How to Avoid Skin Pigmentation During Pregnancy

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parts

1Protecting Your Skin

2Changing Your Diet and Lifestyle

3Using Make-Up to Conceal Pigmentation

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Tips and Warnings

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References

During pregnancy, levels of estrogen rise in order to help the body build tissues for both the mother and the fetus. This sudden surge in estrogen levels stimulates excessive melanin production, also known as hyperpigmentation. Melanin is a dark-colored pigment that accumulates in the skin to give it color. Excessive production of melanin during pregnancy will produce skin pigmentation in different parts of the body, such as the face, neck, abdomen and armpits.

Steps

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Protecting Your Skin

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   Remain indoors as much as possible, especially on sunny days. The sun’s rays can be very harsh on the skin. Melanin (a pigment that determines skin color) is produced by the skin as part of the skin's defense mechanism against the sun. In order for the skin to protect itself effectively, it will produce more melanin.

   • Therefore, if you are exposed to sunlight, the skin will become darker as a result of increased melanin production.
   • Avoid going outside when the sun is at its hottest, usually between 11 am and 3 pm, as this is when your skin is most prone to pigmentation.
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   Stay away from windows. Even if you are inside your house, you should avoid sitting near the window for too long, as some of the sun's rays can get through and contribute to skin pigmentation.

   • Also be careful when sitting in the car, as the sun can penetrate car windows and affect your skin.
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   Wear sunscreen. Go for sunscreen with a minimum sun protection factor (SPF) of 30. Sunscreen should be applied every day, regardless of the weather. Even on a cloudy day, the sun’s UV rays can still affect your skin and initiate melanin production.

   • The SPF level is a measurement of how much a particular sunscreen will be able to protect your skin. This is because the sun emits radiation as well as heat. This radiation will not only cause skin pigmentation, but also sunburn, skin and eye damage, skin aging, and even skin cancer.
   • As a general rule, SPF 15 can protect your skin for 2 hours, SPF 30 for 4 hours, SPF 60 for 8 hours and so on.
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   Use protective clothing and accessories. Shield your skin from the sun’s harmful rays by using an umbrella and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, long-sleeves, protective eye wear and more.

   • When choosing clothing, choose light colored materials. Dark colored clothing will absorb the sun’s rays and make skin more prone to pigmentation.
   • Choose clothing that is loose and comfortable. One thing that can aggravate skin pigmentation is friction. If you wear restrictive or tight clothing, it will cause friction that may lead to skin pigmentation.
   • Remember that umbrellas are not just for the rainy season, make it a habit of using an umbrella to protect your skin on sunny days.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Changing Your Diet and Lifestyle

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   Understand how diet and lifestyle can affect skin pigmentation. The focus of diet and lifestyle modifications in avoiding skin pigmentation during pregnancy is to lower the hormones that are mainly responsible for skin pigmentation – namely, estrogen which stimulates melanin production and melanin itself.
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   Avoid foods that can increase levels of estrogen. During pregnancy, levels of the female hormone estrogen rise in order to help the body build tissues for both the mother and the fetus.

   • As you are trying to avoid excessive production of estrogen, it is best to avoid foods rich in estrogen such as tofu, flaxseeds, soybeans, soy yogurt, sesame seeds, multi-grain bread, hummus, garlic and dried apricots.
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   Increase your progesterone levels. The two main hormones produced by women are estrogen and progesterone. Progesterone acts as an antagonist to estrogen; meaning if one of these hormones increases, the level of the other hormone decreases and vice versa.

   • Increasing progesterone levels can help lower the excessive production of estrogen during pregnancy, thereby reducing melanin production, helping you to avoid skin pigmentation.
   • To increase progesterone levels, follow the steps listed below.
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   Increase your vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) intake. An ideal progesterone level can be maintained by ensuring that there are adequate amounts of vitamin B6 in the body. B6 also helps to break down estrogen levels in the liver to create a hormonal balance.

   • Whole grains, walnuts, lean red meat, seafood, bananas, potatoes, beans, spinach and fortified cereals are foods rich in vitamin B6.
   • The recommended dose of vitamin B6 is 2 mg per day.
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   Increase your magnesium intake. Magnesium maintains hormonal balance and increases progesterone levels by breaking down excess estrogens.

