LENA BLOG

Are you out of time? When you have an infant to take care of, you’re lucky if you can brush your teeth — f orget about your skin! I hear this over and over from new mothers. It seems there just isn’t any time to take care of yourself, your skin included. Perhaps adopting a revised attitude is in order. This attitude is similar to the Zen imagery of being a rock in a stream. You can fight against the water coming down around you, or you can just sit in the stream and enjoy the shower you are experiencing. “Go with the flow” is a more concise way of putting it. The first few months after the birth of your child, you probably won’t have time to do much. If you can brush your teeth, however, you can cleanse your face. When going to brush, take a few extra seconds and grab your cleanser. Put it on your face, brush your teeth, rinse the cleanser off, and you’re practically done. (This is a Cleansing Quick Tip .) After rinsing the cleanser off and drying your face, s...

When you’re pregnant, your appetite is somewhat turned upside down. First you may not be able to keep food down, then you’re not able to eat enough. And no doubt you will be craving many foods you don’t normally eat. All of this can cause problems with your skin. This is not the time to restrict what you are eating. Do, however, try to eat a balance of healthy foods, such as the classic fruits and vegetables your body needs. Water is as important as ever along with following your doctor’s prenatal vitamin regimen. A second factor, stress , should not be overlooked as contributing to your skin problems even after you’ve given birth. Just the time factor (not having enough of it) can be a huge contributor to skin problems you may be experiencing. Incorporating anti-stress activities can help take some of the tension out of your body as well as your face. Try taking a healing bath or meditating—undisturbed—for 15 minutes. Now is the perfect time! Perhaps you...

Chloasma is a condition also called the mask of pregnancy , hyperpigmentation or melasma. In essence, the pigment (melanin) in your skin has gone out of control. This results in dark spots of pigmentation on the face, resembling in some cases a mask—thus the name. These are not freckles or dots, but sometimes large patches of dark brown skin commonly found on the cheeks and/or the forehead, although it is not limited to these areas. During pregnancy or while on birth control pills (“the pill” makes your body think it’s pregnant), your skin becomes photosensitive or sensitive to the sun. Photosensitivity is most common in women, especially during the childbearing years, due to fluctuating hormones. Unfortunately, if you’re prone to it, the only solution for keeping chloasma away is to stay out of the sun. ANY amount of sun exposure will darken the pigmentation on your face. All exposure counts, and as little as a few minutes of sun can darken the spots. If you’ve ever experie...

I had a conversation with a new client who was in for a facial recently. She is pregnant, in the first trimester, and the day she came in she was feeling a bit nauseous. She needed extra height under her head to help fend off the queasiness. She was wondering, going forward, how or if she would be able to keep coming in for facials throughout her pregnancy. My experience is this: Some pregnant—even very pregnant—women have no problems lying on a bed during a facial treatment; some women do have issues. It really just depends on the individual. I have many regular, monthly clients who around the middle of the second trimester say, “I’ll see you on the other side,” because they simply are not comfortable lying down for an hour or more trying to relax during a facial. Although some ladies can lie down, in order for these women to enjoy the facial, they need to be elevated in a way that doesn’t work for me (or other aestheticians) giving the facial, so at this point in their preg...

The only difference between problem skin when you’re expecting and when you’re not is just a matter of control. When you are pregnant, your body and how it functions is essentially out of your control. I tell my clients (especially first-time pregnancies) to (metaphorically) throw theirs arms up in the air and resign themselves to these changes. This is usually not welcome news. Having a relaxed attitude about the changes that occur in your body—and your skin—is very important. Consider adopting The Serenity Prayer (by Reinhold Niebuhr ): “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” When you’re pregnant, serenity and wisdom will be your greatest allies. You can control your skin (raging hormones) just about as well as you can stop your belly from growing. If you realize early on that you are not in control of your body and the baby is, you will fare a whole lot bett...