With pregnancy, a woman’s body changes, and skin pigment is one area that can be greatly affected. Many pregnant women seem to have a glow about them due to the increase in hormones. Swollen ankles, nausea and stretch marks are commonly known to occur in some women as well. However, there is little knowledge by the general public about how a pregnant woman’s skin color can also change.
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.
For a pregnant woman, all of the discomforts and changes to her body can be frustrating, yet the changes in skin pigment seem to be more bothersome. People will stare and if the woman doesn’t look visibly pregnant, it can be even more discouraging and upsetting. However, these skin color changes will return to normal after birth or at least several months later as the hormone levels settle back to normal. Breastfeeding may cause the changes to last longer, as once again hormones are playing a major role. Knowing that these skin changes are normal is reassuring to a pregnant woman. Coping with a body that doesn’t feel like your own for nine months can be difficult, yet knowing that these discomforts will end with the birth of a child make them easier to accept.
If you enjoyed this article, you might be interested in Kristine’s recent work on home laser hair removal and her reviews on products such as the Silk’n SensEpil.