   • Good sources of magnesium are raw plantain, whole grain cereals, black beans, halibut, spinach, pumpkin and squash seeds, okra and nuts.
   • For pregnant women, the recommended daily intake is 360 to 400 mg.
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   Eat vitamin C-rich foods. Vitamin C is considered to be a tyrosinase inhibitor. Tyrosinase is an enzyme responsible for the production of melanin. If melanin production is suppressed during pregnancy, then skin pigmentation can be avoided.

   • Fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C include blackberries, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, grapefruit, lemon, mango, orange, melon, papaya, pineapple, potato, spinach, strawberries, tangerine and tomato.
   • Eat at least one portion of vitamin C-rich foods as part of every major meal. The recommended daily dose of vitamin C for women is 75 mg.
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   Eat fiber-rich foods. Bile acids (acids that remove wastes from the liver) secreted by the liver pass through the intestines during the process of digestion. Fiber help remove estrogen from the body by binding it to the bile acids. In this way, excessive production of melanin can be reduced.

   • Foods rich in fiber are apples, figs, kiwi, legumes, beans, berries, peas, plums, mangoes, oats, peaches and sweet potatoes. The ideal daily intake is 21 grams.
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   Increase your body's folate levels. Studies show that Vitamin B9 or folic acid helps in preventing skin pigmentation. However, the exact mechanism is unknown.

   • It is observed that women with lower levels of folic acid in their bodies exhibit more skin pigmentation compared to women who have higher levels of folic acid.
   • One theory that explains this is that vitamin B9 or folic acid acts as an antioxidant agent. An antioxidant agent helps to fight free radicals in the body. These free radicals can damage the skin cells' DNA and lead to a number of signs of aging, which include pigmentation.
   • With increased levels of folic acid, these free radicals are being suppressed, leading to decreased pigmentation and healthier skin.
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   Eat foods rich in folic acid. The human body cannot produce folic acid by itself. Therefore, you need to acquire folate through your food. Though folate is best known in preventing birth defects, it can benefit the skin as well. Increasing your folic acid will decrease skin pigmentation.

   • The foods rich in folate or folic acid are dark leafy vegetables such as spinach, mustard and romaine lettuce, asparagus, broccoli, citrus fruits, beans, lentils, peas, avocado, okra, Brussels sprouts, seeds and nuts, cauliflower, beets, corn, carrots, celery, squash, and more.
   • Eat 2-3 servings of high folate foods every day.
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    Avoid behaviors that lead to decreased folic acid. There are also things that you can do to decrease folic acid in your body that you should be aware of. For example:

    • Some medications are shown to have negative effects on the level of folic acid. Such medications includes methotrexate, trimethoprim, and phenytoin (which are commonly used in cancer treatment). These drugs are known as antifolate drugs because of their action in inhibiting or blocking the action of folate acid.
    • Cigarette smoking is also known to deplete folic acid in the body. Harmful chemicals from cigarettes damage the body's cells and decrease their ability to utilize folic acid. In addition to this, cigarette smoking exponentially increases free radicals in the body. With increased free radicals, more folic acid is needed to neutralize their negative effects.
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    Avoid stress as much as possible.The adrenal glands are responsible for the production of the “fight or flight” or stress hormone known as cortisol. During stressful conditions, progesterone is converted into cortisol thereby lowering the level of progesterone in the body.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Using Make-Up to Conceal Pigmentation

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   Use some concealer to cover up pigmentation. This type of makeup is an inexpensive way of hiding uneven skin tone caused by pigmentation. With just a small amount of concealer, you will be able to effectively even out your skin tone and make skin pigmentation less noticeable.
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   Use a concealer with an orange tint. The best way to hide skin pigmentation is to use a corrector or concealer with an orange tint.

   • It is not wise to use concealer that is more than two shades lighter than your skin tone since this will only make the pigmented area look grey and unnatural.
   • The concealer or corrector should be applied before the foundation.
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   Never use make-up that is past its expiration date. When using makeup, carefully read the label and check its expiration date. Never try to reuse expired makeup as this may only worsen your skin pigmentation.
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   Stop using the concealer if it causes skin irritation. Discontinue use of makeup when you observe skin irritation, rash, blemishes, redness or any sign of allergy.
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Tips

• Realize that skin pigmentation will eventually go away after you have given birth.
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• Don’t take any medication that claims to decrease skin pigmentation, especially when pregnant. It is wise to consult your physician before taking any medication.
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• In case that your skin pigmentation does not go away after giving birth, consult your doctor. There might be some other reason behind the pigmentation.
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