How To Prevent Stretch Marks During Pregnancy? – Being Parents

Stretch marks are one of the main puzzles for women during pregnancy. Due to the changes taking place in the body, they seem impossible to avoid.

But this is not quite true. Indeed, there are some ways to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy and to have a beautiful belly during and after this phase.

First of all, we want to clarify the naturalness of stretch marks. They are part of the normal development of pregnancy. However, since this is a complex problem for many women, here’s how to prevent it.

The causes of stretch marks

According to  Elizabeth Font: “Stretch marks affect a large number of pregnant women (75-95%). They are the cause of two types of factors: mechanical and hormonal ”.

The pharmacist explains that the mechanical factors are produced by “the increase in adipose and connective tissue”. Thus,  the volume of the body is affected because “the skin has distension”.

In addition, hormonal factors are associated with the increase in estrogen. This causes “a weakening of the collagen and elastin fibers. These supporting structures of the epidermis therefore become thinner and become deformed ”.

Habits to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy

Adequate nutrition

Eating healthy is imperative before, during and after pregnancy. Taking care of the skin is also essential. Its condition,  in addition to being largely linked to our genetic makeup,  is influenced by our diet. 

Therefore, it is important to include all the necessary nutrients for the skin to remain elastic and, at the same time, firm. We thus avoid the appearance of stretch marks.

The nutrient intake will depend on the foods we eat. The consumption of foods rich in silicon such as potatoes, beets, whole grains, spinach or chard,  naturally promotes the production of collagen. 

It is an element that is involved in maintaining the firmness of the skin. The same goes with foods rich in fatty acids such as avocado, dried fruit or coconut, among others.

Of course, we cannot miss  foods rich in vitamin C.  Indeed, they considerably improve the elasticity of the skin.

In addition, vitamin C acts against the harmful effects of radiation from the sun by preventing the appearance of stretch marks and scars associated with aging. Some of these foods are lemon, strawberry, papaya, pepper, or tomato.

It is also  very important to take in plenty of fluids in  order to expel toxins and keep the skin hydrated.

Constant hydration to prevent stretch marks

Spreading cream can be boring for some women, but when you are pregnant it has to be paramount. It is best to start long before the changes occur in the body. This is why “Prevention is better than cure”.

One way to hydrate regularly without forgetting is to spread cream or natural oils when you get out of the shower or the bath, during our skincare habits. The idea is that the cream or oil is completely absorbed. Thus, each of our skin cells are hydrated.

The best oils for moisturizing the skin are coconut oil, almond oil, and argan or rose oil. It will depend on the type of skin of each woman. Nevertheless, they are effective in terms of hydration.

Anti-stretch mark massages

It is a very relaxing way to avoid these marks on the skin. Massages can be performed with the same moisturizing oils or with a mixture of olive oil and wheat germ oil, for example. Stretch marks tend to appear on certain areas in particular. Here are the places where you should emphasize more:

Breasts

Put a little oil in your hands and make  circular and delicate movements, wrapping the inside of the breasts. Then massage towards the shoulders.

The belly

With the oil-soaked hands, perform  gentle, circular movements over the full extent of the stomach  until the oil is completely absorbed.

Hips and thighs

Always make circular movements  from the bottom to the top of the hips. Then reapply the oil on the buttocks and thighs. With a little more force so that the oil penetrates as it should.