Skin Pigment Changes During Pregnancy
Pregnancy comes with many changes to the body, and a woman’s skin pigment is one of the areas affected the most. There is a lot of public knowledge of pregnant women having a glow about them, as a result of increased hormones, and stretch marks receive plenty of attention, but there is little talk about how the body’s skin color goes through changes as well.
The so called “mask of pregnancy” is one common occurrence when the skin pigment of the face changes. Instead of the face becoming darker overall as a result of the increased hormones, darker skin patches will appear. Most commonly, these splotches will appear on the forehead and cheeks. These spots are caused by melasma in the body and approximately 50 percent of pregnant women will be affected in this way.
The skin pigmentation on other parts of the body can also be affected, and the line running from the navel to the pubic bone is one such area. This line is called the linea nigra and many women will actually have this line even when not pregnant. It tends to be quite faint under normal circumstances, but when pregnant it often becomes noticeably darker. This is among the more minor skin disorders out there but can cause the most concern due to its location.
Generally speaking, when a woman becomes pregnant the dark parts of her skin become darker. The surge of hormones intensifies the color of these dark parts, so a woman will notice things like freckles, moles, nipples and the labia all becoming darker during a pregnancy. These are not serious skin conditions, though if a mole or freckle starts to change shape or grow larger, then a physician should be consulted in case it is a symptom of something more serious, like skin cancer.
With pregnancy and especially skin pigment changes, a woman has to cope with a lot of adjustments in her body. Knowledge that these skin patches will go away several months after birth or after ending breastfeeding is useful knowledge to have. The more information that a first time mother can obtain about the many changes that will happen to her body helps her to cope better. Dealing with the skin changes tends to be difficult, but having the information about hormones and how they work will aid a woman to feel more comfortable and know that these changes won’t last forever.
Jeremy Larson is a foremost expert in how to acid reflux medication. He has had extensive experience and conducted countless experiments in finding natural remedy to this ailment. He is also a highly acclaimed writer in the medical field.
May 4, 2010
|
Posted by Jam Man
Categories:
Tags: