Pregnancy and its related body changes can lead to what most women dread: stretch marks.  The rapid growth of the midsection as baby grows can lead to stretch marks as mom’s skin is not able to keep up with the change and is forced to stretch.

The culprit behind stretch marks is a lack of collagen, the basic building block of skin.  When your body can’t produce enough of this protein, the skin will “stretch” past its normal elasticity and form stretch marks, also called “stretch burns.”

Few women avoid stretch marks entirely during and after pregnancy, but it’s possible to at least minimize them if not avoid or eliminate them altogether.  It’s all about the knowledge.

How To Avoid Stretch Marks During Your Pregnancy

• First, make sure you’re drinking plenty of fluids and eating a healthy diet.  Weight gain during pregnancy is normal, but too much too fast is not good.  Most women will gain at least thirty pounds—most will gain more than that—during pregnancy, but this gain is gradual.  Most stretch marks are formed during the last trimester of pregnancy when baby undergoes big changes and size gains, stretching mom’s stomach in the process.

• Second, in all stages of pregnancy, natural oils and lotions for stretch marks can help to keep skin hydrated, elastic, and healthy.  There are several oils that are particularly well suited to preventing stretch marks, which we’ll get into below.  These should be used daily, usually at night before bed.  Many women use them in the morning after a shower and again at night before bed time.

While most women will get stretch marks during pregnancy, using the above preventive measures will limit them as much as possible.  Then comes the healing process, which is much like the prevention process.  Most stretch marks, if properly treated, will heal within a year—usually in just a few months.

The natural oils for stretch mark prevention and curing all have the same thing in common: glycans and peptides.  These are complex sugar chains that aid in the making of collagen.  This speeds recovery while simultaneously keeping skin supple and hydrated.

Common oils and cream ingredients for stretch mark repair include:
·    rosehip
·    shea butter
·    sweet almond
·    wheatgerm

Others that are generally beneficial to skin include aloe, limonene, and many seed oils.

Many formulations of the above ingredients are available on the market and some can be made at home as well.  Some of the skin creams we have discussed before on this blog can be used with extra emphasis on the above ingredients.

Preventing and curing stretch marks during and after pregnancy is much easier than many women would think.  What are your favored methods?

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