You are more likely to get stretch marks if your weight gain is more than average in pregnancy. Most women gain about 10 to 12.5kg (22 to 28lb) in pregnancy, although weight gain varies a great deal from woman to woman. How much weight you gain may depend on your weight before you were pregnant.
Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water, which may help keep your skin soft and less prone to stretch marks. Avoid caffeine during pregnancy, which can increase your risk of developing stretch marks. Maintain a healthy pregnancy diet with adequate nutrients.
Fluctuating hormone levels seem to play a role. You may also have a higher risk if people in your family get stretch marks. If you develop stretch marks, you're most likely to do so during these times: Growth spurts that happen in puberty.
While 50 – 90% of pregnant women develop some time of stretch mark during pregnancy, many of these will fade over time and become less noticeable.
You'll most likely start to notice stretch marks on your stomach (and elsewhere) around the end of the second trimester into the beginning of the third trimester, when you're between 6 and 7 months pregnant.
The first sign you notice might be itchiness around an area where the skin is becoming thinner. Stretch marks are not harmful. They do not cause medical problems and there is no specific treatment for them. After your baby is born, the marks may gradually fade into paler scars and become less noticeable.
Does Bio-Oil Skincare Oil Help With Stretch Marks? While stretch marks are permanent, Bio-Oil Skincare Oil is formulated to help improve their appearance. A product — such as Bio-Oil Skincare Oil — specifically formulated to help keep the skin supple and moist may help reduce the possibility of stretch marks forming.
Drink plenty of water. Water helps keep your skin stay soft, so you're less likely to develop stretch marks. Drinking caffeine can also increase your risk of developing stretch marks. If you drink a lot of coffee, tea or soda pop, it's a good idea to drink as much — or more — water.
Sims recommends eating a diet that's rich in fatty acids—nuts (sesame seeds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds), legumes (split peas and lentils), fish (salmon and cod), and greens (kale, spinach, and collard greens) to prevent the development of stretch marks during pregnancy.
People with deeper skin tones tend to get less stretch marks because darker skins are more flexible than paler skin types, but that doesn't mean stretch marks are completely avoidable.
Unfortunately, stretch marks that appear during pregnancy are primarily hereditary. Another contributing factor is weight gain, and that is one reason, among many, that Tanya Beckford, M.D., an obstetrician and gynecologist at Piedmont, stresses the importance of managing weight gain during pregnancy.
Your stretch marks probably won't go away completely after your baby is born. But they should gradually fade from a pink or purplish colour to white and become much less noticeable.
Bio‑Oil® provides a comprehensive skincare solution for use throughout pregnancy, and has been used safely by pregnant women for over 20 years to help improve the appearance of stretch marks and scars. Its unique formulation works to maximize the skin's elasticity, and helps the skin stay well-hydrated and supple.
While stretch marks generally become visible during the later trimesters of pregnancy (around the sixth or seventh month), some women will start to see them forming as soon as their bellies start growing.
The cause of stretch marks is stretching of the skin. Their severity is affected by several factors, including your genetics and the degree of stress on the skin. Your level of the hormone cortisol also might play a role. Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands.
Using a heavy moisturizer may help keep skin soft, but it won't help get rid of stretch marks. The American Academy of Dermatology Web site also says that a moisturizer can improve the appearance of stretch marks and reduce itchiness; sunless tanning products can hide the marks.
Bio-Oil Skincare Oil should be massaged in a circular motion into the stretch marks, twice daily, for a minimum of 3 months. During pregnancy, it should be applied from the start of the second trimester to areas that are prone to stretch marks such as the abdomen, breasts, lower back, hips, buttocks and thighs.
Coconut oil, argan oil, sunflower oil, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, and more work exceptionally for skin repair with their anti-inflammatory and healing properties. Antioxidant properties in extracts such as rosemary help stretch marks and nourish the skin.
According to some studies, Bio-Oil can be effective in helping to improve the appearance of stretch marks. It is said to take three months before you start noticing a difference, but some people report visible results after four weeks of consistent use.
Before stretch marks begin to emerge, the skin can appear thin and pink. It may also feel irritated or itchy. The marks initially develop as wrinkly, raised streaks that can be red, purple, pink, reddish-brown or dark brown, depending on skin color.