treatyourscars As a mother, you may have a good idea of what to expect, but you can not prepare for the difference between pregnancy and much less the time you have to focus on your new lifestyle, especially when you have a child in tow. Some mothers are lucky the first time and worry it won’t be so easy the next time. Some mothers are in shape after their first birth, others have a harder time.
I’ve had six children and eight pregnancies, and although you can sometimes get huge stretch marks, they usually shrink fast. In my first pregnancy when I was 17, I only got stretch marks for the last two weeks of my underwear line. The stretch marks were caused by the growth spurt and rapid weight gain during pregnancy.
Since most women feel the urge to gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy (depending on their weight at pre-pregnancy), it is easy to see why some women acquire many stretch marks at this stage of their life. In fact, 90 percent of pregnant women have stretch marks in the third trimester. Stretch marks are a period of rapid weight gain and tearing of the skin as it stretches and adds girth.
Other popular areas where stretch marks occur are your thighs, hips, bottom and breasts. The abdomen is the most common place where women get stretch marks during pregnancy. This makes sense as the abdomen is stretched to make room for your growing baby. Experts say it is easier to form stretch marks during pregnancy.
Stretch marks may appear on your upper arms if you gain enough weight during pregnancy. If you gain more than the average amount of weight for pregnant women, your skin will stretch more easily. There is a strong correlation between your genetics and whether or not you get stretch marks – whether or not your mother or grandmother had stretch marks during pregnancy or at any other time is important, because the likelihood of developing stretch marks is high no matter how much lotion you apply.
The best way to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy is to use a formulated stretch mark cream or stretch mark oil. These products feel great and can go a long way to keeping your skin soft and supple during pregnancy, with no stretch marks. The treatment of stretch marks seems a must, studies show that products that contain retinoids (at least 0.1% tretinoin) provide the most effective topical treatment of stretch marks, especially newly formed stretch marks.
It is important to understand that there is no single treatment that works for everybody and many products appear not to work for everyone. Whatever brand you have, be sure to avoid products that contain urea, salicylic acid or retinoids, as these can be harmful during pregnancy. The good news is that they can be, but they can also be painful and dangerous.
If your mother developed this during her pregnancy, it may be because her skin lacked the elastin, the connective tissue that the skin needs to not tear. These abrupt changes can cause the collagen and elastin that support our skin to burst. If it’s not a stretch (no pun intended), expect your skin to suffer similar consequences.
It is important to be careful when exposing yourself to direct sunlight during pregnancy. Vitamin C plays a crucial role in the development of collagen, which in turn helps to keep the skin elastic and strong.
Consisting of nourishing all-day gels, soothing night creams and award-winning bump bands, the clever three-step Secret Saviours system is the best insurance against stretch marks – and 80% of mothers who use it come out of pregnancy without stretch marks.
