Beautiful Pregnancy Comes Bundled with Unattractive Stretch Marks
Stretch marks are small and depressed streaks that appear mostly on the lower abdomen area in the third trimester of pregnancy, when the skin expands to accommodate a growing baby. Some women also get them on hips, thighs, buttocks and breasts. They are caused by the by the changes that occur in the elastic supportive tissue that lies just beneath the skin. They fade after sometime, but they never leave your skin.
Will I get stretch marks?
Your getting the stretch marks depends on the genetics; if your mother or sister had them too, you are more likely to get them. However, there are some women who do not get them at all. The main factor that causes stretch marks is the nature of your skin and how quickly it is able to expand. If it is able to meet the needs of the baby in terms of expansion, you may get very less or no stretch marks at all. But if your skin is incapable of coping up, you get lots of them. Other factors are:
- You’re having excess amniotic fluid.
- You’re carrying multiples
- You’ve gained a lot of weight rapidly
- Your baby is big.
Preventing stretch marks
Image from mommawannabe.com
Unfortunately, there is no known way to prevent stretch marks. All the lotion and creams and salves that claim to prevent them just soothe and moisturize the irritated skin but don’t actually do what they say. But if you gain weight rather slowly, there are chances that you get less of them over your abdomen.
Getting rid of stretch marks
You cannot actually get rid of them, not even later. But if the stretch marks bother you too much, talking to a dermatologist can be a very good option. There are a number of ways to minimize them.
Medications such as Retin-A and glycolic acid can help later. But don’t try to use the Retin-A while you are still breastfeeding your child since it has some impact on the amount of milk the glands produce and also its effect on the newborn.
Getting laser treatment can help restore the skin’s elasticity and can also help in matching the faded stretch marks better to the color of your skin.
An important thing to remember: Since stretch marks are considered a cosmetic issue, so if you’re planning to go to a dermatologist and take treatments, your health and medical insurance will not cover it.
If you are still too worried about the stretch marks you have or are about to get, all you can do is just hope that the concerned people invent a ‘magic cream’ to prevent and get rid of them.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Related posts:
Filed Under: Health & Diet
[...] Beautiful Pregnancy Comes Bundled with Unattractive Stretch Marks … [...]