Stretch Marks: Prevention And Treatment During Pregnancy

More than half of all pregnant women will develop stretch marks during
their pregnancy. Otherwise known as striae gravidarum, stretch marks
look like streaks on the surface of the skin, and may be vary in color
depending on your natural skin color. Most lighter skinned women
develop pinkish stretch marks, whereas darker skinned women tend to
have stretch marks that are lighter than the surrounding skin.

Most women develop stretch marks on their abdomen during pregnancy,
however it is also common to get stretch marks on the buttocks, hips,
breasts and thighs. In some cases up to 90 percent of women have
stretch marks on some part of their body as a result of pregnancy.

What Causes Stretch Marks?
Stretch marks form when your skin is stretched rapidly as happens
during pregnancy. Most women develop stretch marks during the later
trimesters of pregnancy though some women start to develop them as
soon as their bellies start growing.

Stretch marks are actually small tears that form in the tissue that
supports the skin and helps it stretch. Stretch marks represent the
tearing or separation of collagen from the skin when tearing occurs.
Stretch marks are not harmful or painful and usually fade over time.

Who Gets Stretch Marks
Many women believe that using lotions and creams help prevent stretch
marks. Realistically speaking however, the number of stretch marks you
get depends on how elastic your skin is. The elasticity of your skin
usually relates to your genetic make up. The best thing you can do is
find out if your mother got bad stretch marks during pregnancy. If she
did, you are probably more prone to stretch marks than other women.

Keep in mind the more weight you gain during pregnancy the more likely
you are to have stretch marks. Normally the skin is elastic and
capable of stretching quite a bit, however for some women the changes
that occur during pregnancy are very drastic. These rapid fluctuations
of weight and skin stretching can result in stretch marks.

Women with multiples are more likely to get stretch marks because
their bellies usually grow much larger than women with single
pregnancies. Other women likely to develop stretch marks include women
who gain a lot of weight quickly during their pregnancy and women who
carry big babies.

Here are some other factors that may contribute to your susceptibility
to stretch marks:

* If you developed stretch marks before (like on your breasts during
puberty) you are more

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