Why do the spots appear?
The skin of a woman's face (and not only duringpregnancy) has a very thin protective layer, and is also constantly subject to additional stress from the makeup applied. During pregnancy, the production of various hormones responsible for childbearing, in particular, adrenaline, increases sharply. At the same time, the production of hormones not associated with bearing a child is significantly reduced. The acid-base and water-salt balances of the body change. The adrenal glands begin to work differently, as a result of which the level of adrenal cortex hormones in the blood of the fair sex increases. Contrary to popular belief, male sex hormones have nothing to do with this. Less collagen, responsible for skin elasticity, is produced. Due to a deficiency of vitamins, the skin of the face becomes dehydrated and acquires a not entirely healthy appearance. Scientists do not yet have a clear opinion about what is a prerequisite for the appearance of age spots. But the following are among the main reasons:
- Deep hormonal reorganization.
- Hereditary predisposition to the formation of pigment spots.
- Lack of vitamin C.
All this contributes to more active productionmelanin (from the Greek μελανος – “black”) is a dark natural pigment contained in hair, skin, retina and other tissues of the body. It always manifests itself in such situations of imbalance in the body, forming pigment spots on the skin. It is the production of melanin that causes chloasma. The opinion that the formation of pigment spots is associated with metabolic disorders and excessive hormone production is confirmed by the fact that chloasma appears in women with liver diseases (chronic and viral hepatitis, cirrhosis), genitals (adnexitis, endometritis, etc.), as well as in those using oral contraceptives.
How is pigmentation manifested during pregnancy?
Changes in the skin of the body in those prone to pigmentationwomen occur already at the earliest stages of pregnancy. During the first two months, the areola darkens. By the end of the first trimester, the navel may also darken, a smooth or arched brown stripe forms below it, sometimes the color of the skin on the inner thighs changes, the nipples darken, new moles appear on the body and existing freckles become brighter. Separately, it is necessary to say about the pigmentation of the nipples. In women who have not given birth and are not pregnant, the color of the nipples is pale pink. Pregnancy changes it to brown, and usually after childbirth it remains the same for life. Pigmentation of the face during pregnancy looks like rather large light-brown spots on the cheekbones, around the mouth and nose, on the forehead. They usually disappear within 3-4 months after childbirth. Chloasma can be different in size. Sometimes their diameter does not exceed 1 cm in diameter, and sometimes one pigment spot occupies an entire large area of the face. They are most often located on the forehead, upper lip, cheeks, and bridge of the nose. The chin and eyelids are usually not colored. The appearance of chloasma does not cause any unpleasant sensations (itching, pain). However, they cause significant psychological discomfort to a woman.
How to deal with age spots?
The first and most important condition is complianceproper diet, especially if there are abnormalities in the functioning of the liver, kidneys, spleen. The menu must include fruits and vegetables, dairy products, cereals, fish. Consumption of meat, as well as any heavy and fatty foods, should be minimized: it creates an additional burden on the liver and thereby provokes pigmentation. The same can be said about strong tea and coffee. It is best if during pregnancy there are steamed dishes on the table - this will facilitate their digestion. Do not overuse salt and sugar. Food should not cause allergies. It is necessary to take vitamins A, C, E, folic acid, which help maintain the skin in good condition. They should enter the body of pregnant women not only as part of multivitamins, but also in the form of greens, cabbage, beets, carrots, spinach, butter, liver. Rosehip infusion, apples, blackcurrants, sauerkraut, and citrus fruits are especially rich in vitamin C. The second mandatory requirement that should be observed during pregnancy is active walks in the fresh air. They help normalize metabolism and accelerate the removal of toxins from the body, preventing the appearance of age spots. Gymnastics is very useful for pregnant women. It helps improve blood flow and thereby maintains a good complexion. During physical activity, collagen synthesis and cell division processes are also accelerated, which cannot but affect the condition of the skin in the best possible way. If pigmentation does occur, natural moisturizing and whitening masks should be used. The same fruits and vegetables are well suited for this: strawberries, cucumbers, grapefruit. Masks based on kefir, sour cream, or yogurt also successfully combat pigmentation. You can try proven "grandmother's" methods:
- apply a little kefir on the pigmented areas of the skin, hold for 15 minutes, and then rinse with water, preferably boiled;
- finely chop the fresh cucumber, apply on the pigment spots, rinse with cool water after 20 minutes;
- prepare a gruel from fresh parsley, leave on the face for about half an hour;
- ½ bell pepper grate, glassor plastic (only not on metal: metal contributes to the destruction of vitamin C, which is a lot in pepper and which is so necessary for pigmented skin). The resulting mass of a thick layer of paint on the pigment spots for half an hour. Wash off with cool water and grease the face with a nutritious cream;
- masks in the form of puree of fresh berries (mashed strawberries, strawberries, cranberries, red currants);
- mask of honey, melt water and purified pumpkin seeds, which must be applied to the pigment spots every day for about half an hour.
