Somewhere around half of all pregnant women will develop stretch marks during their pregnancy. Most often, stretch marks will occur on the abdomen during pregnancy. Still, it isn’t at all unheard of for stretch marks to show up on the lower back, hips, buttocks, breasts, and upper arms. Really, there are few places that stretch marks cannot occur during pregnancy.

Stretch marks occur when skin is stretched beyond its normal elasticity. Stretch marks are actually a form of scarring on the skin. When a person gains a large amount of weight, or gains weight too rapidly, stretch marks are likely to occur. Obviously, this makes pregnancy a common cause of stretch marks. Knowing this, there are some things that you may be able to do to minimize or even prevent stretch marks during pregnancy. Gaining the recommended amount of weight, and gaining it slowly and steadily can help. Rapid weight gain will only exacerbate the stretch mark problem. Keep in mind here that you should still be gaining the required amount of weight, as not gaining enough weight can be harmful to both you and to your baby.

Making sure that your skin is moisturized throughout your pregnancy may help to prevent or lessen stretch marks during pregnancy as well. There are a variety of skin products available to accomplish this task. There are even some moisturizing creams that are specifically designed to help reduce or prevent stretch marks. There are also plant-based oils and lotions, some of which use herbs like chamomile and other ingredients like Vitamin E to help reduce the impact of stretch marks. In addition to helping both your health and your baby’s health, eating a balanced and healthy diet can help to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy. Specifically, good nutrition will help to strengthen your skin and to make it more healthy, and help it to stretch easier and to contract back after you have given birth. While it may not be entirely possible to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy, following these steps may lessen their impact, and may even lessen their severity.

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