Pregnancy stretch mark prevention
Pregnancy should be one of the happiest times in a woman’s life. It is a time of wonder and change, however there are some changes which are not the most welcome for most women. Stretch marks are one of these changes. Stretch marks occur when the elastic component or collagen fibers in the skin become dehydrated or are stretched too quickly and tear. This happens in pregnancy when the abdomen, sides, buttocks and thighs are required to become larger at a fast rate to accommodate the growth rate of a fetus.
Some women are genetically predisposed to having stretch marks due to having skin that is drier and less elastic than other women. They will probably experience some stretch marks no matter what steps they take to prevent them. However there are ways to minimize or prevent stretch marks all together during pregnancy. There are ways to have these removed after a child is born as well.
The first thing a woman needs to do in order to prevent this condition is to make sure that her skin is as healthy as it possibly can be. This means eating a healthy diet and drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day to keep the skin and tissues hydrated. As stated above, tissues that are not hydrated well are much more prone to tear and become marked during the stretching of pregnancy.
The second thing that is needed to prevent stretch marks is for pregnant women to watch their weight gain while they are pregnant. Rapid weight gain during pregnancy can lend to rapid stretching of the skin and cause stretch marks to become more pronounced. Following your OB/GYN’s recommendations as far as diet and weight gain during pregnancy will help you in this area.
Healthy exercise during pregnancy will help to keep down weight gain and help to make the skin more elastic and pliable in nature as well. This is also helpful in bringing more circulation to the skin and other tissues while reducing the amount of stagnation of fluids in the outer tissues in the body. This will help keep down the amount of tearing and marking of a pregnant woman’s skin.
Keeping the skin moisturized well during pregnancy is an important part of preventing stretch marks. It is recommended to use natural butters that are transdermal in nature which will go below the dermis of the skin and feed the dermis and underlying layers of the skin with hydration and nutrients that the skin needs. Most preparations that are in the markets are full of water and mineral oil which is not good for the skin at all. Look for things that have cocoa butter or shea butter as the key ingredients or purchase them neat and rub them on the abdomen, buttocks, sides and thighs two to three times a day to keep the skin moisturized. This will reduce the chances of stretch marks.
Once stretch marks occur, they can still be minimized or removed. There are creams and laser treatments that can be utilized to remove these from the skin. If stretch marks are severe or very prominent and you would like to have them evaluated by a professional, please consult a dermatologist during your pregnancy for treatment with prescription medications such as Retin-A.
After pregnancy there are creams that can be used to remove or minimize stretch marks such as Strivectin-SD which has been used by a lot of celebrities and has a lot of recommendations via the internet. It is very expensive however. Therefore it seems that prevention is much more timely and easier than removing them at a later date.
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