Stretch Marks

[Sign Of The Fish Burger]

Hi Ladies

I'm sure this has been asked a million times, but how bad are your stretch marks? It's so vein of me, but it's something I am really worried about.

So how bad are your stretch marks? Now I believe hearing somewhere that stretch marks are hereditary, is that true? And also, does cocoa butter help?

Thanks

 

[Singin4Him]

Hi Ladies

I'm sure this has been asked a million times, but how bad are your stretch marks? It's so vein of me, but it's something I am really worried about.

So how bad are your stretch marks? Now I believe hearing somewhere that stretch marks are hereditary, is that true? And also, does cocoa butter help?

Thanks

I started getting stretch marks on my breasts pretty early on because I went up a size so quickly. I later got stretch marks on my hips and upper thighs. Up until my third trimester I hadn't seen any on my legs but I started getting a few on my upper calve muscles near the side of my knees a month or so ago. Coco butter helps and I personally recommend Palmer's Coco butter for stretch marks, I've used it on my stomach since my first trimester and I have no stretch marks on my tummy at all. My doctor even commented on how great my skin looks. I also greatly reduced the marks on my breasts by using it on them in my 2nd trimester. I'm convinced that I got worse stretchmarks on my thighs and hips because I didn't use it on them until it was too late. You will most likely still get marks even if you use the lotion but they will be much less drastic if you use the lotion because you're hydrating your skin and it has more give as it stretches.

 

[JulySheMustFly]

Yes, I got stretch marks and most of them were from my first pregnancy. I have them in two places. . .on my belly and on the sides of my breasts. Good news is that now with all the weight lost and getting my body back to where it should be they are not noticable unless you get as close as my husband gets.

 

[hisbloodformysins]

Well, I'll give you some educated information. Yes, your stretch marks have a lot to do with genes, and like I've argued with an ignorant friend of mine who seriosly likes to believe what she hears... is that no, you cannot prevent them. You can however help them be less irritating and apply some belly balm to help your skin stretch easier and be less severe, however, those women who don't have stretch marks and who tell stories about how they used cocoa butter everyday just happen to be lucky, but on the other end of the spectrum, there are those women like me who do apply the appropriate belly balm every day, and still get the.

It depends on how fast your baby grows, how much weight you gain and so forth. I got them on my belly, but even worse on my hips and even on my back where it meets my bottom because I put on a lot of weight in those areas. Not to mention the baby tummy, that saggy sack of skin just just sort of hangs there and makes you look pregnant even after you have your kids. Maybe you'll be lucky and will still look pretty good afterwards. I have that saggy belly thing going. I will say that stretch marks fade and shrink. My stretchmarks were hardly noticeable a couple years after I had my first. Anyways, I know this may be the good news you don't want to hear, but educated at that. I'll just tell you this. After I had my first baby and stepped on the scale and saw the huge amount of weight I accumulated, how unattractive my chest looked (because your nipples get real dark and the boobs get splotchy) and having a saggy sack of skin and newly acquired scar and shrugged it off and said "these are battle wounds, my son is worth it all". Now that I'm pregnant with my third and already putting the pounds on as I swore I wouldn't, I find myself coming to peace with my body, the weight I am and will gain, and the possible fact that I just won't be as attractive afterwards, because life is much more about looks. Though we do care. What is important is that your husband loves you and will still be there for you, faithful, and with love even when you fall out of competetion with the younger, more fit girls (I'm 27, nearing 28 and I'm coming to terms with leaving my youth, no longer one of those young girls). He really does love me, and I have a family, and although I personally do care about my weight, body and figure, I also know that some things are out of control, whether literal or because for some reason I just don't have the means to control them myself. Anyways, I hope this long winded response leaves you blessed.

HB

 

[jgonz]

Everybody else was right~ heredity & your genes have a lot to do with getting stretch marks or how badly you get them, along with how fast your belly grows, etc.

You Can, however, help to avoid the worst of them by taking Vit.E (by mouth, natural form, 400- 800 iu) every day. Vit.E has essential fatty acids that truly do help the skin to have more elasticity.

Another great reason to take it: Vit.E is safe to take during pregnancy, and is extremely helpful in that it helps each individual cell carry more oxygen... So you feel like you can breathe easier, which is Wonderful, especially at the end of your pregnancy.

Interesting fact: Because of this ability of the cells to carry more oxygen, the baby is also benefited~ especially in a rough delivery situation. Studies done on babies whose mothers took 400- 800 iu of natural Vit.E per day showed that they pinked up faster after a difficult delivery vs babies whose mothers didn't.

