Rash After Pregnancy (Signs, Causes, Treatment, Remedies)

Most ladies believe that new changes come with pregnancy and will go when pregnancy period is over. Not only this idea is not true, but also you should say hello to postpartum changes. One of them is rash after pregnancy, which happens due to several reasons.

In this article of Hipregnancy, we will cover all important points you need to know about postpartum rash, including; symptoms, causes, duration, treatment, etc. Keep reading this article to the end to figure out what you need to do about your postpartum hives.

What is rash after pregnancy and its symptoms?

It is not unusual to experience issues like rash, back pain, or headache after pregnancy. These are symptoms which may happen to any ladies all over the world.

Postpartum rashes usually appear on the face, chest, stomach, neck, legs, and arms. They may look red, pink, or even skin-colored bumps and eczema.

There are various reasons for rash after pregnancy which lead to have itchy and red skin on different parts of the women’s body after childbirth. the good news is that these rashes are not harmful, and they can’t be passed to your newborn baby. So, don’t be worried, if you have seen the signs of rashes after delivery. Just do your best to uses medical treatments or even home remedies to get rid of itchy skin.

Also Read: keratosis pilaris after pregnancy

6 Causes of rash after pregnancy

There is not a single cause for this kind of rash, which is common among pregnant ladies after childbirth. The followings are some of the top reasons for postpartum hives, which may be the cause of your itchy skin;

1- Histamine

Which is protein released when the body is under attack from an allergen. This process is normal and helps your body to be safe, but it may change to allergic reaction, when your body overacts in releasing histamines. It is known as hormonal rash after pregnancy, too.

2- Liver

It can be another reason for rash after pregnancy. Your liver’s function usually changes around delivery, which is followed by removing waste from your body slowly, as well as postpartum rash.

3- Sweat

It is usual to sweat a lot after pregnancy among ladies, due to lose extra fluid you required while pregnant. Also, you may sweat a lot, because of using a baby carrier, especially on summer days. All mentioned reasons can lead to sweat rash among women who are in their after pregnancy period.

4- Contact dermatitis

This can be a cause of rash among ladies who have sensitive skin. You may experience rash after a C-section, because of surgical tape and disinfectants, or antibacterial soap, used before or during surgery.

5- Viruses

Often new moms don’t sleep enough, don’t have time for making and consuming healthy, nutrient-dense foods, and also they are very stressful for caring their cute baby. All of these weakens their body and give the viruses the better chance to attack their body, which can be followed by rash after pregnancy.

6- Healing

This may seem odd to you, but it can be one of the reasons. Your stitches after delivery, vaginally or C-section, can be itchy during the process of healing. It may suffer you, but it shows that stitches are healing, and your body works well to get back to its normal condition.

Also Read: how long does cellulite last after pregnancy

How long do postpartum rash last?

Overall, skin issues like rashes or melasma after pregnancy takes different time to heal completely in different people. As there are several reasons for rash after pregnancy, there is no specific time to get rid of these rashes. In other words, the time of healing these rashes depends on the cause of this skin issue. For example, rashes which are caused by liver imbalanced function, may disappear within a weak or even six weeks. Or pupps after pregnancy usually diappears within a few days up to a few weeks.

According to hipregnancy team’s studies and researches, a rash you experience after childbirth, starts within 48 hours after delivery and it may last until 6 weeks. In addition, those who suffer from severe cases may have rashes even up to 12 weeks after pregnancy.

If you are worried about your rashes and want to know the certain time of healing it, you can consult your doctor, who can help you better by telling you guidelines based on your skin’s condition.

Medical treatment for postpartum hives

Usually, ladies don’t require medical treatment for rash after pregnancy, because most of them don’t suffer from stubborn or very itchy rashes. Alongside, those who have serous rashes, should consult their doctor to teat and control their rashes.

Here are some common medical treatments for postpartum rashes;

• Anti-itch cream or lotion
• Skin steroid cream
• Allergy shots
• An antihistamine
• An epinephrine pen
• Steroid medication
• An ursodeoxycholic acid

Keep in mind that your doctor should choose the best medical treatment for you and all the above-mentioned treatment are general guidelines. So, you must first make an appointment with your doctor and then select one of the above treatments based on the type of your rash. For example, applying steroid-containg creams or taking antihistamines are best for treating pupps after pregnancy.

Only those who have severe rashes should use medical treatments, and mild cases can be cured by simple home remedies. Keep on reading to find out very easy home remedies, which can help you to get rid of your rashes soon.

Home remedies for rash after pregnancy

There are some home remedies for those, who has mild rashes and don’t want to use medical treatment. Actually, some people do their best to stick to home remedies and say away from prescription medications. If you are one of them, we recommend you to read the following list;

• Apply fresh or in gel form aloe vera to soothe the area for 20 minutes
• Take regular cool or lukewarm showers
• Apply natural creams or lotions like shea butter or oat milk
• Sleep enough, relax, and take a nap
• Wear breathable loose clothing like cotton fabrics
• Use wet wraps on your skin

All the above remedies help to soothe your skin and make you feel better. In addition, they don’t have any side effects and are natural ways to fade your rashes after pregnancy. It is better to mention that, you should be patient while using above tips, because they need much more time to cure your rashes.

When to see a doctor?

Hipregnancy believes that you should go to doctor, whenever you face any health issues during or even after pregnancy. Because your doctor is the best one who can help you to be safe. In fact, you need to be completely healthy to take care of your baby. So, we recommend you to consult your doctor, whenever you see the first sign of rash after pregnancy.

Here are some symptoms that warn you need urgent medical care;

• swelling of the lips, throat, face, tongue, or mouth
• dizziness or lightheadedness
• difficulty breathing
• fainting
• other anaphylaxis symptoms

If you have above symptoms, you need medical treatments to cure your rashes. It means that home remedies don’t work on you, and they can even waste your time and make your skin condition worse.

Conclusion

After pregnancy is the time when you face with new world with several changes. You should take care of your baby, take care of yourself and other members of your family. Even you need to face with some issues, like skin rash after pregnancy. This kind of rash may appear on your face, neck, arms, stomach, and other parts of your body based on different reasons

In this article we discussed the reasons for postpartum rashes, their duration and their treatment as well.

Now, tell us your experience about this problem. “Did you have skin rash after pregnancy?” Or, “Do you know other postpartum rash treatments?”

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