10 Diet & Lifestyle Tips for Radiant Skin During Pregnancy
Hormonal changes can cause skin problems such as spots and acne during pregnancy. Stretchmarks and dryness may also be a problem. The 10 diet and lifestyle tips below will help you to avoid any skincare problems and to increase skin elasticity during pregnancy. For tips on what foods to eat when pregnant please see Eating during pregnancy – Food Safety and Hygiene
1. Avoid Dehydration
A good fluid intake is really important during pregnancy as you have both your own fluid requirements and also that of your growing baby. Fluids help flush out toxins which can cause tiredness and lead to break- outs and acne during pregnancy. If you think you might not be getting enough fluids, check if you are showing any of these other common signs of dehydration:
- dark coloured urine and not passing much when you go to the toilet
- headaches
- confusion and irritability
- lack of concentration
Try to avoid drinks that contain caffeine and high concentrations of sugar or artificial sweeteners such as undiluted fruit juices, fizzy drinks, sports drinks, tea , coffee and cola. Ideal drinks are water, diluted fruit juice, weak squash, fruit and some herbal teas such as peppermint tea to ease digestion.
2. Exercise during Pregnancy:
Some gentle exercise each day to increase your heart rate and warm up your body temperature. This dilates the blood vessels and increases the amount of blood to the surface of the skin which ensures delivery of vital nutrients and oxygen as well as the removal of toxins to help maintain healthy and radiant skin.
3. Relax during Pregnancy:
Try to ensure that you have plenty of sleep and find some time for relaxation during pregnancy. Slow down while you are pregnant, it’s a great time to have a massage. Essential oils such as Rose Hip Oil have been found to have a relaxing effect; to be calming, to slow breathing, to reduce blood pressure and other measures of stress and can also be useful for the treatment of lower back pain. Almond Oil helps to protect against skin damage by sunlight, chemicals and Rosemary Oil is a natural antioxidant which helps to protect the skin from damaging chemicals. Nutrilastin Body Treatment Oil is the perfect massage oil when pregnant as it is quickly absorbed into the skin and smells absolutely gorgeous. It contains the right mix of oils plus many other nutrients to promote skin elasticity and help prevent stretch marks.
4. Essential Fatty Acids:
Skin hydration and elasticity during pregnancy can be altered by the foods we eat. During pregnancy the health of skin is very important; elasticity, thickness, cell renewal and hydration help to reduce stretch marks and other skin conditions such as eczema, and psoriasis. Several key nutrients will help maintain skin health and should be included within your diet, supplements and skincare products used.
Omega-3 fatty acids are incorporated into the cells of the skin and have been found to improve skin elasticity and prevent stretch marks. It is very difficult to eat enough omega-3 fish oils to meet the requirements of you and your growing baby. A Omega-3 supplement is really important during pregnancy but ensure you choose a pharmaceutically graded, highly purified product, such as DHAPURE so that you can be confident that there are no unwanted toxins and contaminants in the fish oils.
Essential Fatty Acids: The essential fatty acid gamma linoleic acid (GLA) helps reduce trans-dermal water loss and maintain skin hydration. GLA is also useful for maintaining hormonal balance and can help prevent or treat acne and other skin disorders. Foods that are rich in GLA include; nuts, seeds and evening primrose oil.
5. Antioxidant Rich Foods during Pregnancy
Each day our skin protects us from the damaging rays of the sun and the numerous environmental chemicals that we are exposed to. Foods and skincare products that are rich in antioxidants help to prevent skin damage that causes ageing, dryness and help maintain skin thickness. Vitamin E, selenium, carotenoids (beta-carotenine, lycopene and lutein) are all antioxidants that are associated with benefits to skin health and can be found in a number of foods including; sunflower oil, almonds, rapeseed oil, eggs, brazil nuts, blackcurrants, watercress, orange juice, apricots, carrots and tomatoes.
6. Top up your diet with a good ante-natal supplement to help promote healthy skin:
A good ante-natal supplement such as Advanced Formula Antenatal will help provide all the nutrients, such as antioxidants and zinc, that you need to keep your skin healthy as well as ensure you have all the other nutrients that you and your baby require. Your ante-natal supplement should be rich in the antioxidants; vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, beta-carotene and lycopene to ensure maximum skin health. Juliet Wilson Advanced Formula Antenatal contains the optimal concentrations of 23 high bioavailability nutrients to support you through pregnancy.
7. Avoid Processed Foods during Pregnancy:
Ready meals and processed foods are notoriously full of sugar and saturated fats, whilst also being very low in nutrients. These foods can cause metabolic chaos and result in erratic blood sugars, hormone confusion, clogged pores, spots and dull, lifeless skin.
8. Moisturise, moisturise, moisturise:
A good moisturiser is really important during pregnancy as it is a period of rapid cell renewal and moisturising to help maintain skin hydration and elasticity is vital. Creams containing vitamin E have been found to help protect skin from damage that leads to ageing and stretchmarks, whilst collagen holds moisture and helps hydrate the skin. Nutrilastin Stretchmark Cream contains a luxurious blend of the highest grade nutrients specifically developed to help prevent and treat stretchmarks.
9. Protect your skin from sunlight during pregnancy:
During pregnancy your skin is more vulnerable to sun damage. Use a good sun protection product. Ensure you take a supplement which contains vitamin D because pregnant women are at high risk of vitamin D deficiency and this nutrient is partcularly important for your baby’s growth and development.
10. Avoid harsh chemicals such as those contained in household cleaning products and check the ingredients of your skincare products:
Try to avoid cosmetics and skin care products that contain any of the following:
- Ethoxylated alcohols, such as sodium laureth sulphate (SLF) which can cause skin irritation, particularly during pregnancy when skin is sensitive.
- Amines and derivatives, such as diethanolamine (DEA) and monoethanolamine (MEA) which are known to irritate the skin and may be linked to cancer.
- Parfum and fragrances, such as artificial musk which can build up in the body and has been found in breast milk.
- Formaldehyde (a preservative), which is hidden in ingredients such as DMDM-hydantoin, metheneamine and sodium hydroxymethylglycinate. This form of preservative is one of the leading causes of allergic reactions.
- Parabens, such as butylparaben can be absorbed and accumulate in the body.
This entry was posted on Friday, November 12th, 2010 at 10:55 AM and is filed under Skin Care During Pregnancy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
thanks for the post
Thanks for good stuff