Effects of Physiological Skin Changes on Quality of Life During Pregnancy

INTRODUCTION: The skin has an important role in social relations and social adaptation. For this reason, dermatological complaints can adversely affect the pregnant’ mental and social well-being leading to deterioration in the quality of life. This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the effects of physiological skin changes on the quality of life during pregnancy.
METHODS: The study sample consisted of 350 pregnant women who were interviewed face-to-face in the obstetrics and gynecology department of a research and training hospital. Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of questions on sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics, Physiological Skin Changes Questionnaire Form, and SF-36 Quality of Life Scale. Mann–Whitney U test was used to analyze the data.
RESULTS: The most common physiological skin changes experienced by pregnant women were found to be melasma (87.4%), linea nigra (83.1%), striae gravidarum (72.6%), and gingival changes (67.7%), respectively. According to Short Form-36 subscale scores, there was
a significant difference in energy/vitality (varicose veins, P = .002; androgenetic alopecia, P = .002; mental health linea nigra, P = .006; and androgenetic alopecia, P = .031), physical functioning (striae gravidarum, P = .023; P = .042; and hirsutism, P = .024), and bodily pain (melisma, P = 0.028; linea nigra, P =.016; and androgenetic alopecia, P = .000), while the total quality of life did not differ significantly according to skin changes.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Physiological skin changes did not affect the general quality of life but significantly affected some subscale of the quality of life of pregnant women with striae gravidarum, pruritus, varicose veins, hirsutism, and androgenetic alopecia. It is recommended that pregnant women should be given care and training to prevent physiological skin changes and reduce their severity.