Itchy skin during late pregnancy

Skin itching in late pregnancy refers to the itching symptoms that appear in one or several parts of a woman's skin after pregnancy. There are several reasons for this. On the one hand, it may be due to lack of attention to skin care, resulting in dry and dehydrated skin and insufficient skin oil secretion. On the other hand, it may be due to mental stress, which causes the sensory system to be abnormally sensitive. In addition, it is possible that skin lesions have occurred, but the specific cause needs to be discovered through medical treatment. The following is a detailed introduction to the situation of itchy skin in late pregnancy.

In severe cases, it will affect daily life and mood. Pregnant women with skin itching often appear in the middle and late stages of pregnancy, and the degree of itching varies. In mild cases, the skin is just slightly itchy, while in severe cases, the itching is unbearable, and the patients are restless, unable to sleep at night, and suffer unbearable pain. Some even scratch their skin to temporarily relieve the itching, resulting in scratches all over the body and prone to purulent skin infections. You should consult a dermatologist promptly for correct diagnosis and treatment so that you can spend the entire pregnancy comfortably.

20% of expectant mothers have problems. From pregnancy to about one month after delivery, about 1/5 of expectant mothers will have skin itching problems. Most of these skin problems are not directly related to pregnancy. Instead, they are caused by some skin diseases such as eczema, urticaria, drug rash and bacterial infection. Only a few are caused by pregnancy. Therefore, when doctors diagnose and treat, they must first rule out common causes before they can suspect whether the skin problem is simply caused by pregnancy. Expectant mothers may have different skin problems in different seasons. For example, in summer, due to the humid climate and frequent sweating, they are prone to eczema or folliculitis. In winter, due to the reduced sebum secretion, the skin appears dry, and in severe cases, the skin may even crack, causing winter eczema or sebaceous eczema. These symptoms may occur anywhere on the body.

Symptom relief methods

1. Mental stress and emotional excitement will aggravate itching, so pregnant women should first reduce their mental burden and avoid irritability and anxiety.

2. Avoid scratching to relieve itching. Because of constant scratching, the skin often turns red and scratches appear, causing the epidermis to fall off and blood scabs to form. Over time, this will lead to thickening of the skin and darkening of pigmentation, which will in turn aggravate the itching and may even cause purulent infection.

3. Change your underwear frequently.

4. When bathing, avoid using water that is too hot or scrubbing vigorously with alkaline soap, as this will aggravate the itching.

5. Prevent stimulation from food factors, such as eating less spicy foods such as chili peppers, ginger, raw garlic, etc. Seafood should be consumed in moderation as it can aggravate skin itching.

6. Wear pure cotton clothes to avoid friction between chemical fiber fabrics and skin.

7. Drug treatment. Pregnant women need to take medication under the guidance of a doctor. For local itching, menthol, camphor cream, camphor tincture, or camphor powder can be applied externally. If necessary, hormonal ointments with small side effects, such as Elocon, can be used for a short period of time. For systemic itching, you can take sedatives or desensitizers for a short period of time, such as oral chlorpheniramine tablets, 4 mg 3 times a day; sedative tablets, 1 mg 2-3 times a day, etc. You can also take oral B vitamins and vitamin C at the same time. Alternatively, calcium gluconate can be taken orally or intravenously.