Skin and hair problems in pregnancy

Hormonal changes taking place in pregnancy will make you nipples and the area around them go darker. Your skin color may also darken a little, either in patches or all over.

Birthmarks, moles and freckles may also darken. Some women develop a dark line down middle of their stomach. These changes will gradually fade after the baby is born, although your nipples may remain a little darker.

Stretch marks

These are pink or purplish lines that usually appear on your tummy or sometimes in your upper thighs or breasts. Some women get them and some don’t. it depends on your skin type, as some people skin is mare elastic, after your baby is born, the marks should gradually fade and become less noticeable.

It is very doubtful whether oils or creams help to prevent stretch marks.

You are more likely to get stretch marks if you weigh gain is more than average. Most women gain between 10kg and 12.5kg (22-28 lb) in pregnancy, although weigh gain varies a great deal and depends on your weight before pregnancy.

It’s important that you don’t diet, but eat healthily in pregnancy.

If you are concerned about your weight, talk to your midwife or GP. They may give you advice if you weight more than 100kg (about 15.5 stone) or less than 50kg (about 8 stone).

Itching

Mild itching is common in pregnancy because of the increased blood supply to the skin. In late pregnancy the skin of the abdomen is stretched and this may also cause itchiness.

Avoiding itching

Wearing loose clothes may help prevent itching, you may also want to avpid synthetic materials and go for natural ones, such as cotton, instead.

• See your doctor if:
• Your itching become severe.
• You develop jaundice (yellowing of the whites of the eyes and skin)

Hair growth can also increase in pregnancy, and your hair may be greasier. After the baby is born it may seem as if you are losing a lot of hair but you are simply losing the extra hair.