When you're pregnant, it's normal for you to have some dark spots and skin pigmentations. Don't worry, they will disappear on their own after delivery.

Skin darkening during pregnancy

👩🏽What is skin darkening?

Skin discoloration, also called melasma or chloasma, includes dark patches👩🏽 on your cheeks, your forearms or any part of the body that is exposed to the sun. Skin that's already looked pigmented such as your areolas, freckles, scars, your underarms and inner thigh will also look more darkened.😃 

👩🏽Causes of skin darkening

Pregnancy hormones are the culprit to blame. They temporarily increase the amount of melanin in your body, giving your skin more pigmentations and colors.🤰 

Sun☀️ exposure also causes the skin to produce more melanin and darken. If you already have dark skin complexion, you are more likely to have melasma than other moms having lighter skin. 

Skin darkening prevention

👩🏽Use sun protection

Since the sun's ultraviolet☀️ triggers melasma and makes skin pigmentation more noticeable, you should use sunscreen. Wear a hat👒 that shades your face as well as a long sleeved shirt to cover your arms.

👩🏽Don't wax

Using wax to remove hair can intensify skin inflammation and worsen melasma.☹️ Consult with your doctor to figure out the best hair removal technique for you while you're pregnant.👩‍⚕️

👩🏽Use hypoallergenic skincare products

Cleansers and creams that irritate your skin may make melasma worse.🧴 Choose products that are pregnancy friendly and recommended by dermatologists.👩‍⚕️