- What is the pregnancy mask?
- What causes the appearance of the pregnancy mask?
- How to prevent the appearance of pregnancy mask?
- How to treat the mask of pregnancy when it has already appeared?
What is the pregnancy mask?
As its name does not indicate, the pregnancy mask has nothing to do with a cosmetic product for pregnant women! Indeed, the pregnancy mask does indeed appear most of the time in the mother-to-be and corresponds to pigmented spots which appear on the face. These are mainly located on the forehead, around the mouth and the cheekbones , taking the form of brown pigmented plaques, which are more or less dark and irregular .When does the pregnancy mask appear?
The pregnancy mask generally appears from the fourth month of pregnancy (even if it can appear earlier), particularly under the influence of the sun , and can persist up to six months after definitively stopping breastfeeding. It can also systematically reappear for several years whenever you expose your face to the sun and in rare cases, it may also never go away.Which women are most prone to it?
It is estimated that dark-skinned women are more prone to pregnancy mask than fair-skinned women, although the latter are not automatically spared. Fortunately, not all women are affected by the pregnancy mask, many factors can be responsible for its appearance.
What causes the appearance of the pregnancy mask?
The appearance of the pregnancy mask is not trivial: it is most often due to an overproduction of melanin (this pigment responsible for the color of your skin, particularly when tanning) when melanocytes , the cells which secrete melanin , operate abnormally.
Although there is no single cause of these changes in your skin, several factors point us in the right direction:
- Genetic background , in fact the mask of pregnancy can be linked to family history
- Prolonged exposure to the sun , since the overproduction of melanin accentuates the color of your skin, especially when strolling on the terrace when the sunny days arrive!
- The upheaval of hormones , notably estrogen and progesterone, which stimulate melanocytes and increase the production of melanin.
Finally, it is the ultraviolet rays that will most increase the risk of developing a mask of pregnancy. Even a clear day is not without risk for your skin because the overproduction of melanin has effects on your epidermis as soon as a small ray of sunlight shines through.
Also note that the famous brown line on the stomach that appears in most pregnant women is also due to hyperfunction of your melanocytes, increasing the production of melanin. But don't worry, apart from its unsightly side, this brown line presents no danger to the health of the future baby, and will eventually disappear a few months after giving birth, when your hormones will have stopped being upside down.
How to prevent the appearance of pregnancy mask?
As with many side effects linked to pregnancy, solutions exist to limit the risks of the appearance of pregnancy mask .
The first, and undoubtedly the most important, is to encourage mothers to protect their faces from the sun every day , and even when they are in town. The use of sunscreen is therefore recommended to protect your face from both the thinnest and strongest rays: in fact, even the irradiation of a hazy sky is enough to trigger the first symptoms of the pregnancy mask. And that's not all, rays passing through a window can also be a trigger, in the case of a car journey or working behind a directly exposed window.
We advise you to use our Crème Radieuse SPF50+ from the first months of your pregnancy. Both moisturizing and protective from UVA and UVB rays , it offers you maximum sun protection against the pregnancy mask, in addition to optimal hydration thanks to its quality active ingredients:
- Oceadefense , an active ingredient that strengthens the skin barrier against pollution and prevents the harmful effects of oxidative stress on your skin
- Vegetable Glycerin , the star of moisturizing and softening active ingredients
- Anatto Oil , a vegetable oil that protects from the sun's rays
- Fucocert, another moisturizing active ingredient which also has soothing and anti-aging properties
How to apply la Crème Radieuse SPF50+?
From the start of your pregnancy and from the first months of breastfeeding (because the pregnancy mask can appear after your delivery – again the fault of hormones!), apply the Radiant Cream daily every morning to the face and neck . In case of prolonged exposure, renew the application regularly . Also remember to protect yourself with a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses. Finally, avoid going out in the sun between noon and 4 p.m.
Concerning all future mothers who also wish to apply a sun index on the body, be careful of the harmful ingredients in most sun product compositions! Many of them contain parabens, nanoparticles but also endocrine disruptors. Do not hesitate to consult our article on ingredients not recommended during pregnancy to be perfectly informed!
How to treat the mask of pregnancy when it has already appeared?
Daily, adopt an anti-brown spot treatment which will gradually fade the pigment spots caused by the pregnancy mask.
Finally, as with stretch marks, it is easier to prevent pregnancy mask than to cure it! And to kill two birds with one stone, don't hesitate to go for our Belle Enceinte box including the Anti-Stretch Mark Ritual and the Radiant Cream SPF 50+ ... enough to get you through your pregnancy with complete peace of mind and beauty.
