You are waiting for what is going to be the most memorable moment in your life- giving birth to your first baby. It’s an incredibly beautiful experience but one that also causes a lot of changes. And while some of these changes are easy to deal with, getting acne during pregnancy is a totally different story. It’s pretty common, too. In fact, one in every two women is likely to develop pimples during pregnancy. If you are currently stressed out with pregnancy acne, here are the best solutions to get rid of those zits.

What Causes Acne During Pregnancy?

Getting pimples when you’re pregnant could be a result of many factors. The list includes:

Increased androgen level

Hormones, hormones, and more hormones! As is the case with most changes that occur during pregnancy, acne is caused by changes in your hormones. A rise in your body’s androgen level, for example, can trigger your sebaceous glands to produce more oil. When that oil combines with dead skin cells, you can end up with clogged pores. This can lead to inflammation and acne.

Dietary Changes

A lot of pregnant women experience extreme hunger pangs. These hunger pangs strike at odd hours and this can cause you to grab the nearest snack you can find. This can spell bad news for your skin. Junk foods, sweets, and foods with a high glycemic index can have a negative effect on your body. They can cause an imbalance in your hormones, which can trigger more sebum production.

See Also: What to Eat During Pregnancy

Genetic Tendency

People who’ve had acne before are likely to experience more pimples when they become pregnant. If you’re genetically predisposed to pimples, there’s not much you can do to prevent them.

How to Treat Pregnancy Acne

Wash your face

The best way to prevent acne is to take care of your skin. Make sure that there’s no dirt, makeup residues, and dead skin cells that can clog your pores. Wash your face gently twice a day. For the best results, you should only use mild cleansers. Be sure to clean thoroughly, particularly the areas near your hairline and jaw as they are the most prone to acne. You should also consider washing your hair on a regular basis. Moreover, keep your pillowcases and towels clean.

Do not scrub hard

Avoid scrubbing your skin too hard. This can only make things worse as it can strip off your skin’s natural moisture. During pregnancy, your skin is extra sensitive, too. Make sure to treat it more delicately. Picking or trying to squeeze your skin pores is not advisable, either. It will only leave you with scars.

Moisturize

Use an oil-free moisturizer to hydrate your skin without having to worry about getting clogged pores. Keeping your skin moisturized is essential as an excessively dry skin is more susceptible to acne breakouts.

Be sun-savvy

Conventional acne medications can make your skin vulnerable to sun damage. Excessive sun exposure can increase your risk of getting skin cancer and premature skin aging, too. If you know you’ll be outside for an extended period, wear a sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher.

Eat more foods rich in vitamin A

These include milk, eggs, fish, and carrots. However, you should be careful not to go overboard with vitamin A intake. Experts recommend avoiding vitamin A supplements as they are linked to certain birth defects. As such, you should focus on getting vitamin A the natural way and that is through your diet.

Try coconut oil

Another home remedy you should try is coconut oil. It’s loaded with medium-chain fatty acids that are great in fighting the underlying cause of acne. More specifically, coconut oil has lauric acid and caprylic acid, both of which get metabolized into antifungal and antibacterial agents.

Acne Treatments You Should Avoid

One of the medications that revolutionized acne treatment is Isotretinoin. However, because it may cause birth defects, it is not advisable for pregnant women to take this drug. Due to its side effects, doctors, pharmacists, and wholesalers who deal with Isotretinoin are required to join a special program concerned with preventing pregnancy and birth defects. There are other prescription acne drugs which can lead to birth defects. They are:

• Hormone therapy, including estrogen, flutamide, and spironolactone.
• Topical retinoids, like adapalene, tretinoin, and tazarotene. Based on research studies, the amounts absorbed from these medications is low. Nonetheless, there’s a concern they also increase the risk of birth defects.
• Oral tetracycline, such as minocycline, doxycycline, and tetracycline. Taking these medications can inhibit bone growth and discolor your teeth permanently.

See Also: Cure Your Skin Today: The Best Adult Acne Home Remedies

Conclusion

It is not unusual to get acne when you’re pregnant. Thankfully, there are certain things you can do to treat pregnancy acne. By keeping your skin moisturized and clean, increasing your intake of vitamin A, and using skincare products containing coconut oil, you’ll be able to keep your skin free from zits.

The post Acne During Pregnancy: What Is The Best Treatment? appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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When women find work in sports, they tend to face a lot of obstacles. After all, the sports world is particularly male-dominated. In fact, an April 2017 Glassdoor study found that significant gender gaps exist in several areas. For example, men earn nearly 10% more than women in exercise science. The study also found that 9 out of 10 highest paying majors are dominated by men. On the other hand, 6 out of 10 of the lowest paying majors are dominated by women. This is why female athletes can teach you a lot about career management. They’ve overcome so many challenges and many have found mainstream success. If you’re wondering how, let’s turn to some of the world’s best female athletes. Their stories can teach you a lot about how to be successful in sports.

Redefine Your Industry (Ronda Rousey)

Many people consider the world of mixed martial arts to be ‘anti-woman’. This is a view that Ronda Rousey, one of the most celebrated athletes in recent years, doesn’t subscribe to. “There are so many ridiculous arguments that MMA is somehow anti-woman,” she explained on Good Morning America in 2015. “Fighting is not a man’s thing, it is a human thing.” Her rise in popularity shows that MMA is an ‘everyone’ sport and her empowering message is hard to ignore. She further explained how she was celebrated as an American hero when she won Olympic medals in judo and that she sees MMA as a form of art. She worked with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to change how women are perceived in pop culture. Her involvement helped introduced women as fighters and champions and not as ‘women’s bantamweight champions’. Just as Rousey did, you can redefine your industry. Find a career where you can succeed and prove the status quo wrong.

