Stretch Marks: Inevitable or Avoidable?

You find out you are pregnant and you are over the moon. You are excited about your little one that is growing in you and you read up all there is to know about safe pregnancy. Whilst it is essential to ensure that your baby receives all the care and nutrient to safeguard his or her healthy growth and development, it is also important not to lose sight of your health and beauty needs. Pregnancy is the only time in a woman’s life when she will experience the most amount of physical changes that will alter the appearance of her body tremendously.

One of the bodily changes that pregnant women are most concerned during pregnancy is the formation of stretch marks. So what is this skin condition during pregnancy that sounds hideous and painful? Read on to find out about stretch marks during pregnancy and how to ensure that clear and permanent marks are not left on your body after giving birth to your little one.

What are these marks on my body?

Pregnancy stretch marks are lines on the skin that may develop on the abdomen, as well as on other areas of the body during pregnancy. While they pose no risk at all to mother or baby, many women have concerns about their unsightly appearance.

Why does that happen to my skin?

The skin adapts to continuous movement of the body by expanding and contracting, but during pregnancy it may have insufficient time to adjust, causing internal tears in the skin tissue. When these tears repair themselves they form the scars that we know as stretch marks.

A second factor causing stretch marks, which is still at a stage of debate by experts, involves the priming of the skin by increased levels of hormones. These hormones attract more water into the skin, which relaxes the bonds between collagen fibres. This makes it easier for the skin tissue to tear when it is stretched, causing stretch marks to form.

When will stretch marks appear and where?

While stretch marks generally become visible during the last trimester of pregnancy (around the sixth or seventh month), some women will start to see them forming as soon as their bellies start growing. Most lighter-skinned women tend to develop pinkish stretch marks, whereas darker-skinned women tend to have stretch marks that are lighter than the surrounding skin. Most women develop stretch marks on their abdomen in pregnancy, however it is also common to get stretch marks on the breasts, thighs, hips, lower back and buttocks. Generally, they can appear anywhere on the body, where the skin stretches a lot.

How can I prevent stretch marks?

Whilst there is no guaranteed method against stretch marks during pregnancy, adopting some healthy lifestyle tips will reduce the chances of these unsightly marks forming on
your skin.

Keep it moisturised

Even if you haven’t been moisturising before this, the best defence against stretch marks is to ensure that skin maintains its maximum elasticity throughout pregnancy. This is achieved by keeping skin well-hydrated and supple at all times, starting from as early as possible.

Do use a topically-applied product that is specifically formulated to maximise the skin’s elasticity. Apply it twice daily or as indicated on the packaging throughout your pregnancy. It’s the best way to ensure that your skin remains well-hydrated and less prone to stretch marks.

There are many products in the market today that can help in reducing the appearance of stretch marks. They come in oil-based or water based cream or lotions. Oilier products have been known to be more effective in keeping the skin moist and supple, for they provide a barrier which gives better protection against moisture loss. Oil based products do not need to be re-applied as frequently as water based ones. Some have added ingredients such as extracts of plants and vitamins to nourish and protect the stretching skin on your tummy, hips, buttocks and thighs.

Stretch-marks can happen anywhere!

Although most women experience the formation of stretch marks only around the obviously stretched areas such as the tummy, hip and buttocks, by theory, stretch marks can and will appear anywhere on the body where the skin experiences stretching and pulling. Many women have been taken by surprise by stretch marks that show up on their arms, breasts and even on their calves!

Why take chances? To lessen the possibility of developing stretch marks anywhere on your body, it would be a good idea to moisturise everywhere, twice daily, from as early as possible!