The minute you
find out you are pregnant you know things are going to be
changing, from your waist size to those little stretch
marks that pop up. Stretch marks are exactly that, red or
purple marks left in your skin because it has stretched.
The most common areas for it to appear is the buttocks,
thighs, stomach, breasts and even arms. 90 percent of all
pregnant women will get them, whether they get a lot or a
few depends on the body and how they are preventing
them.
There are a ton of lotions out there that claim to help
prevent stretch marks, such as scar serum, cocoa butter or
Maderma. Make sure your skin is always moist, this helps in
stretching the skin and not tearing it. There are new
discoveries every day, ask your doctor what he/she
recommends. Try them out yourself first and see if they
work for you. This isn’t something you just put on one time
during your pregnancy, you’ll have to make this a daily effort
in order for it to work. That’s where most women fail, they
just stop doing it.
During your pregnancy try to eat healthy and stay in shape.
This can help to keep off any access weight. The recommended
weight gain for the average, healthy pregnancy is 25-35 pounds.
Make sure you drink plenty of water - Staying hydrated
helps keep the skin healthy. The moment your skin dries out you
can begin getting stretch marks.
If you’ve had one or more children your chances of getting
more stretch marks will increase. Your skin has already been
stretched out and you are about to do it again. Large babies
and multiple babies can increase your chances of getting
stretch marks too. Begin using preventing creams and lotions
with vitamins A and E in them, as soon as you find out your are
pregnant and try to lessen your chances of getting them.
After the pregnancy, if you get any stretch marks you
may still have a few that hang around for awhile, even after
all the care you took. These do fade over time, so don’t worry
about the way you look. If they are unbearable to you and
you’ve waited a while, you can choose to have a tummy tuck or
laser removal. Make an appointment with a dermatologist to see
what he/she has to tell you. You may discover that you can live
with them after all.
Besides caring for your skin daily and eating right, there
isn’t much you can do to prevent these beautiful pregnancy
marks, however this doesn’t mean you don’t have to try. Take
comfort in knowing that half of the women you know that have been
pregnant probably have a mark or two, they may even have a
little road map. Think about it like you’ve just been
initiated into the gang of motherhood. No woman should ever
feel ashamed of her stretch marks, they may not be the
prettiest thing in the world but they do represent one
thing…your child. Remember that the next time you are getting
disgusted by them.