When women are pregnant, they strive to create the safest environment for their baby. They undergo various changes, whether it is abstaining from alcohol, caffeine, or maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
While taking care of their unborn child, they often tend to forget that their body needs attention too. As a result, most of them face the problem of ugly stretch marks after childbirth. However, this problem can be easily avoided with a little extra care.
Let's learn more about stretch marks, its causes and home remedies for stretch marks.
What Are Stretch Marks?
Stretch marks, also known as striae, are long, narrow lines or streaks that occur when the skin Keep track of too rapidly. They form scarring on the skin with an off-colour hue. Anyone can develop ugly stretch marks, although they tend to affect pregnant women more than any other individual.
What Are the Causes of Stretch Marks?
Excessive skin growth or contraction can cause ugly stretch marks. Other common causes of skin stretching include:
- Pregnancy: Approximately, 50-90% of pregnant women experience stretch marks during or after childbirth. Pregnancy is one of the most prevalent causes of stretch marks.
- Weight gain: Gaining a lot of weight in a short span of time can also cause stretch marks.
- Puberty: When puberty hits, an individual grows rapidly, which can lead to stretch marks.
Home Remedies for Stretch Marks
During pregnancy, the areas that are most prone to stretch marks are sides, tummy, lower back, thighs, and legs. Since these areas undergo the most strain as the baby grows, proper care should be taken to prevent stretch marks. Here are some home remedies for stretch marks after pregnancy.
Aloe vera contains antiseptic properties that help clear the ugly stretch marks. It also helps to heal rashes, cuts, burns, etc.
Usage: For application, remove the outer layer of the aloe vera leaf and scoop out the sticky gel. Use this aloe vera gel directly, let it dry, and wash off with water after 2-3 hours. Regular usage may result in reducing the appearance of the stretch marks.
Oils like olive, argan, coconut, and castor are rich in moisturising properties. They are full of antioxidants and other nutrients that are extremely good for repairing skin damage. Therefore, these oils alone or a mixture of these oils can help in treating the stretch marks.
Usage: Apply lukewarm oil on stretch marks and massage for 5-10 minutes. Rinse it after 2-3 hours. Repetitive use of the oils will help in fading stretch marks over time.
Cocoa or shea butter remedy is similar to oil treatment. It prevents dryness, improves the skin elasticity, and reduces the stretch marks. Besides, it helps nourish the skin.
Usage: Take some cocoa or shea butter and massage on the stretch marks regularly. Wash off the area after some time.
Potatoes contain starch and other skin lighting enzymes which help lighten the spots and blemishes from the skin. They bleach the skin and effectively reduce the presence of stretch marks when applied regularly.
Usage: Grate the potato and squeeze out the juice. Apply directly to the skin using a cotton ball. Let it dry. Later, wash it off after 15-20 minutes. Lemon juice can also be added to it for more effective results.
High in amino acids and proteins, egg white is an excellent food for the skin. When applied on stretch marks, it helps lighten the marks while also tightening the skin.
Usage: Separate the egg white from the yellow part. Apply directly to the skin. If the smell bothers, add lemon juice to it.
This nourishing mask is highly effective in reducing stretch marks. For preparing it, the ingredients required are:
- Beaten egg yolks
- Lemon juice
- 1tsp oatmeal
- Almond paste (optional)
- Milk to mix to a smooth paste
Usage: Mix all the ingredients, apply on the marks and let it dry. Wash off with tap water while scrubbing gently. Use this mask on alternate days for better results.
Gelatin contains collagen that is responsible for providing elasticity to the skin. Therefore, the consumptions of gelatin can also help in reducing stretch marks. Food like bone broth (chicken, lamb or beef) is an excellent source of gelatin.
How to Prevent Stretch Marks?
Prevention is always better than cure. Given that, here are some tips to prevent stretch marks.
It is rightly said, what one eats, reflects on their body. Thus, nourish the body from inside. Eat healthy meals that are especially beneficial for the skin and improve skin’s elasticity.
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Make exercise a part of the daily routine
Work out helps the skin retain its elasticity by improving the body's movement. In addition, exercise also helps prevent from gaining too much weight, too quickly. Therefore, include exercise in the daily routine for a more comfortable pregnancy.
As a matter of fact, weight gain is one of the important causes of stretch marks. Therefore, try to keep a healthy weight. Eating for two doesn't mean multiplying the diet with two. It means adding little extra calories to the diet and gaining weight gradually.
Keeping the water level in place is another way to prevent stretch marks. As water helps in detoxifying the body, it also helps in
increasing skin elasticity. Include foods like strawberries, watermelons, cucumbers etc. into the diet to keep water content adequate in the body.
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Use mild beauty and bath products
Many products like body washes and soaps contain sulfates, which can dry out the skin and reduce its elasticity. To avoid this, choose products that are made with natural oils and will hydrate the skin.
Consume vitamins C, E and D. As vitamins C and E contain collagen that helps in improving skin elasticity, vitamin D regulates new skin cell growth.
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Switch to comfortable clothing
Relaxed, supportive clothing can go a long way in preventing stretch marks after pregnancy. The choicest material during pregnancy is Spanx. It provides extra support to the bump and helps in avoiding lower back pain. Besides, it also supports abdominal skin as the baby grows.
There's no hard and fast rule to start using creams and moisturisers only after pregnancy. In fact, early usage of lotions and creams help in avoiding itchy skin and baby bump dryness. Therefore, in order to prevent stretch marks, use lotions or creams that contain collagen, as well as vitamins E, A, C, and K.
Stretch marks can be hideous, but they are a common problem after pregnancy. They cause no long-term health risks, and their treatment is potentially successful. However, a pre-care regime is always the best possible way to prevent stretch marks.
Jun 03, 2019
May 30, 2018