When a woman becomes pregnant, she has quite a lot of things to worry about, and stretch marks should not have to be one of them. Most women see them as an inevitable part of pregnancy, and one they think cannot be prevented. However, stretch marks do not have to be inevitable, and they can definitely be prevented! In addition, if you already have them, from pregnancy or weight gain or from growth spurts as a teenager, there are ways to lessen their appearance. Read on and find out how prevent stretch marks!
Not all women get stretch marks during pregnancy. Genetic factors certainly figure in. However, most women do end up with the telltale reddish lines on their abdomens after their pregnancies. So what causes stretch marks?
Stretch marks are actually sub dermal scars that are a result of the skin being stretched too quickly to accommodate growth beneath the surface. The skin is pulled apart faster than new skin cells can grow, and so it tears. This tearing is painless, but it does leave a visible mark behind.
Occasionally, stretch marks fade after a pregnancy is over, after weight gained is lost, or after a growth spurt has ended. However, in most cases, those marks are there to stay. As already mentioned, the tendency toward developing stretch marks is hereditary, so if your mother developed them during her pregnancy, you may as well. People with lighter complexions are also prone to developing them. Genetic factors aside, though, anyone can get stretch marks. So, how can you prevent them?
Some of the best solutions to preventing stretch marks are commonsense solutions. Outside of pregnancy, you can prevent weight gain-related stretch marks by staying at a healthy weight. During pregnancy, there may not be much you can do to prevent your stomach from rapidly expanding as your baby grows, but you can prevent additional stretch marks by finding out from your doctor what would be a healthy rate of weight gain for you and staying within that rate.
You should always make sure you take in plenty of fluids and stay hydrated. Not only are skin cells unable to grow and remain healthy without the proper hydration, your skin is not able to stay elastic and supple without the proper amount of water. It is the difference between a rubber band and a piece of plastic – you want your skin to stretch when pulled, you do not want it to crack and tear!
You can help your skin hold the moisture it has by applying pure cocoa butter to skin that needs to stretch. While there is no scientifically proven antidote to stretch marks, there are folk remedies that have been trusted by women for generations, and cocoa butter is one of these! The butter of the cocoa bean is an excellent moisturizer, which should be applied to the skin at least twice daily. Make certain you are using 100% cocoa butter and that it has not been mixed or included with other ingredients – pure cocoa butter is more effective. If you already have stretch marks, cocoa butter is known to help reduce their appearance as well!
If you are pregnant or if you are experiencing an unexpected weight gain, you do not fret. Use these simple methods to prevent stretch marks before they happen! It is a little amount of effort for the big payoff of having no stretch marks!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.