Pregnancy Stretch Marks

Pregnancy stretch marks are an issue as most women worry a whole lot about their appearance. Weight gain during pregnancy has a major impact. But most mothers do not know that pregnancy is associated with both weight gain and loss. Usually, these oscillations are pretty abrupt, and stretch marks are a high possibility.

What are stretch marks?

Stretch marks are also called striae in medical terms. They actually are a form of scarring of the dermis, due to tearing. They appear as reddish or purple lines at first and then start to fade to a lighter nuance. They remain as permanent scars, even though in most cases they are hardly noticeable. Tears are usually caused due to rapid growth. This is especially true for teenagers who experience rapid, sudden growth during their progress into adulthood. Sudden weight gain or loss may also result in stretch marks. This is because the dermis has a certain factor of elasticity that, if surpassed, will produce tearing or scarring.

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The most common places where stretch marks appear are the body parts that retain the most fat: abdomen, upper arms, thighs, breasts, back, buttocks and hips. Their presence poses no health threats – it is merely an aesthetic issue.

Pregnancy stretch marks appear due to the strain your skin has to put up with during various oscillations in body fat during the 40 weeks of pregnancy. The most exposed area of your body will be your abdomen.

Prevention and treatment

Pregnancy stretch marks are fairly hard to be avoided. Most methods are concluded by medical authority figures to be useless. Although there is a general consensus about the fact that proper skin hydration along with a proper diet could reduce the stretch marks.

During your pregnancy, you will experience abrupt weight gain or loss. This is because your body needs to adapt in order to feed two mouths. In order to prevent pregnancy stretch marks, your calorie intake should remain the same in the first 6 months of pregnancy. Most first-time mothers eat more than they should, thinking that they need the extra food for the baby. But it is not until the 6th month that you should increase the total calorie intake by about 200 a day to suit the baby’s needs.

Creams and lotions are argued to have an effect on preventing stretch marks. Specialists insist that creams cannot pierce so deep within the skin as to reach the dermis and contribute to its elasticity factor. However, abundant hydration will help with elasticity – drinking 8-10 glasses of liquid a day could help so that the pregnancy does not leave too many stretch marks.

After you have given birth, be very careful with the diet you will pursue. Do not try to lose weight very fast, as the process will surely leave stretch marks. You should continue with the same diet you were on prior to birth. This will help your body to regain its strength. Then, one day at a time, you can lower calorie input and start exercising steadily to lose any extra weight.

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