Get a pregnancy goddess glow like Beyoncé

It’s safe to say that pregnancy looks great on Beyoncé, as her iconic 2017 Grammys performance will attest to; and it was her first public appearance since announcing that she has not one, but two, little buns in the oven. And now expectant mums the world over want to know how they can get that goddess-like glow, à la Beyoncé. While we will never know her secrets, I can offer my top tips for maintaining beautiful skin throughout pregnancy that will give Queen B a run for her money.

Caring for your skin during pregnancy

As we know, pregnancy = hormonal chaos, so now is not the time to be neglecting your skin. Pregnancy hormones can spur on everything from increased facial and body hair growth, sudden appearances of hyperpigmentation, breakouts, redness and even skin sensitivity. So beginning with a healthy, balanced diet and a systematic skincare regimen is a good way to help tame the hormonal beast:

• Moisturise your skin three times a day
  Your growing baby is feeding off your body’s resources, so you need to overcompensate a little more than you normally would. Ensure your skin remains moist and hydrated by upping moisturisation from twice, to three times a day.
• Get creamy
  Pregnant skin needs extra TLC, so try switching to super emollient (skin softening) professional skin care products. Milky, creamy cleansers, exfoliants and moisturisers that work to seal in hydration are the key to a lush glow.
• Sleep it off
  Growing a baby is tiring – am I right, ladies? Your energy levels are going to deplete much quicker, so don’t run yourself into the ground. Get eight hours of sound sleep every night, and more importantly, listen to your body if it’s begging you to rest. Both your baby, and your skin, will stress less.

What to avoid when pregnant

Here’s a few things you should steer well clear of when pregnant:

• Laser or IPL Machines
  Sorry, but you’ll have to hold off on your beloved laser hair removal or IPL skin treatments until after baby is born. Although there is no specific evidence to support that these treatments cause harm to the baby, until more is known, it’s not recommended.
• Retinoids
  What we put on our skin absorbs into our bloodstream, potentially affecting the life that’s growing inside of us. And topical retinoids, a form of vitamin A used in anti-ageing skincare, may just be too strong for delicate growing babies. Doctors caution against it, so check your product ingredient labels and stash away anything containing “retinol”, “retinyl” or “retinoids”.
• Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) & Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA)
  Much like retinoids, AHAs and BHAs, often found in anti-ageing and acne treatment products, are advised against when pregnant. BHAs may pop up in skin cleansers as ‘salicylic acid’, so you can cross that one off the list too!
• Acid and enzyme peels
  Once again, while evidence is lacking for the effects acid and enzyme peels have on unborn babies, the motto here is, “better to be safe than sorry”.

Post-baby skin care

Your little angel is here, hooray! Now it’s all about sleep deprivation, nappy changes, and feeds at all hours of the day and night. Yes, this is a very demanding time for your body, and it will show on your skin – so be sure to have this post-baby skin plan at the ready:

• Skin-saving serum
  A good quality serum right now is going to make all the difference to your tired, worn-out appearance, and same goes for an ultra-nourishing day and night cream. Look for products enriched with vitamins A, C, D or E, and algae, which works as a great antioxidant for protecting your skin.
• Bring back the AHAs or BHAs
  Yep, the baby is born now so you can start reaping the skin-beautifying benefits of AHAs and BHAs once again. But don’t go crazy – introduce slowly with low percentage products, or instead opt for an enzyme-enriched treatment.
• Fortnightly facial
  Come on, you deserve it! If you can, handball the kid to a sitter for just a few hours, once a fortnight, and treat yourself to a hydrating facial treatment that works to increase skin moisture, plump out fine lines and wrinkles and even out skin tone. My top picks would be a hydrodermabrasion treatment, or an oxygen facial. Either of these will get you looking like you’re handling parenthood like a boss! A glowing goddess boss.

If you’re after more information on your skincare, contact The Global Beauty Group on 1300 006 607.

For more of Marina’s advice, click here

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