Skin Care
Why the Pregnancy Glow Is a Myth We Should Stop Perpetuating...And what to do when your skin decides to rebel while you're expecting |
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Hormones are also at play here, according to Dr. Scott Sullivan, MD, Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina. "Your hormone levels go up really, really high. It's dramatic over the first 12 weeks and it fluctuates. It affects almost every organ system," he says. The increase of androgens in particular -- a class of testosterone hormones coming from the placenta and ovaries -- may increase the amount of oil, or sebum, produced by your glands. For some women, this extra oil production may result in that dewy, effervescent glow. But in others, like myself, it can wreak absolute havoc on the skin.
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SEE NEXT PAGE: Why the Glow Can Go Awry
