How to Manage Stretch Marks Efficiently

Today’s guest post is written by the beautiful Marie, Editor and Writer in Chief of Livin3, a website dedicated to all things health, wellness and fitness 🙂 It’s a great online resource, packed full of information and handy tips! I especially love their article on Green Tea and brewing tips (so many people brew green tea wrong, it breaks my heart! haha) but today is all about stretch marks and how to avoid/manage them especially when you’re pregnant.

How to manage stretch marks efficiently

Very many people have stretch marks, most of them being women. Why are women more exposed to developing stretch marks? Well, stretch marks are closely connected to rapid shifts that take place in the shape of our body. In other words, they appear when we gain a few extra pounds fast. You see, while our skin is a quite elastic, there are cases in which our body changes faster than our skin can adapt to changes. Thus, this is why if you never had stretch marks before, there are high chances that you’ll get pregnancy stretch marks once you get pregnant, especially in the belly area, as this is the fastest growing part of your body when pregnant. Of course, stretch marks can appear in the around the breasts, buttocks, thighs, and the upper part of the arms.

Stretch marks first appear for most women during their teen years! This is why moisturising from head to toe is important. 

Is there a way to prevent stretch marks from happening? Well, if you are not pregnant, it would be very useful to watch your diet, so that you don’t gain too much weight too fast, and stay properly hydrated. If you are pregnant, it would help to keep the skin hydrated, especially on the belly, with moisturizing creams. There are special products developed from pregnant women that helps with preventing the tchiness triggered by a growing belly, by hydrating the skin. And, once again, do your best to drink plenty of water.

Still, there is no method that can guarantee the prevention of stretch marks during pregnancy. While you are pregnant, your body goes through very many changes in a very short time. Thus, it is almost impossible not to get some stretch marks. But, once they appeared, is it possible to make them disappear? Stretch marks appear because the structure of the skin is damaged. Practically, stretch marks are scars where the middle layer of the skin ruptured due to too rapid growth. So, while stretch marks will never be gone for good, you can focus on making them faint, turning them into translucent lines of the color of your skin. This way, they will be much less visible and you will stop feeling awkward when wishing to wear the clothes you want. When it comes to managing stretch marks effectively, specialists say that the best time to treat stretch marks is when they are still reddish or purplish. If you have a skin with a darker complexion, then the stretch marks will appear lighter than the complexion of your skin.

In case you want to treat stretch marks but you are still breastfeeding, then opt for natural remedies, as whatever you put on your skin will end up in your system and, implicit, in the milk you feed to your baby. Among these natural remedies, it is worth mentioning aloe vera gel with its healing and skin soothing properties, potato juice coming from thick slices of potatoes applied on the stretch marks, skin exfoliation with sugar, or lemon juice. Also, if you visit a dermatologist, you will as well receive a set of recommendations and treatments, just do have in mind that some of these treatments are not recommended for women that are breastfeeding.

We hope you enjoyed the article Beauties! xo

Livin3 Team 

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