For the most part, the symptoms and side-effects of pregnancy will go away after a time. The weight that you gained during pregnancy can, eventually, be taken off. Morning sickness typically stops after the first trimester. Breast tenderness, while it might last as long as you are breast feeding, will eventually dissipate. Unfortunately, there is one side effect of pregnancy that does not tend to go away, and that is stretch marks.

Stretch marks are a form of scarring on the skin. They often will begin as a red or purple color, and over time will fade to a more glossy skin color that has silverish or whitish streaks. Stretch marks are created when the skin is stretched relatively rapidly due to pregnancy, gaining weight, or losing a lot of weight.

While stretch marks do not go away on their own, there are some things that you may be able to do to minimize them, if not make them go away. For example, there have been great advances in dermatological procedures in recent years. Using a chemical peel, dermabrasion, or even laser surgeries it may be that you can lessen or get rid of your stretch marks. Whether or not such a procedure will be successful depends on a number of factors, including your age, your skin tone, and other factors.

There are a variety of stretch mark treatments that are available over the counter as well. These usually take the forms of lotions or creams. For the most part, these lotions and creams have not necessarily been tested by the FDA for medical uses, so the degree to which they are successful at making stretch marks go away can vary greatly from one product to the next, and from one woman to the next.

The good news is that, if you maintain regular exercise and a proper diet, stretch marks should fade, to some degree or another, over time. If your stretch marks are severe and you have had little or no success with creams or lotions, you may consider speaking with your health care provider about medical options.

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