Baby Care

Stretch marks occur when expanding skin is stretched to its limit and tiny tears appear in the supporting layers of skin. Stretch marks are quite common in pregnancy; about 50-90% of women will get stretch marks on their abdomen, breasts, thighs or buttocks during pregnancy. However, there are ways to get rid of those stretch marks.

When you first notice stretch marks they will be red or purple lines, however these lines soon fade. The skin that is affected by your stretch marks will feel empty or extremely soft. Please do not worry about your stretch marks, as they pose no detrimental risk to your health.

Your chances of getting pregnancy stretch marks depend on a number of factors. Family history makes a difference-if your mother got stretch marks, chances are you’ll have them too. Ethnicity is another matter – women with darker skin are less likely to get stretch marks. Weight gain and weight loss can also change the magnitude of your marks. Be sure to keep yourself hydrated, as this will help your skin stretch.

Mothers who have just given birth are slimming down and noticing the results of being bloated like a hot air balloon. People like that guy from those Subway commercials are seeing the same thing, parallel lines that form on the stomach, the butt, the thighs, arms, and breasts—the symptoms of stretch marks caused by stretching the skin too far, or stretching the skin just fast enough that the body couldn’t keep up, and now it’s trying to grow back to normal. But the lines are faded and damn do those stretch marks stand out!

Apply cocoa butter to your stretch marks. Cocoa butter helps skin to regain some of its elasticity, meaning it can more easily return to its pre-pregnancy state. If you apply cocoa butter while pregnant, it can also help to prevent stretch marks.

Massage your stretch marks. Use circulation motions to gently massage the marks. As massage improves circulation, blood and nutrients can more readily reach the stretch marks, helping them to heal more quickly. Massage the marks for about 90 seconds three to four times per day.

Use a scar treatment cream on your stretch marks. Such creams are available over-the-counter in most drug stores. Generally, you’ll need to apply the cream twice a day for 8 to 12 weeks before you see results.

Consume a healthy diet. Aim to get plenty of Vitamin A, Vitamin D and zinc. All these nutrients are essential to good skin health. Without proper nutrition, your scarred skin will not be able to adequately heal itself.

There are several surgical procedures available to dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons that will get rid of stretch marks. The first and increasingly more popular choice is laser assisted scar removal. Since stretch marks are, technically, a sort of scar tissue, laser surgery can removal the top layers of skin to allow newer skin to take its place. Microdermabrasion and dermabrasion work in very much the same manner as the laser option, but they use a fine blade (like an electric razor) to scrape away the upper layers of skin, promoting new skin cell growth.

One Response to “Stretch Marks After Pregnancy!”