Pregnancy And Postpartum Hair And Skincare Routine For The New and To-Be Mothers

Everyone tells you that you are going to meet someone entirely new, post your pregnancy, but nobody tells you it's going to be you. Your body, your mind, your emotions, and inevitably your health and predominantly your skin health change a lot after delivery and you get to meet a new you and you face an entirely new set of issues and an entirely new sense of pure happiness and joy. Amongst this, it is important that you pay attention to all the pertinent areas of your health and predominantly, skin and hair health, which is a major part of it. The fluctuating hormones throughout pregnancy and postpartum change your skin and hair needs, so it is important to cater to them accordingly with simple products like a Hair Growth Oil and a non-comedogenic moisturizer.

Why Does Your Skin Change During Pregnancy And Postpartum

Your body during and after pregnancy is a havoc of hormones that directly influence your skin and hair health. Apart from the obvious reasons like fluctuating hormones, there are other reasons that contribute to your compromised skin and hair health.

• Vascular changes: Your body during pregnancy is flooded with the vascular growth factors that are secreted from the pituitary, placenta, and adrenal glands which stimulate vascular growth and vascular changes. The placenta, an organ that you grow during pregnancy, is a rich source of fibroblast growth factor that plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of spider angiomas (a dilated small capillary), and palmer erythema that you may develop during pregnancy.
• Glandular changes: Increased activity of eccrine glands and decreased activity of apocrine glands are usually observed in pregnancy.
• Structural changes: The largest organ of your body, the skin, expands and morphs to accommodate the growing fetus inside your uterus. 
• Underlying health conditions and certain comorbidities
• Certain medications
• Lack of ample hydration
• Inadequate sleep
• Imbalanced diet
• Nutritional Deficiencies

What Are The Common Hair And Skin Issues During And After Pregnancy

• Melasma
• Striae/Stretch Marks
• Telogen Effluvium
• Increased Hair Fall
• Hirsutism
• Acne
• Dryness/Atopic Dermatitis
• Blotchy Skin
• Hyperpigmentation
• Acanthosis Nigricans

Here Are The Skin And Hair Care Routines For The Most Common Pregnancy-Related Skin Issues

Hair Care Routine For Pregnancy/Post-Partum Hair Fall

1. Invest In A Hair Growth Oil: Investing in a hair growth oil and massaging it regularly on your scalp helps in increasing blood the circulation, which ensures ample nourishment to the hair follicles that further helps in strengthening hair.
2. Choose The Right Shampoo Too: Choosing the right shampoo incorporated with hair growth-boosting ingredients like caffeine further helps with preventing and managing hair fall.
3. Finish It Off With Procapil Hair Serum: Procapil works by blocking DHT action, that further increases the hair growth and maintains hair health.

Skincare For Acne Prone Skin And Pigmentation

1. Cleanser: Invest in a lactic acid cleanser as it helps in mild exfoliation along with preventing hyperpigmentation thereby helping manage melasma too.
2. Moisturizer: During and after pregnancy your sebaceous glands may secrete excess sebum which can lead to acne, therefore, it makes sense to choose a Non-Comedogenic Moisturizer to prevent any instance of pore-clogging and the acne breakouts that it may cause.
3. Sunscreen: Sunscreen not only prevents photo damage but also helps prevent skin discoloration and hyperpigmentation, and if you have to move outdoors and brace the Uv exposure, then it is prudent to choose an infused Caffeine Sunscreen, which will not only protect against Uv damage but will also help with its potent anti-oxidant effects.

Skincare For Dry Skin And Atopic Dermatitis

Cleanser

Choose a gentle and natural face wash to minimize the stripping off of natural moisturizing factors while cleansing your face to avoid further dryness.

Moisturizer

Opt for a ceramide moisturizer to help replenish skin’s natural barrier. You can also incorporate an oats cream as they help balance the skin’s microbiome and support skin health by soothing, calming, and repairing the skin.

• Ceramides: Ceramides are the most abundantly found lipids in the epidermis, the upper most skin layer and they contribute up to 50% of skin’s structure that helps keep the skin plump and soft, and they tend to deplete fast due to multiple factors like age, and pregnancy. Topically applying ceramides in the form of ceramide moisturizer further helps replenish the essential ceramides and keeps the skin plump and hydrated.

• Oats Cream: Oats are the classical skincare ingredient enriched with readily available bioactive ingredients like avenanthramides, a natural product that offers anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-itch and anti-irritant properties that provide a remarkable soothing effect and studies have suggested that the use of oats provided a significant reduction in histamine release thereby alleviating allergic pruritis too, along with restoring the skin’s barrier integrity and health, which further reduces the need of medical intervention in patients with extreme dry skin condition, and eczema of various kinds.
  
  Oats are power-packed with a potent prebiotic, beta-glucans, that help balance the skin microbiome, which mediates dual-mode intense hydration by supporting the skin’s natural moisture retention and provides up to 20% stronger humectant activity than hyaluronic acid. Imbibed with the beauty Vitamin, Tocopherol along with Vitamin B and essential proteins to favor optimal skin health while it ensures a balanced skin pH. They are loaded with skin-compatible anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and phenolic compounds to help soothe, moisturize, and calm the irritated, inflamed, and sunburnt skin. 

Sunscreen

Sunscreen is one of the most vital steps of any skincare routine as it helps minimize photo damage. Investing in a sunscreen that prevents trans epidermal water loss, could potentially be an essential skincare step for dry skin types.

Quick Skin And Hair Care Tips

• Choose a hypoallergenic and gentle Syndet based bathing bar that is formulated with soothing ingredients like Glycyrrhetinic acid, Ceramides and Shea butter to help soothe and calm dry, irritated skin.
• You may also invest in a stretch marks cream in your third trimester to help prevent any plausible formation of striae/stretch marks during or post your pregnancy.
• Keep your hydration levels in check to ensure a holistic approach towards hair and skin health.
• Take a balanced, protein-rich diet to ensure proper nutritional levels necessary for both you and your growing baby.
• Adequate rest is also very crucial for your body, both during and post your pregnancy, for the proper functioning and processing of your body.

Hopefully, this blog helped you get an insight into tackling the hair and skin health issues that you may experience during and after your pregnancy. 

Take a breather! And realize that it is important to be kind towards your own body as it not only grew an entire human out of scratch by using your nutrition and your strength but also possibly is in this world because of the strength, love, and courage you had to put in while making that happen. It's very natural for your skin and hair health to be compromised during your pregnancy and post-partum journey but take a minute and pat your back that you altruistically stood through it all for your beautiful baby.