Health For Pregnancy: Stretch Marks are Beautiful

The very instant you find out you are going to be a mother, you also realize you're in for a lot of changes. You know your body is going to be stretched to its limits and your hormones are going to go haywire. There are some preventative measures you can take to minimize the appearance of stretch marks.

Stretch marks are clear, red or purple marks that show up on your body when your skin has been stretched. Generally stretch marks are found on the belly, thighs, arms, breasts and bum. It is estimated that approximately 90? of women will get stretch marks while carrying their child.

More than likely you have seen many of the lotions that are available for minimizing the appearance of stretch marks. Some of them are Mederma, cocoa butter and scar serum. If you are concerned with getting stretch marks, you should talk to you heath care professional and find out what he or she recommends. You can try out many of them until you find the one that works for you.

Minimizing your chances of getting stretch marks is going to be an effort that you will need to continue through your entire pregnancy. You should be sure that you are keeping your skin moist. This will keep your skin from ripping as it stretches and minimize the appearance of stretch marks. Drinking plenty of water and keeping your skin well moistened is going to be your best defense against stretch marks.

Also, if you eat healthy and exercise during your pregnancy, you can help yourself from gaining any extra weight that is not needed. Normally, the suggested weight gain during pregnancy is between 25 and 35 pounds. Keeping your weight gain within the limits and having your skin hydrated and moist will all work in your body remaining stretch mark free.

With an increase in pregnancies, the chances of getting stretch marks is increased. Also, if you are having a multiple baby pregnancy your are increasing your odds of having stretch marks, as well as a baby being big. If you are serious about avoiding or minimizing stretch marks, you should immediately begin with moisturizing your body. This should be almost as soon as you find out that you are expecting. The creams you should use should have vitamin A and vitamin E. These will help in increasing the elasticity in your skin, thus cutting back on the stretch marks.

These are only preventative measures, they are not guaranteed to keep your body stretch mark free. After you have the baby, you might still find some stretch marks on yourself. In many cases stretch marks will fade and go away. This does take some time. If you feel you have waited long enough and they are still visible and bothersome to you, you can have laser removal or even a tummy tuck.

If you are going this route, you should talk to a dermatologist. Ask any questions you have, never have a procedure done if you are not completely clear on the risks and procedure itself. Once you have talked with the dermatologist you might realize you don't really want to have them removed after all.

Stretch marks are not something to be ashamed of. Odds are, many of the mothers you know also have them. You can always think of them as your battle scars of becoming a mother. Or even a road map of where you have been and where you are in life right now. See, they really aren't that bad!