Like their name implies, stretch marks develop as your skin stretches quickly. This stretching actually tears the supportive structures in the middle or bottom layer of tissues of your skin, creating the scar.
do stretch marks appear before after pregnancy
One small 2014 pilot study found that radiofrequency and multipolar-pulsed electromagnetic fields reduced the length and width of stretch marks. Another pilot study from 2012 found that radiofrequency used with ultrasound lessened the appearance of stretch marks.
Genetics plays a big role in deciding who is more likely to get stretch marks. Whether or not you are more prone to stretch marks really depends on the status of your elastic fibers, cell turnover, and your collagen growth.
Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, avoiding sugars as much as possible, staying hydrated and, at the same time, applying topical treatments like stretch mark creams to the most vulnerable areas of your pregnant body will minimize the appearance of stretch marks.
Starting from the first trimester of pregnancy, try to improve elasticity by keeping your skin moisturized. Stimulate collagen production by regularly using appropriate creams and butters to massage the areas, and the surrounding skin, that are more prone to stretching during pregnancy.
Keep eating a balanced diet and enjoy all the good this pregnancy brings to you. Understand and accept that genetics plays a significant role in the development of stretch marks, which makes preventing stretch marks during pregnancy sometimes difficult for certain pregnant women, especially darker-skinned women or those genetically predisposed to developing stretch marks.
Stretch marks are indented, often-vertical lines in your skin that can appear in a range of colors from purple to pink to light grey. You may only think about stretch marks on the area that would be stretched during pregnancy: your midsection. However, they can also appear on your legs, hips, chest, bottom, or thighs .
Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet is paramount for the growth of your baby. Furthermore, stretch marks may occur simply because you were missing certain essential nutrients. Vitamin C, E, D, and Zinc are some of the crucial elements of a balanced pregnancy diet that can help prevent stretch marks. Taking a prenatal vitamin can also help make certain these daily goals are met, and your OB-GYN can provide some guidance to help you find the best prenatal vitamin with the recommended amounts of nutrients.
Ensuring you consume an appropriate amount of protein is another key toward preventing stretch marks. In order to reach your daily goal of eating the appropriate amounts of nutritious foods, you should strive to eat a variety from each food group . Grains, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and protein sources make up these groups. An example of a balanced meal could be a chicken thigh, sweet potato or slice of whole grain bread, and broccoli with cheese.
Drinking enough water is beneficial during pregnancy for many reasons. Water helps carry nutrients to you and your growing fetus. It can also aid in urinary tract infection (UTI) prevention, which is common during pregnancy. Additionally, a proper hydration level can help with fatigue, prevent swelling, and even relieve morning sickness. In fact, if you become dehydrated during pregnancy, then you may experience headaches, nausea, and cramping. However, if you are well hydrated, that means your skin is well hydrated and even softer as well. Simply put, softer skin is less likely to develop stretch marks than dry, rough skin.
Arguably the best way to avoid stretch marks is not to gain weight rapidly, since stretch marks occur when the skin is pulled apart quickly. Many opinions exist about how much weight gain is appropriate during pregnancy. Although you should not actually eat for two, you do get to increase your calories. Finding the balance of how much more to eat while not overdoing it is certainly possible.
Vitamin D can also help you avoid stretch marks during pregnancy. It is extremely important to be cautious when you expose yourself to direct sunlight, especially while pregnant. Your skin tends to be more sensitive during pregnancy. You also should be careful not to get too overheated or dehydrated.
The ingredients in popular stretch mark treatment lotions range from vitamin E to hyaluronic acid, as well as, shea butter and cocoa butter. Your doctor can also help better determine what may be causing the stretch marks, and give you some guidance on treatment options.
In general, treating stretch marks is difficult. Treatment improves the appearance of stretch marks, but they may not go away completely. Addressing your stretch marks when they first appear yields the best results. Older, deep stretch marks may be more challenging to treat.
