How Motherhood Can Change Your Skin

Mother’s Day is upon us! For families throughout the US, it’s a day to take time out from the status quo and tell our mothers and mother figures how much we appreciate them. We all know that moms make countless sacrifices for their families, and that often includes changes to their health and their bodies…and their skin. If you’re a mom, here’s my Mother’s Day gift to you – an understanding of how and why your skin might have changed in motherhood and tips for helping it look gorgeous and glowy.

Melasma

If you noticed some darkened patches of skin that appeared on your face during pregnancy, you’re not alone – that’s actually pretty common. It’s called melasma, and it’s excess pigment that’s caused by hormones. Hormonal hyperpigmentation, as it’s also called, can show up at other times in life too but it’s most common during pregnancy.

The good news is that in most cases, it will go away soon after you give birth. If it doesn’t fully resolve, you can use pigment corrector products like the PCA Skin Pigment Bundle. Sun exposure can make it worse, too, so make sunscreen a daily must-have.

Dark Circles or Puffy Under-Eyes

We’ve all had our restless nights but when you have kids, especially young kids, sleep is a rare treasure more precious than all the jewels of England. That loss of sleep shows itself on your skin in the form of dark circles and puffy under-eyes. The solution isn’t to just wait until your kids go to college. There are many products to reduce dark circles, like Murad Vita-C Eyes Dark Circle Corrector, and puffy eyes, like Obagi ELASTIderm Eye Serum.

Less Time for Skin Care

Moms everywhere put their self-care aside because they’re giving so much of themselves and their time and energy to their kids. There are only so many hours in the day, and there’s only so much energy you have to go around, so it’s understandable that so many moms’ skin care routines end up sitting on the counter collecting dust.

But as difficult as it can be, maintaining some type of skin care routine does make a difference. It helps you feel like you’re taking care of yourself at least a little bit. Plus, it’s a great way to get your brain ready for the day each morning and ready for bed each night. A complicated skin care routine might be overwhelming and impractical but try taking it down to just the bare essentials – cleanser and moisturizer.

Acne

You thought you were done with acne after high school, but then pregnancy hits and boom, here come those pimples again. It might be annoying but it’s very common. When you’re pregnant, many parts of your body go into hyperdrive and that includes your skin’s oil glands. You can partially thank that extra oil for a beautiful pregnancy glow but it can also bring clogged pores AKA acne. There’s no shortage of skin care products for acne so use what works best for you, but an acne control cleanser is especially helpful.

Dry Skin

Early motherhood can really throw your skin from one extreme to the next. While you can expect oily skin during pregnancy, many moms find that when they’re postpartum, it goes too far the other direction and they develop very dry skin. This, of course, is thanks to all those joyous hormones during postpartum. Keep in mind that your skin tends to get drier as you get older too, so even when you’re far beyond those postpartum months, dry skin can pop back up for other reasons.

If you’re struggling with dry skin, a good moisturizer is your best friend. But it’s not just about the product you use, it’s about how you use it. Apply it after you shower or have just washed your face, when your skin is still a little damp. This way it can hold the water in your skin.

Stretch Marks

Ah yes, good old stretch marks. While a lot of the other skin changes on this list might surprise you, every woman expects to pick up some stretch marks after pregnancy. But what can you do about them?

As far as cosmetics go, you can wear them as a badge of honor for the amazing work your body has done. Moisturizers may be able to help them look less prominent from day to day so it’s a great option of you’re heading to the beach, and if your stretch marks are itchy or uncomfortable, moisturizer can help with this too. But other than this, skin care products don’t make a significant difference in stretch marks – they’ll just fade slowly with time.

Giving Yourself the Gift of Confidence and Healthy Skin This Mother’s Day

Becoming a mom changes just about every aspect of your life, and there’s nothing with that – everything important will touch many different corners of your life. But if there are changes you don’t like, there’s also nothing wrong with investing in your happiness and finding ways to still have whatever it is that you miss, and that includes healthy, beautiful skin. From me to all of you mothers out there, you’re rocking it and this is your day. Happy Mother’s Day!