Of course, all these methods are suitable for those whowho do not have allergic reactions to the listed products. You should not overuse industrial whitening cosmetics at this time, even if you experience severe pigmentation during pregnancy. Any salon cosmetic procedures for facial skin are also best done only after consulting a doctor. You should also refrain from tanning, especially from visiting a solarium. In general, you should spend less time in the open sun: excessive amounts of ultraviolet rays provoke the production of melanin. If exposure to the sun is still unavoidable, then you must apply sunscreen with a high protective factor to your skin. The best modern means of protecting pregnant skin from the sun is a cream with inorganic filters based on titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. These are harmless hypoallergenic substances that do not penetrate the skin and perfectly reflect ultraviolet rays. Such cosmetics should be used not only during pregnancy. Otherwise, pigmentation and wrinkles will appear. It is necessary to avoid any skin contact with unknown or harmful chemicals that can provoke the development of pigmentation. You should not get carried away with cosmetic procedures, especially with the use of synthetic cosmetics, and even more so with such unsafe procedures as, for example, chemical peeling. During pregnancy, it is better to stop using aggressive substances in general, otherwise pigmentation and other problems will not keep you waiting. The cosmetics used must be tested, high-quality and necessarily hypoallergenic. It is better if they are from the children's series. Medicinal and decorative cosmetics should not contain substances that increase sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation: orange oils, bergamot, cinnamon, licorice, lavender, clover and St. John's wort extracts. It is imperative to monitor the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, especially if there are chronic problems with the digestive organs. The intestines should be emptied regularly, ideally - daily, constipation is unacceptable.
What if the chloasma does not disappear after giving birth?
In some cases this actually happens:pigmentation after pregnancy remains. The fact is that pigment spots can "lie" at different depths of the skin. If melanocytes (cells that produce melanin) are only in the superficial layer (epidermis), then chloasma disappears quite quickly and without outside help. If melanin has penetrated under the epidermis and even into the dermis (connective tissue located under the epidermis), then in this case it will be more difficult to fight pigmentation. In addition to the mentioned folk remedies, which should be continued to be used, the following treatment options are possible:
- Application of bleaching creams. However, during breastfeeding to bleaching creams should be treated with great care. Some of them may contain substances that penetrate into the mother's milk and are extremely harmful to the health of the baby, and the mother herself: arbutin, hydroquinone, bismuth salts and even mercury compounds. The cream can be applied to clean skin twice a day for 1-3 months. It acts selectively, whitening the pigmented areas, without affecting the surrounding skin.
- Procedures in beauty salons. Masters-cosmetologists bleach pigment spots with masks from salicylic acid and body-water; oxygen-stimulating procedures, in which the skin is saturated with oxygen and cleared of accumulated toxins; Deep cleaning with 20-60% glycolic acid, etc.
- To eliminate the already existing pigment spots andprevention of the appearance of new doctors can prescribe and medicines in the form of tablets or injections: ascorbic acid, calcium pantothenate, nicotinic acid, methionine, vitamin B2, - as well as whitening and exfoliating ointments.
- In the most serious cases, one can resort toabrasive removal of pigmented spots (gradual removal of the upper layer of the skin with jets of the smallest sand crumb) or to laser treatment - the so-called selective photothermolysis. In this procedure, ultrashort laser pulses are strictly selective, point to melanocytes - skin cells that produce melatonin, destroying them without harm to surrounding tissues. The pigmented spot is "burned" to the full depth, as a result of which melanin is removed from it and it is clarified.
However, this treatment method has a number ofserious contraindications, such as diseases of the blood and hematopoietic organs, AIDS and HIV, epilepsy, cancer, previous chemotherapy, acute infectious diseases, etc. Therefore, before starting treatment, you need to make a thoughtful decision about the advisability of its implementation, of course, after consulting with your doctor.
