As soon as you find out you’re expecting, a few things will likely run through your mind, one of which is how to avoid stretch marks during pregnancy.
They’re something every soon to be mother dreads, as they fear the inevitable changes their body is about to undergo, and how they’ll wear these tiger stripes long after they give birth.
Thinking about them before they even exist is enough to cause anxiety, self-esteem issues, among other mental health issues nobody needs.
Some companies and news outlets claim to have the cure to avoid stretch marks during pregnancy, but we’ll explain why you need to ignore them.
Then, we’ll teach you our method for minimizing the appearance of stretch marks, and regaining the confidence you had prior to your pregnancy.
What Are Stretch Marks?
Let’s get specific into what exactly a stretch mark is, and why they may appear on your body seemingly overnight.
Stretch marks are basically just scars, caused by your skin stretching. They are notorious for popping up during pregnancy, but the reality is they can occur at any given time when you grow faster than your skin can manage.
They are pretty common for kids to develop during puberty during growth phases, especially when kids enter their teen years and start bulking up.
As you can imagine, your skin is going to be under some serious stretch when your belly grows over the course of these 9 months of pregnancy. It's not uncommon to see stretch marks elsewhere too, however, such as the breasts, thighs, anywhere you show weight gain.
Is It Even Possible To Avoid Stretch Marks During Pregnancy?
You came here to learn how to avoid stretch marks during pregnancy, but is this even possible? The reality is that stretch marks are inevitable during pregnancy for most women. They are largely hereditary, so there is not much you can do if they run in your family.
Does Every Girl Get Stretch Marks When Pregnant?
As with all things in life, some are just blessed with great genetics. Not every girl gets stretch marks when pregnant.
But, the research shows that 8 out of 10 women will get stretch marks. That isn’t to say you’re doomed, however.
You have all kinds of options at your fingertips when it comes to masking, or minimizing the appearance of, stretch marks. We’ll cover these in a moment. First, let’s talk about some of the risk factors that increase your likelihood of developing them.
Stretch Mark Risk Factors
As we just mentioned, a lot of these factors are genetic, and there is nothing you can do to rectify them really.
The most important factor of all is your skins elasticity. The more your skin can stretch without tearing, the greater chance you have of avoiding stretch marks during pregnancy.
Another factor that you can control, however, is your diet. Nutrition can play a prominent role in the development of stretch marks. Following a diet that consists mostly of whole foods will decrease your chances of developing them, as your diet directly correlates to the health of your skin.
Furthermore, keeping yourself hydrated throughout your pregnancy will increase your odds of preventing stretch marks. This water will make its way through your organs, the largest of which is your skin. This goes a long way in maintaining moisturization.
Minimizing The Appearance Of Stretch Marks From Pregnancy
Now that you know these may be inevitable, we can shift the question from “how to avoid stretch marks during pregnancy?,” to “how you can go about minimizing their appearance?”
For the most part, minimizing the appearance of stretch marks during pregnancy comes down to treating your skin, and keeping it super moisturized.
There are a few compounds out there that are tried and true when it comes to avoiding stretch marks during pregnancy. Let’s cover some of the best.
Coconut Oil
One of the best ingredients you can find in a skin care product is coconut oil, especially in the fight against stretch marks. Not only will it help heal your skin and minimize the appearance of stretch marks, it smells amazing!
Mango Butter
If coconut oil is the best ingredient you can use to fend off stretch marks, mango butter is a close second. IT has all kinds of moisturization capabilities just like coconut oil, but with some added benefits.
Mango butter is rich in antioxidants that can help promote cell regeneration, which will do wonders to heal your stretch marks and scarring from pregnancy.
Shea Butter
Shea butter is another great product to add to your arsenal. Its rich in vitamin A, which helps your skin become more supple and elastic.
This makes it a great product to use in a prevention capacity, if you are hoping to decrease the size and appearance of your stretch marks before they arise.
Cocoa Butter
A fourth ingredient you should look for on any product that claims to help heal stretch marks is cocoa butter.
It is the only compound mentioned that can actually seep into the middle layer of your dermis (skin). This means it can actively target the scarring, and moisturize the skin deeper than any other product.
Other Oils That Can Help
Some other oils that research has shown may help minimize the appearance of stretch marks include rosehip seed oil, tamanu oil, and olive oil.
These are typically just alternatives to the aforementioned compounds: coconut oil and mango butter, however, as nothing really beats that duo, along with cocoa and shea butter. Plus, all four of these ingredients are 100% safe for you and your baby during pregnancy.
What Is Best To Prevent Or Minimize Stretch Marks During Pregnancy?
If you are still concerned about the likelihood of developing stretch marks during pregnancy, and you are afraid of the toll it will take on your mental health, don’t worry.
The best way to combat them is with 8 Sheep Organics Sleepy Body Lotion. You may already be familiar with this product, as it is one of the best tools pregnant women can use to fight insomnia, stress, and pain throughout their pregnancy.
As it turns out, however, this lotion also does wonders for helping your skin heal, thus minimizing the appearance of stretch marks. How does it do this?
How 8 Sheep Organics Body Lotion Works
Well, two of the main ingredients in the lotion are coconut oil and mango butter. As you now know after reading the article above, these are two incredible agents for fighting stretch marks.
The best part of implementing this product into your skin care routine is it doesn’t just minimize the appearance of stretch marks and leave your skin moisturized, feeling silky smooth.
It brings an array of other benefits to the table as well. The magnesium in it is part of what makes it so magical. This is what helps with insomnia. And as you are likely aware, motherhood means you will have to compromise on sleep. Unless of course, you use Sleepy Body Lotion! Additional benefits of the lotion include:
- Eases restless legs and painful leg cramps
- Relieves pain in your lower back, hips, and knees
- Promotes deep, restorative sleep
- Soft, beautiful skin
- Made with just a few ingredients, all of which are 100% organic
- 60 days money back guarantee
Figuring out how to avoid stretch marks during pregnancy may be a lost cause, but actively working to minimize their appearance is a realistic goal. If you have the right products in your arsenal, and keep your growing belly moisturized, these stretch marks may never be as egregious or noticeable as you once feared!