Consider Other Passions (Serena Williams)

When someone thinks about tennis, Serena and her sister Venus are often the first athletes to come to mind. Both women are among the greatest tennis players of all time. Serena, for example, holds countless achievements, like 23 Major singles titles in the Open Era. However, her career isn’t always championships and celebrations. In fact, she’s been plagued with injuries on and off for years now. In 2011, she had to withdraw from the Sony Ericsson Open due to abdominal injuries. Despite her various injuries, she climbed back to being one of the best. This shows you the value of learning how to rebound when you’re faced with major career obstacles. However, be aware of your limitations and determine the next step for you and your goals. Just last year, Serena was sidelined again but she didn’t rush her return. Instead, while she’s recovering, she pursued another passion- her fashion line. Don’t always force yourself to continue down a path just because you think it’s all you know. If you face setbacks, look at some of your other passions and strengths. You may have another career path worth pursuing.

Become Bigger Than Your Current Role (Mia Hamm)

In the world of soccer, Mia Hamm continues to build her legacy. She was the face of the United States women’s national soccer team and she was actively involved in different roles. Following her retirement, her work in sports included being a co-owner of Los Angeles FC and a global ambassador for FC Barcelona. She is also on the board of directors of Serie A club A.S. Roma. Despite retiring from playing soccer, Hamm is always finding new ways to stay engaged. You should do the same in your line of work.

See Also: 4 Things Tom Brady Can Teach You About Career Management

Think beyond your current role and determine how you can contribute to your industry in bigger ways. Plan for long-term success by determining how your strengths and skills can be applied to other areas of your industry.

See Also: 4 Career Management Lessons You Can Learn From Playing Golf

The post How to Be Successful In Sports: Career Management Tips From Female Athletes appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Water helps keep our skin looking vibrant. It boosts our immune system and helps increase our energy level. And you know what else? Water can also make you smarter. For the brain cells to function properly, there needs to be a balance between water and various compounds. Whenever you fail to drink enough water, this balance gets disrupted and your cognitive performance declines. Apart from that, dehydration can also cause your neural pathways to shut down. As a result, the section of the brain responsible for planning and problem-solving starts struggling. Now, to help you get a clearer understanding of the relationship between water and brain function, here’s a list of how staying hydrated can make you smarter.

Think with More Clarity

Dry skin, rapid heartbeat, and sunken eyes are some of the most common symptoms of dehydration. There’s one more sign people rarely notice and that involves their brain tissues. When you fail to drink enough water, your brain is forced to work harder than usual. In one study presented to the British Psychological Society Annual Conference, it was found that undergraduate students who took water with them to an examination room performed better than their colleagues who did not.

Boosts Your Concentration Level

Recent studies also indicate that drinking enough water keeps you more attentive and alert. Zip Water conducted an experiment involving two gamers who competed against each other in a virtual game of ping pong. Rather than use controllers, the players were set up with EEG headsets, which enabled them to navigate the ball using mind control. In the end, the dehydrated player performed considerably worse than his opponent because of fatigue and a decline in focus.

Improve your Problem-Solving Skills

In a different experiment, staying hydrated was found to be indispensable for individuals trying to resolve issues. This particular study involved two chess players: a 13-year-old kid and a chess grand-master. The kid was provided with enough water while the chess master was set up in a one-man sauna during the entire game. Surprisingly, the kid won and this shows just how important hydration is to a person’s mental performance.

Improves your Memory

Are you having a hard time recalling recent activities? If you are, then you should consider switching to brain-friendly foods, like leafy greens and fish. Staying hydrated can also help. Regardless of how minor your dehydration is, it will instantly result in a homeostatic imbalance. This can affect your cognitive function, which can make it difficult for you to memorize basic things, recall information, and create long-term memories.

Improves Reaction Time

Scientists have also discovered that staying hydrated helps an individual’s brain to operate faster. Those who drink a pint of water prior to engaging in mental activities were 14% faster than those who did not drink. If you feel like your concentration is drifting, try drinking a glass of water and your brain will resume normal functioning within seconds.

Improves your Mood

Do you always argue with your partner? Do you feel irritable all the time? If you’re wondering why you’re feeling grumpy, start examining how frequent you drink water. Even the slightest dehydration can bring your mood down. Think of it this way: There are two core factors that determine an individual’s mood: energy and motivation. Drinking enough water ensures that you stay energized and motivated.

Reduces Anxiety Levels

Chronic anxiety can affect your life in profound ways. If you’re always overly concerned about things, this may get in your way of performing well in your job or excelling in your studies. You need to be calm if you want to ace that test or meet a deadline. The association between staying hydrated and reduced anxiety is well presented and it’s been shown to reduce cortisone levels and anxiety.

See Also: 3 Healthy and Inexpensive Ways to Cope with Anxiety

Prevents Headaches and Migraines

You won’t come up with a good house design if your head is yelling at you in pain. And even if your job is not as intricate, a migraine can make any task harder to accomplish. Based on multiple studies, staying hydrated helps to prevent and cure headaches. In fact, if you have a headache, this could be a sign that you’re dehydrated. Health experts recommend that you don’t wait up to that point you feel thirsty. By such time, you’ll have lost about 2% of the water volume in your body. Drink water as often as you can and you’ll never have to buy headache painkillers again.

Conclusion

Water is important for a lot of your body’s functions, including your brain’s performance. Without enough water, you can lose concentration and you’ll have difficulty recalling things. You can even get headaches and migraines. To prevent those things from happening, make sure that you drink as much water as possible. This will not only improve your skin’s health but also ensure that you remain energized and attentive at all times. Remember, water is important for every cell, tissue, and organ in your body.

See Also: Top 5 Tips On How To Stay Hydrated

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