Pregnancy-Induced Eczema
Did you know? The most common skin condition that occurs during pregnancy is eczema? Pregnancy-induced eczema occurs both in women that have had eczema in the past and those who haven’t! In fact, only 20-40% of women who experience pregnancy induced eczema have a history of eczema before becoming pregnant.
The symptoms of eczema are the same pregnancy-induced and not. Symptoms include redness, itchiness and dryness of the skin in different areas of the body. Not to worry though, pregnancy-induced does not affect nor harm the baby and is not contagious. However, pregnancy-induced labor doesn’t necessarily mean that the eczema disappears after giving birth, lots of women find their eczema still flaring up after childbirth.
It’s best during pregnancy to try treating the pregnancy-induced eczema in more ‘natural’ ways before turning to products with steroids. First try simple things like taking warm showers rather than hot, and immediately moisturizing afterwards. Also try using a rich hypoallergenic lotion that is gentle, free of steroids and free of fragrance (this will also relieve flare ups and help prevent future ones). Another tip is to wear loose fitted clothing as to not irritate the areas of your skin where you experience inflammation and irritation. Another important way to help treat pregnancy-induced eczema is to drink lots of water. This holds true with most skin conditions since hydrating is what helps the skin keep itself happy and healthy. If these tips don’t help you then it’s best to make a visit to a dermatologist that can assess your symptoms and prescribe you a solution that will be best for you with as minimal harm to your baby as possible.
*you should always check product ingredients and check with your physician before trying new products