Chloasma During Pregnancy

If you are pregnant then you will certainly feel a lot of different changes happening in your body, while some of them are expected like huge belly, nausea, and fatigue while others may surprise you a little bit like skin darkening in spots on the face. This is a very natural thing that happens to a lot of pregnant women but it is somewhat annoying for obvious reasons. Today we were talking about this hyperpigmentation or chloasma.

Meaning

Chloasma is often referred to as “The Mask of pregnancy” and is a very common condition in pregnant women. Here mask is referred to as the different dark and brownish spots or patches on the forehead skin. This condition is completely normal and not painful.

Causes of Chloasma

Chloasma can be experienced by any person whether man or woman during their lifetime but generally women are more likely to experience this and that too when they are pregnant. The main reasons for this could be among the following:

Hormones

Whenever there are changes in our body hormones, there are certain effects that we feel on our body and one of those defects is chloasma. Now the same thing happens during pregnancy as well.

Sun

Excessive exposure to the ultraviolet rays from the sunlight can increase the melanocyte excretion of melanin which can trigger chloasma and other related skin diseases.

Heredity

As per the American Academy of dermatology, people of color are more likely to develop chloasma than people with lighter skin as their melanocytes are more active.

Tips for reducing chloasma

There is no requirement for going out of the way to get rid of chloasma as it is known for going away on its own but there are certain measures that you can follow:

Having enough Folic acid: You can eat foods that are rich in Folic acid to reduce the chances of hyperpigmentation. These foods include beans, rice, pasta, citrus fruits, and spinach.

Sunscreen: Sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 can be highly crucial in reducing the effects of UV light on your skin.

Makeup: It is highly recommended to use foundation and concealer to reduce the appearance of the spots and avoid completely waxing your face that can make the chloasma worse.