Disclosure – this is a collaborative post.
Understanding hair and skin changes
Carrying a baby and giving birth takes its toll on your body. Although recovery is usually rapid, aspects of your physical appearance will reflect the stress of the process, including your skin and hair.
Postpartum skin changes last between six weeks and six months and can include:
- Stretch marks
- Dryness
- Hyperpigmentation
- Spider veins
- Nipple symptoms
- Acne
Hair loss is also common as the stress of giving birth can trigger telogen effluvium, a sudden shedding of hair that can reduce thickness by up to 50%. You might find yourself pulling out clumps of hair when you wash it, but this should slow within weeks, and your locks will return to normal within a year.
While these changes aren’t long-term and pale in comparison to the demands of looking after a baby, if your hair and skin are making you feel less than your best follow this advice for postpartum pampering. After all, you can’t care for another if you’re not caring for yourself!
How to look after your postpartum body
- Manage your stress
Easier said than done when raising a newborn baby, but taking steps to manage your stress will help alleviate uncomfortable symptoms like itchiness from eczema and similar dry skin conditions. Steal moments for self-care activities that will control your cortisol levels such as a hot bath or shower, watching your favourite show, doing breathing exercises or gentle walking.
- Be gentle on your hair
If you’re suffering with stress-induced shedding there’s little you can do to stop the process, but you should still be gentle on your hair. This will slow falling and preserve hair follicles that are damaged but still intact. Avoid chemical treatments, braiding or styling your hair with heat, and reduce how often you wash your locks.
As a temporary solution, you can mask thinness and any patches with a spray-on coloured hair thickener that matches your natural shade. Paired with a volumising style, this can boost your confidence while your hair recovers to its usual thickness.
- Rehydrate your skin
Support your skin’s natural moisture barrier with hydrating creams and oils to reduce the likelihood of dryness. Use a gentle cleanser that doesn’t strip the skin, avoid irritants and moisturise daily with an unscented cream or emollient.
Mums with eczema might find that the constant handwashing involved in looking after a baby triggers a flare-up. Apply hand cream each time you wash your hands to protect against flakiness and painful cracks around the fingers and knuckles.
Wear SPF
When the skin produces excess melanin, it can cause hyperpigmentation – dark spots across the skin. This discolouration can develop anywhere and will worsen when exposed to sunlight. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen formulated to fight UVA, UVB and visible light to lessen the effects and guard against any further damage.
Disclosure – this is a collaborative post.
