"Stretch Marks During Pregnancy ...

Stretch marks can strike any time that an individual gains a lot of weight quickly, but they seem to be a real issue for women who are expecting a baby. Stretch marks are streaks, brought on by sudden weight gain, which causes the skin to stretch and lose its elasticity. They can be pink, brown, or even purple. What color yours are will depend on your skin tone. They will definitely fade over time, but they won’t disappear.

Stretch marks are a problem for over half of all expectant moms, and no one can say for sure why some women get them and some don’t. But, if your sister or your mom got them in any of their pregnancies, you stand a good chance of getting them also. It also depends on how quickly your baby grows and how much weight you gain. Moms that are carrying twins or triplets should almost expect stretch marks, since they will be gaining so much more weight during their pregnancy.

Sadly, there isn’t really a whole lot you can do to keep from getting stretch marks, but you can lower your chances by not gaining any more than about thirty pounds, and putting on weight evenly throughout the pregnancy rather than gaining it all at once.

There are a lot of creams and lotions out there that claim to prevent stretch marks, but only some of them have really been proven to work. It helps to keep your belly nice and moisturized as your baby grows. Keeping your skin healthy and elastic helps tremendously.

If that doesn’t work and you still end up with stretch marks, you can take heart in the fact that they tend to fade by six months after you have your baby. If you can’t keep from getting them, there are some ways to make them less noticeable.

If after your pregnancy you’re still unhappy with the way your skin looks, talk to your dermatologist about trying an ointment, like Retin-A, or maybe even getting a laser treatment. They have been shown to fade stretch marks and restore the skin’s elasticity, greatly reducing the appearnce of the marks.