How Face Shaving Helped Me Get Rid Of Pregnancy Melasma
By the time I was halfway through my pregnancy, I realized that pregnancy glow is a myth. Maybe not for everyone, but for me, it was definitely a myth. While I started rocking a bouncy hair by the beginning of my second trimester, for my skin, it was a different story.
By month 4, my Hyperemesis Gravidarum was coming under control. And when I felt better enough to look into the mirror, I saw patches of dark skin all over my face. It was particularly bad on both sides of my forehead and both corners of my lips. And it looked very dirty as if I hadn’t washed my face after getting out of the bed.
I did some research and found out that it’s rather common, and is called Melasma or Pregnancy Melasma. And because it’s caused by changing hormones, topical treatments cannot always cure Pregnancy Melasma. While Melasma in pregnancy usually goes away on its own after giving birth, one can still try out some tropical products. Vitamin C is one of the safest and best ingredients to treat pregnancy Hyperpigmentation. It’s is completely safe during pregnancy, doesn’t have any side effects, and is very potent against melasma. AHA is another ingredient that can be used to combat Melasma. Retinol, Arbutin, and BHA on the other hand are not recommended to be used during pregnancy.
So I tried Vitamin C but it didn’t work for me. While AHA is safe to be used during pregnancy, I was too sick to chemically exfoliate my skin. So I did what a lazy person suffering from severe nausea can do. I waited for the melasma to go away on its own.
Only it didn’t.
As a new mother, I could not afford to have an extensive routine, but I did try a few products here and there. But with no result. And then there was this thing, I gave birth at the onset of the pandemic. My baby spent his infancy in complete quarantine. So when I wanted to look like a human and get my eyebrows done, I didn’t have access to the salon. My sister has been raving about face shaving for the past few years. And after grilling her with questions after questions. And after coming across my friend Pamela’s nicely done eyebrows during the eye of the pandemic I decided to give eyebrow razors a try.
Finally doing it:
I saw some videos on Instagram and read some articles on Google and I was ready to do it. I went for the LetsShave razors. The first time I used it, I only did my eyebrows. I realized that it’s not as intimidating as it looks. So the next day I shaved my entire face. I do not have much facial hair. But turned out, I had a lot of dead skins. That’s the most alluring part of face shaving, they get rid of any trace of dead skin you might have. And let’s face it, I hadn’t chemically exfoliated since my pregnancy, and physical scrubs don’t do much.
More than facial hair, my razor was scooping dead skin like I had a thin layer of mud across my face. It was disgusting and oddly satisfying at the same time. And just like that, my pregnancy melasma was gone. I don’t know if it were dead skin all along, or the hyperpigmentation left hyperpigmented dead skin. But apparently, deep exfoliation was all I need to do to get rid of it. I won’t lie, there still is a hint of dark skin where the hyperpigmentation used to be, but one has to look very closely to notice them.
The bonus:
Like I earlier said, I haven’t chemically exfoliated my skin since my pregnancy. And I am not satisfied with the job physical scrubs do. So probably my face was layered with dead skin. Because right before I tried face shaving for the first time, I was noticing how my skin wasn’t absorbing any skincare products. Even the lightest products were just sitting on my skin and melting away.
But then I shaved my face and I automatically felt the need to sheetmask. It was the first time in months that I applied a sheetmask. And not only did my skin drink all the goodness from the mask, but also the serum and the moisturizer that I applied after. And I never had that issue after. The next day I applied another sheetmask and my skin absorbed that too!
The Takeaway:
Facial Shaving turned out to be the one solution to a lot of my problems.
No access to the Salon or home salon due to the pandemic?
Shave it yourself at home.
Pregnancy hyperpigmentation that won’t go away?
Shave the pigmentation away.
Too much dead skin and no time to chemically exfoliate?
Shave the dead skin away.
Currently, I shave my face once every few weeks when my eyebrows start becoming bushy. And I think I’ll keep doing them myself even when the pandemic is over.