Laser skin resurfacing is a type of surgery. Your healthcare provider directs short, concentrated, pulsating beams of light on your stretch marks. The laser removes layers of your skin very precisely, which stimulates the growth of new collagen fibers to create smoother skin.
Stretch marks are a common condition that can affect anyone. Despite how common they are, you may not like how stretch marks look on your body. Talk to your healthcare provider about how you can reduce the appearance of stretch marks. Together, you can decide what treatment is best for you.
Stretch marks tend to be at their most visible while you are pregnant; within about 6 to 12 months of having your baby, the pigmentation in your stretch marks usually fades to a much less noticeable, faintly silvery colour. Their ever-so-slightly bumpy texture, though, will remain the same.
The stretching actually happens in the dermis, the middle layer of your 3 layers of skin. The dermis is made up of strong fibres that connect to each other and allow your skin to stretch as your body grows. But, if your body grows rapidly over a short space of time (as it will in pregnancy), these fibres can become thin and over-stretched or even break.
* Weight gain. The more your skin has to expand during pregnancy and the more quickly it happens, the more likely you are to develop stretch marks. So, stretch marks are probably unavoidable if:
* Genes. Did your mum get pregnancy stretch marks? If she did, chances are you will, too, as your skin type is inherited and some skin types are just naturally more elastic than others.
Some women swear they only got stretch marks once their baby was born. But, chances are, the marks were actually already there but hidden in an awkward place, like under your bump, where they weren't easy to spot before the birth. Alternatively, says Harley Street dermatologist Dr Ariel Haus, they may have formed deep within your skin very late in pregnancy but didn't 'show' until you (naturally) shed the top layers of your skin some days later (and maybe after the birth).
There is one exception, though, to the 'no stretch marks after birth' rule: your breasts. Within a week of having your baby, your milk will come in, making your breasts rapidly swell in size and forcing the skin of your breasts into full-on stretch mode. If you're going to get stretch marks on your breasts, this is probably the time when they'll arrive.
Stretch marks fade with time; however, treatment may make them less noticeable more quickly. A stretch mark is a type of scar that develops when our skin stretches or shrinks quickly. The abrupt change causes the collagen and elastin, which support our skin, to rupture. As the skin heals, stretch marks may appear.
Home remedies: In studies, popular home remedies have not worked. Researchers found that none of the stretch marks faded when people massaged almond oil, cocoa butter, olive oil, or vitamin E into their stretch marks.
Other ingredients may work. Researchers have found that products containing centella or hyaluronic acid may help prevent stretch marks. Centella is an herb, and our skin naturally contains hyaluronic acid.
Stretch marks (striae) are indented streaks that appear on the abdomen, breasts, hips, buttocks or other places on the body. They're common in pregnant women, especially during the last trimester. Stretch marks aren't painful or harmful, but some people don't like the way they make their skin look.
See your health care provider if you're concerned about the appearance of your skin or if the stretch marks cover large areas of your body. Your health care provider can help determine the cause of the stretch marks and discuss treatment options.
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. It weakens elastic fibers in the skin.
Home PregnancyHub Being pregnant Ask a midwife What can I do about stretch marks? What causes stretch marks?During pregnancy your hormones can soften the fibres of your skin, making it more prone to stretch marks. You may get stretch marks on your tummy as your baby grows and your skin stretches. You may also develop them on your thighs and breasts as they get bigger. When this happens will be different for everyone. The first sign may be some itching.
You are more likely to get stretch marks if your weight gain is more than average in pregnancy. Every pregnant woman gains weight differently so there are no official guidelines for how much weight you should gain. The most important thing is to eat a healthy, balanced diet, which will help to keep your weight gain to a safe and healthy level for you and your baby. Most women put on between 10kg (22lb) and 12.5kg (28lb) during their pregnancy, although this varies from woman to woman.
There are red or purple stretch marks, which are fresh, blood-vessel-filled tears that are newly inflamed and trying to heal. Silver or white stretch marks are older markings that have healed to create scars 2ff7e9595c
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