Ah.
I just wrote a blog on my website about skin products. Winter is a fantastic time to clean up your skin. Shorter days, less sun… But many of those lovely products which help with wrinkles and ridding of pesky pigment in your skin (which while pregnant likely got worse.)… many of those products you cannot use when you are with child or breastfeeding. Ug! I was pregnant and/or breastfeeding for 6 years straight. I get it. You are sleep deprived; your body has been depleted of every vital nutrient; the hormones wreak havoc on your skin; and then you can’t use stuff to fix it. That can do a doozy on having lovely skin. (Imagine how it is when you are a plastic surgeon and people expect you should have nice skin.)
So blah blah blah. I hear I can’t use Retin A (Antioxidant. Makes dermis thicker, realigns collagen, helps skin turn over more), Hydroquinone (Skin bleacher- doesn’t make it white, just gets rid of pigment), Latisse (eyelash enhancer), Botox (wrinkle remover) or do a TCA chemical peel (to resurface the skin- improves fine lines, reduces pore size, and removes superficial pigment). Let’s be positive, what CAN I do?
When I was in my babymaking and breastfeeding years, I purposefully looked for products which 1. worked (and could prove to me they worked with scientific studies, not the “70% of women thought they saw improvement in the mirror” ) and 2. were baby safe. What to do?
1. Sunscreen. I know you are tired of hearing about it. I am tired of writing it. But prevention is always the best. Mechanical blockers (zinc, titanium) block the sun rays and are not chemicals absorbed into the skin. Thought to be safer for babies.
2. Antioxidants. Vit C and E products are antioxidants. They are not miracle workers, so don’t expect any changes overnight. But with steady use, they help fine wrinkles and pigmentation. And again, are baby safe if not mixed with other things. (Some products are mixed with hydroquinone or other things which are not baby safe.) My favorite brand? Skinceuticals. They were one of the only brands who showed me studies of the skin improvement with histologic biopsies. (oooh aaah. Real science is great to see.)
3. Natural agents against pigment. Phyto by skinceuticals is one I favor.
I know the list is short, but continue to treat your skin while you are pregnant and breastfeeding. The healthy “glow” thing is great, but you want to avoid losing as much ground as you can. When you are done with all the baby stuff, then we can talk about other ways. So snuggle in with your little one. Winter is here.