Woman, 28, reveals how pregnancy hormones made her face completely unrecognisable and ‘like an old person’
A Malaysian woman’s TikTok video reveals the drastic skin changes she experienced during pregnancy, garnering millions of views.
Recently, a video surfaced on social media by TikTok user @ayyitslala. The video, which has garnered 104 million views in just three days, shows how a Malaysian woman’s skin completely changed after she got pregnant. She developed a red rash all over her face and is now trying to manage it, months after her baby’s birth.
What is in the viral video?
The woman, who has shared her full name on her Instagram profile as Farah Faizal, mentioned that her face got red and she got textured skin when she was pregnant with her child. She did not mention what the diagnosis from her doctors was. People on the internet were shocked on seeing how severely pregnancy had affected her, leaving comments in the thousands.
A few mean ones even called it a good ‘birth control ad’ and asked her to sue her husband and even the baby for it. “If he asks her for another kid, she has the right to stab him,” read a comment. “On today’s episode of “1000 reasons you shouldn’t get pregnant” we have THIS. no thanks.”
Thankfully, she let her followers know that the condition is better since the birth of her baby. But people are still speculating what caused it in the first place.
What does the doctor say?
But what really happened to the woman? Dr Zachary Rubin has a few answers. He took to Instagram to share his assessment of the case with a video. He said, “I want to congratulate her on having her baby, and I hope she and her baby are doing well at this time. Pregnancy can affect various aspects of your physiology, particularly with hormones. It can lead to various rashes like what you saw.
“Now, I’m not here to diagnose her particular skin condition, but she did talk about getting a rosacea laser treatment, and so I want to raise awareness about one particular condition this might be, but again, I can’t diagnose it. There is something that is a little bit unusual and rare called rosacea fulminans or pyoderma faciale, which is a severe kind of rosacea that almost looks like acne, but it’s not, and it’s these large red nodules that can be occurring throughout your face.”
“This skin condition usually affects younger women and comes on abruptly and rarely persists past about a year, and it can develop during pregnancy. This is a rare skin condition, so there’s not really a standard of care, but various antibiotics and steroids have been tried for this. I’m very happy to see that her skin has significantly improved since she has been postpartum,” he said.
Updates since baby’s birth
Even Farah gave her followers a happy update. She had been getting treatments at skin clinics and looking after her skin.
“I want to share my pregnancy journey. I’m grateful that I haven’t had any morning sickness since I got pregnant, and now it’s already 8 months. But my face has changed 100%. From this to this. P.S.: If you don’t have anything nice to say, please don’t reply. Please have some empathy. I just want to express my feelings.”
A few people even asked is her husband has been supportive of her through it all and she wrote, “I truly can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else. My husband was my safe space throughout my pregnancy, calming every fear, holding me through every breakdown, and constantly reminding me that I was beautiful, strong, and loved. He attended every check-up without fail, and no craving ever felt too overwhelming for him.
“His love made everything feel manageable. I’ll never forget how deeply he cared for both me and our baby, even before the birth.”
For those leaving rude comments on her looks, she wrote with a collection of her older videos, “This is going to be my last video addressing this. I swear, I don’t owe anyone an explanation. But the truth is, it does affect my mental health when some of you carelessly dismiss what pregnancy hormones can do to a woman’s body, skin, and emotions.”
“Yes, I have acne scars. Yes, my skin has texture. Because I’m a human being, not a Barbie doll. Real skin has texture. Real people go through changes. And since so many of you are obsessed with seeing me without filters? Here I am. It’s okay to feel insecure. It’s okay to use filters. That doesn’t mean I’m hiding who I am. Filters don’t change my identity, they just smooth out what the camera often exaggerates. It’s still me, still my face, still my truth.”
Young Woman Shares the Honest Reality of How Pregnancy Changed Her Appearance
Pregnancy is often portrayed as a beautiful, glowing time in a woman’s life. Common symptoms like morning sickness, fatigue, and food cravings are widely known and accepted. Many people even compliment the so-called “pregnancy glow.” But for some women, the journey is far more complex—physically, emotionally, and especially in how pregnancy can drastically affect their appearance. Farah, a 28-year-old woman and soon-to-be mother, decided to share her own experience publicly, offering a raw and unfiltered look at how pregnancy impacted her face.
