Ways To Reinvigorate Your Postpartum Skin

Life after pregnancy is a whirlwind. So much about life changes during pregnancy, some of it slowly over the duration of the pregnancy and other things change in the blink of an eye. The changes to a woman's body happen both gradually and in a flash, especially to a woman's skin. And as with the rest of the changes in your life after having a baby, the best way to return the vigor and elasticity to your skin postpartum is to care for your overall health. 

Rest

It may sound like a joke--because you just had a baby--but rest is a top priority for your overall health and the healing of your skin after your pregnancy. Rest is not only how your body rebuilds and heals, but it is also when your body heals. Rest helps your body's functions operate as they should so that aspects important to your skin, like collagen protein, can do their job in healing your skin. So, it is not only the late-night feedings that should make you nap when you can, do it for your skin, too. 

Eat Well

In the haze of motherhood, finding time to eat at all may be a challenge. But it is critical for your mental and physical well-being that you eat and that you eat well. Eating well is another aspect of taking care of your overall health that will also benefit your skin. Eating poorly negatively impacts your skin, so eating well will positively impact your skin. The effects of pregnancy on your skin will repair themselves much more quickly and healthfully if you make sure that what you put into your body is good for your body.

Move

Between trying to rest and eat well, it may feel impossible to find time to exercise, but it is a necessity if you wish to care for your skin. Being physically active helps the body heal from the physical stress of pregnancy and labor and, therefore, will help your body to recover and heal which includes your skin. Exercising will help with the other areas that will help your skin and overall health as well. Exercising will help with the process of losing weight which will remove the excess strain the added weight puts on the skin. Exercising will also help you rest better, and when you are rested, you are better prepared to make wise choices about what to eat. Exercise is a critical part of the other steps to renewing your skin after having a baby. 

Drink 

Exercise will help with this next step of skin healing: hydration. Drinking plenty of water when you are healing from delivering a baby is essential to your overall well-being and is also a critical part of the cycle of healing your skin. If you are regularly active, your need and desire for water will naturally increase which is good for your body and, more specifically, good for your skin. Drinking plenty of water, whether postpartum or not, has always been an important step in skincare. This does not change once you have had a baby, so keep your hydration up.

Moisturize

This last suggestion is the only skin-specific step, but it is an important one. Like your internal hydration, external hydration is important for healing your skin, so be sure that you are regularly applying moisturizer to your skin, especially those areas directly affected by the pregnancy (i.e., your stomach and breasts). Dryness is the enemy of your skin's healing, so be sure that you pair your internal hydration with external hydration with a good moisturizer. 

Pregnancy is a long journey, and the impact it has on your body can be with you a long time after the baby has been born. Take the steps you need to care for your skin so that you can watch your body recover well. There is no magic pill or quick fix to the changes that your body endures in pregnancy, so recognize the interconnectedness of your body and take care of your skin by taking care of yourself holistically.