A client delivers her first infant and asks the nurse if her skin changes from pregnancy are permanent. Which change should the nurse tell the client will remain after pregnancy?

• A. Pruritus.
• B. Chloasma.
• C. Vascular spiders.
• D. Striae gravidarum.

Answer: (D)

Most pregnancy skin changes fade after birth, but stretch marks from rapid skin stretching tend to remain. Striae gravidarum occur when the skin’s elastic fibers and collagen are torn as the abdomen and breasts expand quickly. They usually transition from reddish or purplish streaks to pale, silvery lines, but don’t disappear completely for many people.

The other changes are typically temporary. Pruritus during pregnancy often resolves after delivery as hormone levels normalize. Chloasma (the mask of pregnancy) generally fades once estrogen levels drop postpartum. Vascular spiders are caused by increased blood flow and estrogen and usually diminish after birth as circulation and hormone levels return to pre-pregnancy state. So the one change you’d expect to persist is the stretch marks.