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If there is ever a time to pamper yourself, it is during pregnancy. Take a look at these top five tips for keeping your skin looking luscious and plump.

Pregnancy-Safe Creams and Lotions

First, you need to understand that anything you rub onto your skin will soak into your body. When you are pregnant, you need to be confident that any chemical or substance you use won’t harm your baby. Before use, always check the label to make sure it is safe to use during pregnancy. If you are not sure, look online or contact the manufacturer for more details.

 Looking After Intimate Skin Areas

When you are pregnant, your body will go through all kinds of changes. The growing baby will have the lion’s share of nutrients from the food and drink you consume. This means that your skin can suffer, becoming drier and less elastic.

Surging hormones also affect the skin and its luminosity. Hormones are also responsible for a leaky bladder. If you struggle to make it to the bathroom on time or your bladder is irritated, small accidental leaks of urine can happen. Using incontinence pads helps you manage this but skin can become sore. Thankfully, there is a range of incontinence skin care products that can be used in the bath or the shower. Keep a small bottle of soap-free intimate wash solution or a handy pack of wipes in your bag too to help to stay fresh during the day.

Increase Your Skin Care Moisturising Routine

Your skin can become dry during pregnancy. This can be as a result of a combination of not being hydrated enough, as well as a change in diet and exercise. It is important you keep your skin plump and moist as this helps to retain its elasticity.
If your skin feels dry, invest in a good quality moisturizer. Some pregnant mums find that certain skin areas become drier than others, so make sure you apply lotion liberally in these affected areas.
Creams for your growing bump are a great idea too as it can help reduce stretch marks.
Be careful with skin oils as oil is quite potent and heavily concentrated. Too much oil can penetrate your body and not be good for the baby.

Eye Serum Creams

Being pregnant is not always easy and after a few disturbed nights spent trying to get into a comfortable position, the bags under your eyes can become larger and darker.
As well as getting rest during the day, invest in a good quality eye serum that helps to lighten dark shadows and circles. Serums also help to plump up the skin, smoothing out wrinkles giving you a fresher look.

Avoid Soap!

Soap can have a drying effect on your skin and, if your skin is also dry and lackluster during pregnancy, carrying on washing with soap will simply dry it out even more.
Take a trip to the beauty care aisle in your local supermarket or pharmacy and look for a no-soap shower gel or cleanser. They don’t lather up as well as soap, so don’t expect a froth of bubbles. But after a few washes, you will see just how much better your skin reacts.
Many women find herbal or plant-based no-soap cleaners work really well. And, if your skin is dry and flaky, consider reducing shower time too as hot water has a drying effect on the skin.

Sun Protection

The sun has a drying and aging effect on the skin. If you find that your skin is dry or more sensitive during pregnancy, shielding it from harmful UV rays is essential. We should all wear sun protection as standard practice during the summer months in the UK but when you are pregnant, you may find you need to increase your use of it.
Choose a facial moisturizer that has UV protection in it and consider applying sunscreen to exposed skin during the day too.
But again, always check that the sun protection creams and lotions are suitable for use during pregnancy. Stay away from those creams that are ‘heavy’, oily creams and heavily scented sun lotions.

The Key to Great Pregnancy Skin? Water

Skin is the organ through which we lose a lot of moisture. As your baby bump grows, your body works harder and can mean an increase in perspiration.
Water is the elixir of life and is essential for maintaining a healthy body, but also for plump, lush looking skin.
Rather than gulping water when pregnant, sip water through the day. And finally, as well as staying hydrated, get plenty of rest and enjoy glowing skin throughout your pregnancy.