In a series of honest posts on X (formerly Twitter), she opened up about the difficult changes she went through—changes that many women experience but rarely talk about. She revealed that as early as her second month of pregnancy, her face began to break out with painful pimples. These skin issues are linked to hormonal changes common in pregnancy, particularly the surge in progesterone and estrogen, which can increase oil production and clog pores. For Farah, what started as mild acne became more severe, accompanied by itchy skin and, surprisingly, swelling in her nose—a condition some refer to as “pregnancy nose.”
This happens when increased blood flow and fluid retention cause the nose to appear larger or puffier, a symptom that, while common, is often overlooked or dismissed. The physical transformation was deeply emotional for Farah. She posted side-by-side photos showing her face before and during pregnancy, and the changes were striking. In one post, she wrote: “Wish I could go back to this skin again.” In another, she reminded herself: “This is temporary, and my face will be like this again.” Her vulnerability touched thousands online.
People from around the world responded with empathy and encouragement. Some called her brave for sharing such a personal side of pregnancy. Others thanked her for speaking up about something they had silently gone through themselves. Comments like “You’re strong” and “This is part of the beauty of motherhood” filled her posts, showing the power of honest storytelling in creating community and support.
Farah’s story shows that pregnancy is not just about physical transformation—it also affects mental and emotional well-being. Many women feel pressure to look perfect while pregnant, and often feel shame when their experience doesn’t match the idealized image seen in media. Her openness helped break that illusion and gave others permission to be honest about their own struggles.
By sharing her truth, Farah helped normalize the less-talked-about symptoms of pregnancy—like acne, swelling, and body image struggles. She reminded everyone that it’s okay to miss your old face, okay to feel overwhelmed, and more than okay to talk about it. Her story is a reminder that pregnancy is deeply personal, and every journey looks different. In being real about hers, Farah gave voice to many others—and that’s a powerful kind of beauty.
Pregnancy is often portrayed as a beautiful, glowing time in a woman’s life. Common symptoms like morning sickness, fatigue, and food cravings are widely known and accepted. Many people even compliment the so-called “pregnancy glow.” But for some women, the journey is far more complex—physically, emotionally, and especially in how pregnancy can drastically affect their appearance. Farah, a 28-year-old woman and soon-to-be mother, decided to share her own experience publicly, offering a raw and unfiltered look at how pregnancy impacted her face.
In a series of honest posts on X (formerly Twitter), she opened up about the difficult changes she went through—changes that many women experience but rarely talk about. She revealed that as early as her second month of pregnancy, her face began to break out with painful pimples. These skin issues are linked to hormonal changes common in pregnancy, particularly the surge in progesterone and estrogen, which can increase oil production and clog pores. For Farah, what started as mild acne became more severe, accompanied by itchy skin and, surprisingly, swelling in her nose—a condition some refer to as “pregnancy nose.”
This happens when increased blood flow and fluid retention cause the nose to appear larger or puffier, a symptom that, while common, is often overlooked or dismissed. The physical transformation was deeply emotional for Farah. She posted side-by-side photos showing her face before and during pregnancy, and the changes were striking. In one post, she wrote: “Wish I could go back to this skin again.” In another, she reminded herself: “This is temporary, and my face will be like this again.” Her vulnerability touched thousands online.
People from around the world responded with empathy and encouragement. Some called her brave for sharing such a personal side of pregnancy. Others thanked her for speaking up about something they had silently gone through themselves. Comments like “You’re strong” and “This is part of the beauty of motherhood” filled her posts, showing the power of honest storytelling in creating community and support.
Farah’s story shows that pregnancy is not just about physical transformation—it also affects mental and emotional well-being. Many women feel pressure to look perfect while pregnant, and often feel shame when their experience doesn’t match the idealized image seen in media. Her openness helped break that illusion and gave others permission to be honest about their own struggles.
By sharing her truth, Farah helped normalize the less-talked-about symptoms of pregnancy—like acne, swelling, and body image struggles. She reminded everyone that it’s okay to miss your old face, okay to feel overwhelmed, and more than okay to talk about it. Her story is a reminder that pregnancy is deeply personal, and every journey looks different. In being real about hers, Farah gave voice to many others—and that’s a powerful kind of beauty.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(741x276:743x278)/George-Santos-Donald-Trump-101725-b8e7ac205d3b47eda1f4a8a0803ee051.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "Trump commutes former Rep. George Santos’ prison sentence")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(740x228:742x230)/Virginia-Giuffre-Robert-Giuffre-070225-6b5b9d649909431bb1dcec44c1fadfa2.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "‘Prince Andrew believed having sex with me was his birthright’: Virginia Giuffre on her abuse at the hands of Epstein, Maxwell and the king’s brother")