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Nearly every woman dreads them.
Most won't talk about them.
Striae gravidarum, or stretch marks are probably the most discussed and feared of the changes to the body during pregnancy.
Serious stretch marks during the last month.
These
marks appear in 50 - 90% of all pregnant women, usually showing up in
the later half of pregnancy as bright red lines, sometimes even
purplish. While the majority will be on the lower abdomen they can also
be found on the thighs, hips, buttocks, breasts and arms of women.
They
tend to be pinkish in light skinned women, and in dark skinned women
they will be lighter than the surrounding skin after pregnancy. They
reflect the separation of collagen of the skin. While not painful, the
stretching of the skin may cause a tingling or itchy sensation. A good
lotion can help with the increased dryness or itchiness of the skin,
but will not prevent stretch marks no matter how diligent you are or
how much you spend on the cream.
While many
people will swear by certain creams or lotions, the truth is there is
not much you can do about stretch marks, you'll either get them or you
won't. There are some factors that you should know contribute to
stretch marks:
- Family (If your mom or sister has them, guess what?)
- If
you had them in a previous pregnancy you may get them again, although
usually just a darkened (temporarily) of the old ones and a light
extension sometimes.
- Weight Gain (Rapid or excessive will make this worse.)
- Nutritional Status (Well hydrated and healthy skin stretches better.)
- Ethnicity (African American women get them less.)
Stretch marks 2 weeks after baby born.
So,
what now? Well, eventually they do fade after you have the baby,
becoming silver lines. While most women don't think about them much, or
consider them badges of motherhood, others want them removed. There are
new techniques and surgeries being explored all the time. Talk to your
dermatologist or plastic surgeon if you are concerned.
What Mothers Say
Theresa affectionately calls them, "Badges of honor."
"I don't want to talk about it." Mom of two with #3 on the way.
"They really aren't what I expected," says Amanda, first time mom due in May.
After
her second baby Kristin says, "The marks started out so bright in
color, I never thought that they would fade, but they really did become
nearly invisible after she was about 6 months old. I can even get away
with a bikini!"
"All the lotion in the world
didn't stop it, I had one tiny mark at the bottom where I couldn't see
it until after the baby was born. I do feel like the lotion kept them
to a minimum," explains Elizabeth mom to 2 month old Gabrielle.
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