Pregnancy stretch marks - prevention during and after

How to prevent stretch marks during and after pregnancy

Unfortunately, developing stretch marks often comes with the territory of being pregnant. Between 50 and 90% of women will develop striae gravidarum (commonly known as stretch marks) on their breasts, abdomen, buttocks or thighs during and after pregnancy.

Pregnancy stretch marks generally develop in the last three months, although they can also appear suddenly, right at the end of pregnancy.

Genetics plays quite a big part in determining whether you will avoid pregnancy stretch marks. If your mother developed stretch marks during pregnancy, the chances are very high that you will too. Family history can also determine their severity. Ethnicity tends to be a determining factor; women with darker skin are less likely to get stretch marks than those with fairer skin colorings.

Stretch marks first appear as purple or red lines they look indented and often have a different texture from the surrounding skin. Stretch marks actually form in the dermis, the middle layer of the skin, when the skin is stretched excessively. This chronic stretching of the skin puts the collagen and elastin fibers under strain, similar to a piece of elastic loosing its elasticity.

Hormones are also thought to play a role in the reason why pregnant women rather than anyone who experiences rapid weight gain, are more susceptible to getting stretch marks. Hormones soften the collagen ligaments in the pelvis to help the tissues to stretch more easily during birth, but they also soften the collagen in the skin, which tends to make pregnant women more disposed to stretch marks.

Sadly, there is no scientifically proven method to prevent stretch marks from developing. However, some women swear by rubbing baby oil, shea butter, cocoa butter or vitamin E cream into potentially problem areas. Moisturizers, creams and lotions are very effective at keeping the skin soft and supple but they do have limited success in actually penetrating as far as the dermis, where the stretch mark scarring takes place. Over time stretch marks will fade, they never really completely disappear, but they do turn silver-white or a pale skin color.

Try eating a healthy diet rich in vitamin E and C as well as those minerals that help to maintain healthy skin, like zinc and silica. Avoiding excessive weight gain will also help to reduce the severity of the stretch marks.

For more on pregnancy see our detailed section on this topic.

© The Pink Fridge Online Magazine 2008 - Pregnancy Stretch Marks

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