Stretch marks in pregnancy are red or blue lines that can usually appear on the abdomen, breasts, arms, legs, and buttocks. As the pregnancy develops and weight is gained, the skin is stretched beyond it's usual elasticity. The production of collagen is affected, a protein that gives the skin it's elasticity, and leaves the body more prone to developing stretch marks.
After pregnancy, the skin goes back to it's original shape, stretch marks change their color and become white, smooth, shiny and flattened scars.
Although some women wear their stretch marks with pride, as a reminder of their pregnancies, most want to take what action they can to minimize the scars they leave after pregnancy and get their shape and looks back as soon as they can.
There is no hard and fast rule about which women are likely to develop stretch marks in pregnancy but research has shown that women can be more prone to stretch marks if there is a family history of them. Rapid weight gain can be another contributory factor, so can dehydration.
Women who have naturally dry skin can be more likely to develop stretch marks in pregnancy so using a good natural moisturising solution is a good idea.
How to prevent stretch marks in pregnancy.
Try and eat a healthy diet. Remember although you are pregnant you do not have to eat for two.
Keep your body hydrated. Drink plenty of water to enhance the elasticity in your skin and to stop your skin from become damaged through dehydration.
Don't put on weight quickly. Give your skin a chance to stretch gradually. You will naturally gain weight during your pregnancy but sudden weight gains or losses can contribute to stretch marks.
Skin creams and lotions are a good way of keeping your body well moisturised and enhancing skin elasticity. Natural products are the best choice. You don't want any nasty chemicals that can be absorbed into the skin that can affect your unborn baby. Natural oils can soften and condition the skin during pregnancy, improve the elasticity of skin and underlying tissue and prevent unsightly stretch marks.
Some common natural products are:
Patchouli Oil: This is a treatment that has regenerative properties and is used for healing all types of scar tissue including stretch marks.
Neroli Oil: This essential oil will treat all skin types, oily or dry and will help with the regeneration of skin cells.
Mandarin Oil: This is a soothing oil. It moisturises and nurtures the skin while enhancing elasticity.
Rose Geranium Oil: Slows skin ageing, improves skin tone, and helps remove and prevent all types of scars, stretch marks, and cellulite.
Vitamin E Oil: This oil promotes healing in the skin, prevents damage from free-radicals and ensures optimum skin health. Treats all kinds of scars and stretch marks.
Rosehip Oil: Rebuilds damaged skin tissue and can reduce the appearance of current stretch marks as well as prevent development of new ones.
All these oils can be found in StretchEasy Massage Oil
Just remember that although your stretch marks may look unappealing while you are pregnant, in time they will fade naturally and blend in more with your own skin coloring.
They can become exaggerated by lack of exercise, so start a fitness routine and a sensible diet as soon as you can after your baby is born.
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Stretch marks will appear because of a rupture of collagen in the middle layer of your skin (the dermis) that is visible on the skin's surface. This rupture is caused when the fibers that make up the dermis are stretched as your bump grows and eventually they will stretch too far and break. This effect is increased during pregnancy, due to the pregnancy hormonal changes that soften the collagen ligaments of the pelvis. This allows the tissue to stretch easily during childbirth which has an effect on the skin's collagen as well.
Stretch marks can range a great deal in size varying from a few millimeters to over 8cm in length. While you're most likely to find them on your bump, they can also appear on your breasts, bottom or thighs.
One way of helping to reduce the incidence and appearance of stretch marks, is to ensure you have a good diet that will help your skin keep healthy too. So make sure that you include plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and essential fatty acids found in omega-3 in your diet. Eating foods which are high in vitamins C and E, zinc and silica have been found to help your skin stretch better. Avoiding alcohol and by drinking plenty of water will also help.
So if the key to reducing the appearance of stretch marks is to maintain the skin's elasticity, will putting on a moisturizer or lotion help?
Pregnancy is a huge challenge for your skin, but the majority of creams are created to combat dry skin, which is not the same thing as a 30 inch stretch over 40 weeks. It is important to choose a cream or oil that has been created for that purpose and uses only pregnancy-safe ingredients.
While there is no certainty that the use of a specialized pregnancy stretch mark cream will mean "no stretch marks for you", the action of massaging your belly can help to improve your skin's circulation and can also help in bonding with your unborn baby - both hugely beneficial actions.
Unfortunately, just because you may have escaped having stretch marks during your first pregnancy, it doesn't guarantee you immunity from them in a subsequent pregnancy. Between your pregnancies your skin condition may have changed in the interim and lost some of its elasticity.
It is likely that your genetic makeup is the most important single factor in determining whether or not you will avoid having stretch marks in pregnancy. But a sensible diet, with plenty of water and the use of a specialized pregnancy stretch mark cream or oil can go a long way towards helping to reduce the incidence and appearance of any stretch marks that do appear over this time.
Both John Thompson & Andrew Smith (mumstheword) are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.