Pregnancy Help & Info

Not all women will retain the scars of their labor of love. But, according to medical experts at least half of all pregnant women will develop unsightly stretch marks, and many of these women will go on to retain these marks over their lifetime. . What is it that separates those who get severe stretch marks, those who get just a few minor ones, and the lucky ones who get absolutely none?

What the Experts Say

The scientific name that the medical community has given to stretch marks is striae gravidarum. The only thing women call them are “ugly.” You can lessen the effects of stretch marks by applying a liberal amount of cocoa better daily, and especially after a shower, to help combat the effects. Stretch marks are caused when the skin separates from the collagen due to the rapid growth of the abdomen experiences. They are not painful or harmful, but women hate them just the same.

Dry skin is more likely to irritate your stretch marks.  Oils and lotions don’t promise to remove them completely, but they can lighten the appearance. The good news is that stretch marks fade over time, so what you see when you first come home from the hospital will not likely look like that five years down the road.

The color of stretches marks varies depending on your skin tone. If you have light skin, you are more likely to have stretch marks that are a pinkish hue; ladies with darker skin have stretch marks a few shades lighter than the skin that surrounds them.

And stretch marks aren’t limited to just your expanding belly. They can also be found on your hips, breasts, behind, or your thighs. It might comfort you to know   that 90 percent of women who have carried a child have stretch marks somewhere on their body as a result of the pregnancy.

For more advice on stretch marks and skin care tidbits and tips, visit Hip Chick

 

Filed under: Pregnancy Tests & Symptoms