Now before you start getting paranoid, here’s the reality. More than 1/2 of all pregnant mums get stretch marks during the course of their pregnancy. In fact, there are situations where up to 90% of ladies surveyed have stretch marks during their gestation period. Also known as striae gravidarum, stretch marks develop when the skin is stretched too fast to support the growing foetus. They are actually small tears in the elastin fibre network that support the skin and allow it to stretch. They may vary based on one’s skin colour and texture. Women of darker colour are likely to have lines in a lighter shade whereas lighter toned ladies’ stretch marks tend to be reddish or pinkish.

It’s common to find stretch marks appearing on body areas such as the upper thighs, breasts, buttocks or hips during the 3rd or 4th trimesters as that’s the period when the tummy starts expanding. Though they don’t cause any pain or harm and will eventually subside over time, women are conscious of them as these lines can be rather unsightly. Who wants to wear bikinis with those ugly stretch marks?

Who Gets Stretch Marks?

It has long been suspected that one’s genes’ have a part to play. The truth is, since stretch marks are caused by a lack of elasticity in one’s skin and that itself has a connection to one’s genetic makeup, you’re likely to develop severe stretch marks during your pregancy if your mother did.

Other factors have to be considered too. For example, you’re more likely to get stretch marks if you’re conceiving twins or triplets. That’s because your tummy will grow much larger than ladies with single births. The same applies if your baby is big.

The extra weight you gain during your pregnancy and the speed in which you acquire it can also increase your likelihood of getting stretch marks. Our skin is pretty elastic and can handle quite a substantial amount of stretching. But if it gets rather drastic in a very fast speed, stretch marks occurence is very likely.

Here’s a summary of other factors that you’re likely to develop stretch marks :

• If you’re already overweight before your pregnancy or have increased quite a substantial amount of weight rapidly during the period
• If you’ve a history of stretch marks development (such as during your puberty, or in a prior pregnancy etc)
• If you’re not as well hydrated or nourished

Preventing Stretch Marks During Your Pregnancy

There are a wide variety of creams, oils and lotions that claims to prevent stretch marks. Some of them are discussed in our earlier article How To Get Rid Of Stretch Marks. You may even have friends or fellow mums-to-be recommending a particular brand of cocoa butter, copper-related creams etc. While some women swear by them, most of these off the shelf products aren’t clinically proven. Though they seem to be a popular and easy answer to people’s query on how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy.

That said, it certainly doesn’t hurt to give your baby a warm and comforting massage. Besides, most of these creams have great moisturizing effect and keeps your skin supple and fresh. More importantly however, you will also feel assured knowing that you’ve done what you can to prevent stretch marks. That has a tremendous psychological effect on your general well being.

Another preventive measure is to monitor your diet and only gain the amount of weight recommended. Which averages between 24 to 35 pounds. Such recommendations are usually based on numerous considerations such as your current weight, the size of your baby, your medical history and so on. By controlling your weight gain in different phases of your pregnancy, you prepare your skin for the stretching and hence lessen the likelihood of developing stretch marks.

Besides adhering to the weight gain restrictions, another 2 ways to lessen your chances of getting stretch marks is to stay well hydrated and exercise frequently. Drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day will not only keep your skin and body moisturized, it flushes out your bodily toxins. Which is great for your general health as well. You can also get those enriched beverages such as Calc Fluor 6X, which contains an added elasticity salt and other nutrients great for you and your baby. Regular maternity exercise also helps tone up your skin and keeps it firmer. Firmer skin is healthier, more stretchable and hence less likely to develop stretch marks.

That’s all. Hope these tips help to answer your questions on how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy!

Don’t be mislead into believing everything that you read. Especially those reviews that promises you overnight miracles. Although stretch mark creams are effective in their own ways, all it does is to lighten or fade stretch marks lines. Some women achieves such great effect with these creams that it looks as if the stretch marks are gone at first glance. But even that takes time! You’ve gotta be hardworking and apply those creams dutifully every day! You must also be patient and don’t lose faith just because you don’t see results “immediately”.

Though it’s important to read the stretch mark cream reviews with a pinch of salt, there are some good information on how to get rid of stretch marks that you can still extract from them. For example, the list of ingredients used. Remember, a good cream reduces the inflammation caused by the stretch marks and helps enhance the elasticity of the skin by giving it sufficient hydration and nourishment.

Here are some common ingredients found in many brands of stretch mark remover creams that may improve the appearance of your stretch marks:

(1) Alpha Hydroxy Acids or AHAs

These are actually acids extracted from sugar cane or dairy products, great for exfoliating. That’s why this ingredient is also commonly used in chemical peels as well. Stretch mark creams contain AHAs must have a concentration of less than 10% (in order for them to be sold to consumers) and when applied to the skin, helps disintegrate keratin, the proteins that binds the dead skin cells. Effectively, it rejuvenates the skin by dissolving the dead skin and allowing the new to grow.

(2) Retinoids

When properly absorbed into the skin, retinoids govern the growth of skin cells on the upper layers of the epidermis. Usage of products with retinoids can hence accelerate this growth and reduce stretch marks faster.

(3) Vitamin A

Vitamin A helps trigger the growth of collagen within the skin, thereby helping to remodel and build up the damaged collagen present in stretch marks. It enhances the skin and when used effectively helps to fade stretch marks gradually. It also breaks down the keratin in our skin’s surface area.

(4) Vitamin C

Good old Vitamin C is the basic ingredient that helps in connective tissue healing. As the skin is the biggest and flimsiest connective tissue organ of the body, it requires a great amount of Vitamin C comparatively for upkeep and repair.

(5) Vitamin E

As you may already be aware, Aitamin E is one of the best anti oxidizing agent and because of that, it has recognized to delay our cells’ aging process. It nurtures the cells and defends the skin against damage. Its great healing capabilities also makes it a great ingredient in lotions that’s mainly used for reducing stretch marks.

(6) Emu Oils

Containing fatty acids, emu oil is easily absorbed into our skin’s surface and demis layer. It increases the skin’s ability to heal and causes little or no irritation. Because of its great emulsifying properties, emu oils also acts as a great moisturizing agent.

(7) Cocoa Butter

Since cocoa butter are great for softening scars, stretch marks – which are actually tears in the elastin fibre network of our skin – also respond well to it. Although some doctors may be skeptical about the effects of cocoa butter as a stretch mark remedy, some women attest to its effectiveness. It is also noticed that cocoa butter, when combined with wheat germ oil and lanolin can also help reconstruct the affected dermis’ tissues. Hence, it’s pretty common to find cocoa butter commonly in a lot of stretch mark creams removers.