that all of your attention is going to be the property of that small new person, we also understand that you might be worried about how your skin is going to respond after pregnancy, as your abdomen is going to reduce in size and with it, at the very least, suffer the appearance of the much-feared stretch marks.
Prevention
Beginning in the third month, it is essential to start a treatment plan geared towards preventing the loss of tone in the abdomen.
Skin care during pregnancy is very important. As you are probably aware, during pregnancy there is normally an increase in the secretion of oil in your skin, a situation that will return to normal after you give birth. It is normal to have skin with more activity from your sebaceous glands than is normal for your type of skin. For that reason we recommend that you use moisturizing products that tone up your face and body, but are low in oil or contain sebo-regulators.
And if I already gave birth… What happened to my abdominal area?
After giving birth, you will notice that your abdomen remains distended, but that it will gradually recover towards its original state. However, it is very important to begin moisturizing treatment that is able to help make your skin firm again and recover the tone of both cutaneous and subcutaneous tissue, giving it the nutrients it needs in order for the collagen and elastin fibers to return to their normal diameter and proper concentration of tissue.
Will I still get stretch marks?
The occurrence of stretch marks is very high: around 25 % of women will experience them post-partum. The collagen and elastin fibers are in charge of sustaining the skin and maintaining elasticity. During pregnancy, the skin is put under immense pressure, causing internal ruptures of these fibers that are visible is in the form of lines on the skin that are initially pink/violet in color, but later turn a pale pink. They are normally found on the breasts, the abdomen, the buttocks, arms, or hips.
We must keep in mind that the more elastic your skin is, the less likely you are to develop stretch marks, because it will be easier for it to return to how it was before.
Preventative treatment is very important both during and after pregnancy. Once these scars (stretch marks) have formed, they will not go away. For that reason it is essential to use moisturizers that firm up your skin, because your skin and muscles need to return to their normal state.
What products should I use?
The treatments that we recommend basically focus on encouraging regeneration of skin tissue by promoting the formation of elastin and collagen by the fibroblasts. We recommend that you apply them at least twice a day:
- Elastin and collagen hydrolysates: normally in the form of moisturizers that contain peptides or amino acids.
- Rosehip oil: repairs and aids scarification.
- Centella Asiatica: improves the scarification process by stimulating cell growth and providing collagen chains with stability.
- Vitamins A and E: provide the skin with nutrition.
- Silicon: it improves the regeneration of collagen and elastin fibers, and re-organizes the mucopolysaccharides in the dermis.