Cocoa butter & other creams are great for helping to relieve the itchy feeling of stretched skin, but it's hard to know if they really help you avoid stretch marks... One thing is for sure, if they help you to Not Scratch, they're Totally worth it!!! Scratching just makes stretch marks worse...

The only stretch marks I have are under my belly, and they've faded a Lot in the last 4 yrs since I had my youngest. My mother didn't have many stretch marks from pregnancy either, but she does have them from losing a lot of weight at one point (after she quit smoking). IMO, the Vit.E helped me a Lot with my last 3 pregnancies, for 2 reasons: 1) the stretch marks I'd gotten before didn't get any worse, and 2) my 8 yr old was born with a true knot, but had no difficulties after he was born.

HTH~

 

[seamonster]

I'm 6 months along now and have gotten just a few more on my legs (got them from puberty) and a couple on my hips...nothing too bad yet. After reading Jgonz's post I am going to go get some vitamin E...I'm terrified of getting them on my tummy.

 

[~Mrs. A2J~]

Yeah what everyone else said. I have a "belt" around my waist of stretchmarks.

 

[CrystalBrooke]

I have a few on my tummy that are hardly noticable, but the ones on my hips, upper thighs and bottom are very noticable, they've lightened up, but you can still see them...lucky for me no one but hubby sees my upper thighs and bottom lol. Heredity has it's place I'm sure, but not in my case..my mother has had 3 kids and no stretchmarks to show for anything. I suggest Palmers CoCo butter for stretchmarks also, I used it for 6 months and then forgot to use it a few times and after that I started getting my stretchmarks..that may have been a coinsidence but I think it helped for 6 months.

 

[Sign Of The Fish Burger]

Very cool. Definitely interesting about the VitE thing- I will certainly have to remember that

 

[Evangelina]

Heredity has it's place I'm sure, but not in my case..my mother has had 3 kids and no stretchmarks to show for anything.

Maybe you inherited your dad's genes there... or missed out on your mum's 'stretchy skin' gene and just got her 'so-so skin' gene

(Not that I'd have a clue which one would be dominant... *ponder*)

 

[katelyn]

Yeah, I got stretch marks last time. I have some cream to put on them but I'm not disciplined enough to use it every day, so I can't say how well it would work. The worst ones last time were the ones that showed up on my inner legs after giving birth, but after a year all my stretch marks were barely noticeable, even by me. I don't seem to have many new ones this time at all.

 

[rainbowbright]

After having the twins, my stomach looks like a road map and all the stretch marks made my stomach darker. I had them a litlle bit with my first and second, but this last pregnancy put an end to me ever having a decent looking stoamch ever again

 

[ChildByGrace]

Going on from it being heredity etc i was wondering - does age figure in it at all?

I know that as you get older your skin gets less elastic so that if you loose weight you would have more of a tendancy to flappy skin (for want of a better phrase)
So does it mean that if you are older you are more likely to get them because of your skin being less elastic?

 

[jgonz]

Going on from it being heredity etc i was wondering - does age figure in it at all?

I know that as you get older your skin gets less elastic so that if you loose weight you would have more of a tendancy to flappy skin (for want of a better phrase)
So does it mean that if you are older you are more likely to get them because of your skin being less elastic?

I had my last 3 babies at 38, 40, and 42, and did not get any new stretch marks (just re-used the ones I had lol). I also was taking the Vit.E though, and using the Palmer's Cocoa Butter lotion on my belly. So in my case, I think it was a combination of things that kept mine from getting worse (I only have some under my belly, and like I said before, they've faded a Lot in the last 4 yrs since my youngest was born.)

 

[hisbloodformysins]

Going on from it being heredity etc i was wondering - does age figure in it at all?

I know that as you get older your skin gets less elastic so that if you loose weight you would have more of a tendancy to flappy skin (for want of a better phrase)
So does it mean that if you are older you are more likely to get them because of your skin being less elastic?

Not that I really know, but I think that your skin doesn't really start losing that much elasticitiy until you're in your 40's, maybe even later for some women. You still have pretty good skin in late 20's. (though I'm not feeling too young or youthful looking anymore)

HB

 

[ChildByGrace]

thanks.

how far into the pregnancy do you start using the cocca butter?

 

[Singin4Him]

I started using it at about 10 weeks or so.

 

[purpleunicorn_Andi]

mainly my understanding is the strech marks come from rapid weight gain and loss...because the skin doesn't have time to "bounce" back if the weight isn't put on gradually and taken off gradulally... and it isn't just pregnate women that get them...I've seen some on guys...

I've gotten a few from my first because I had so much fluid, but I don't really think they are too bad....