Is there a 100% stretch mark solution for pregnant moms?

J

Jas Han

Registered User
I have used a number of stretch mark creams to prevent from getting any. Although I have heard from many mothers that they still got them even while thoroughly using creams and oils. I've also heard that it depend on genetics or what skin type you have.

I've seen a number of pictures online and I find it shockingly scary to picture myself having these.

As a first time mom, I have no idea what to expect. Does anyone have any special recipes or formulas? And if you happen to get stretch marks, can they be surgically removed?
 
No, absolutely not. There are factors that affect whether you will have stretch marks during pregnancy (and how prominent they may be), but you cannot control most of these factors- i.e., genetics, hormone levels, rate of weight gain (particularly during the last months), etc.

They cannot be surgically removed but there are various creams that can reduce their appearance after the fact. There are also several types of laser treatment that reduce the appearance of stretch marks. However, it is unlikely that any treatment will completely remove them.

Here is a link to the Mayo Clinic's guidance on stretch marks - it should answer most of your questions. But the bottom line is that creams and oils may help your skin feel better/ less itchy, but they won't prevent stretch marks if you are predisposed to getting them.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stretch-marks/DS01081
 
In my experience, nothing helps prevent or remove stretch marks. If you're going to get them, you're going to get them. It's just one of the costs of motherhood, I think. Your body will change a lot during pregnancy and afterward. I read a comic once that suggested women take pictures of their breasts prior to having a baby so they can remember what they once looked like. Sure wish I had done that!

Motherhood is really a journey of acceptance. Some things you really will not be able to change and you have to make the choice of 1) are you going to look at your body every day for the rest of your life and hate yourself 2) are you going to accept it, find good in it, and move on? I spent a solid 2-3 years looking at my body every day and hating myself because of the drastic transformation pregnancy put me through.

I still struggle with it. But, this is reality. I think the air-brushed culture we live in (everything is photoshopped--everything) is giving women a sense of something that is not reality.

I found this website helpful in the beginning and have shared my stories there: http://theshapeofamother.com/ .

I hope that you have few stretch marks after pregnancy and childbirth but even if you do, it's normal.
 
Rather than oils/lotions specially for those marks, I just used almond oil. I didn't get any, I didn't realise it could be a genetic thing.
 
satay sue said:
Rather than oils/lotions specially for those marks, I just used almond oil. I didn't get any, I didn't realise it could be a genetic thing.
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In my case, totally genetic. Everyone in my family easily gets stretch marks. Even my brother! When he was a teenager he went to live with another family who ran a farm and he was always so thin but then one summer he worked really hard doing manual labor and came back with huge muscles and stretch marks everywhere for where his skin had stretched so fast because of the muscle growth! He was only like 16!

My mom has huge stretch marks as do all of my aunts--doesn't matter if they are thin or not they all have stretch marks from pregnancy. So, try as I might, I couldn't escape. I also didn't use lotions--only natural oils and didn't help at all. :(
 
satay sue said:
Very sorry to hear that. Also, I wasn't saying that I didn't believe it, just that I didn't know!
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Yep....that's how it is for some people. So, to the ladies who didn't end up with any stretch marks, call your parents up if you can and say, "Thanks for the good genetics." :smile:

For me, gradually and more and more, I'm learning to get beyond it. Yes, there is a price to be paid for having children and my body stands as a testament to that. Sometimes I feel like my body was "abducted by aliens" and returned as something totally different than it was before! :haha:
 
I used Mustela 9 monthes stretch mark creme and I didn't get any stretch marks from my pregnancies.

I know I have a tendency towards stretch marks too, cause I have them on my hips from growing to fast in my teens. I slathered the lotion on my tummy, breast and bottom religiously everyday for both pregnancies and again I have no new marks from either pregnancy.
 
I don't think creams work, except to keep the top layer soft and moisturized. My stretch marks looked a little like broken blood vessels -- in any case, they were clearly far UNDER the top layer of skin. So it wouldn't make sense that creams would make them go away.
I wouldn't waste money on expensive specialty creams. Just use regular body lotion.
Five months post-partum, mine have faded quite a bit, though they may still be slightly there.
Honestly, once you have your baby, stretch marks will be the least of your concerns!
 
i used rosehip oil...i didn't get any stretch marks, but i think that was more due to luck/genetics than the oil - although i was expecting them, as i had stretch marks on my boobs from fluctuating size in my teens...they seem to have faded now, or maybe i just don't notice them anymore! - ...it felt nice to rub onto my belly everyday, though!
 
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