Pregnancy: Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are inevitable during the pregnancy. Almost 90% of all pregnant women the world over will get the stretch marks. Stretch marks are caused when the collagen separates from the kin. It also happens when a person becomes thin or gains too much weight. Stretch marks can appear on the belly, the buttocks, and thighs and on the hands too. They can also appear on the breast. The breast also become large and the nipples can become bigger. The areoles (the area around the nipples) can also appear to be darker. The breast is also getting ready for the baby to breast feed.

The intensity of the stretch marks can differ from person to person. The causes for stretch marks are many. You may have a family history of pregnant women in your family having stretch marks; this means that you have more chances of getting the stretch marks. The earlier pregnancy may have left some stretch marks. The new pregnancy may darken the stretch makes and also add on some more stretch marks.

If you have gained weight rapidly, the stretch marks may be more and visible more. If you have also lost weight rapidly, you may also get stretch marks. If you have a number of pregnancies, then your chances of having stretch marks will increase. It can also depend upon the ethnicity. African American women have less stretch mark than white Caucasian females.

Those who are light skinned will have pinkish stretch marks while those women who have a darker skin will get stretch marks that are lighter than the surrounding area of the skin. These marks can fade over the time. While some women don’t think much of them, however some want the marks to be removed surgically.

While you can’t prevent stretch marks, you can certainly make sure that they are less. The first thing is to keep your skin hydrated. Apply plenty of Vaseline or any other cream to make your skin soft and supple. This will also relieve the itchy and tingling feeling of the skin.

Melanotropin is secreted more during pregnancy rather than in normal times. This can cause darkening around the face and on the forehead. Sunlight may aggravate the problem. This usually goes away when the pregnancy comes to a full term. All women would get a dark line which extends from their belly button to the top of their uterus. It will go away aft the birth of the baby. It’s a slightly off centre line that grows darker with the pregnancy. It’s a myth that pregnant mothers having baby boys will see the line. It appears for all pregnant mothers to be.

The easiest way of reducing the marks is to keep the areas such as arms, thighs and belly moisturized at all times. Keep your weight during the pregnancy in check and eat right and drink plenty of fluids. While you may not be able to prevent them, but you can surely keep them to a minimum.