Stretch marks during pregnancy are inevitable for new mothers. And since they are mostly genetic in nature, whether you’ll have them or not, will depend on if your mother had them.The stretch marks pop up at about 13 to 21 weeks and are prominent on lighter skin tones. They appear as pink, red, yellow, tan, purple-ish or brown streaks on your belly, butts, thighs, hips or breasts.
But did you know that It is much easier to prevent these scars from occurring in the first place? Yes, that’s right. Scroll down for some useful tips that’ll help prevent stretch marks during pregnancy.
- 01. Try to manage your weight
- 02. Keep your skin moisturised
- 03. Keep up your hydration levels
- 04. Tend to irritated skin right away
- 05. Enrich your diet with healthy skin foods
01. Try to manage your weight
One of the best ways to prevent stretch marks is to manage your weight gain as much as possible. Rapid weight gain can stretch your skin, leading to streaks and marks that get more prominent when you lose the weight. Consume a healthy diet and ask your doctor about effective ways to control your weight gain during pregnancy. A steady amount of weight gain will reduce the chances of developing stretch marks; so keep an eye on that scale!
02. Keep your skin moisturised
Regularly moisturising your skin will help strengthen its lipid barrier and improve its elasticity. While there is no magical cure for stretch marks, ingredients like cocoa butter, shea butter, glycerine, and other emollients will help deal with them better. Your skin will also feel dryer during pregnancy, so lathering up with lotion every morning will do you some good.
BB picks: Vaseline Intensive Care Cocoa Glow Body Lotion
03. Keep up your hydration levels
It is essential to maintain your hydration levels from the inside as well. Well-hydrated skin is soft, supple and much more adaptable to changes in your body. Maintaining proper skin hydration will also help your skin to repair itself better and keep stretch marks at bay. Cutting out dehydrating beverages, like caffeine, from your diet can also keep dehydrated skin in check.
04. Tend to irritated skin right away
Even if you cannot prevent stretch marks from occurring, you can reduce their severity and make them less noticeable. To do this, watch out for the first signs of stretch marks, which is inflamed, dry, tight and patchy skin. Do not wait for the marks to develop and take yourself to your doctor for treating stretch marks as soon as they appear. Meanwhile, take the help of soothing ingredients like colloidal oatmeal, lavender, bisabolol, liquorice and others to help bring down inflammation as much as possible.
BB picks: Love Beauty & Planet Argan Oil and Lavender Aroma Soothe and Serene Body Lotion
05. Enrich your diet with healthy skin foods
Chances are you are already on a good diet plan while pregnant, but ask your doctor about adding the right skin foods in your diet as well. Some of the nutrients that help build up skin endurance and boost collagen are vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, zinc and proteins.
Main image courtesy: @kareenakapoorkhan
Written by Sumona Bose on Jan 07, 2021
Sumona Bose is a writer, skincare junkie and a self-professed makeup connoisseur. Equipped with a Master's degree in Fashion Management and over 3 years of experience writing in the beauty and fashion space, her passion for learning new things has no bounds. Working closely with dermatologists, beauty excerpts, makeup artists and hairstylists, she brings you the best of all things beauty. From trending skincare ingredients to makeup looks that help you slay, she manages to bring something new (and vital!) to our readers every single time. Her hobbies include home workouts, watching foreign films and binge-watching makeover shows!