At one point or another, every gestating mother has asked how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy.
Stretch marks occur when the skin is stretched past the point of elasticity, as is often the case when a mother is growing a belly to support her unborn child.
While stretch marks in pregnancy are sometimes a reality, there are methods that have proven to be effective in helping to prevent them.
How To Prevent Stretch Marks During Pregnancy
1) Exercise
When asking how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy, it is important not to discount the advantages of maintaining a healthy weight.
Participating in a regular exercise program is one way to accomplish this.
Moderate, daily exercise, under the advice and supervision of a midwife or obstetrician, can help you to maintain a healthy figure and reduce the sagging of the skin that often accompanies fast and unsteady weight gain.
You should strive to participate in some form of exercise at least three times a week unless your physician recommends otherwise.
2) A Healthy Eating Plan
Along with exercise, healthy eating is another method that is often recommended when you are seeking advice about how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy.
Following healthy eating, guidelines can assist you in gaining no more than the recommended 25 to 35 pounds that pregnancy brings.
In addition, healthy foods are full of vitamins and minerals that add strength and elasticity to the skin, helping it to stay strong when weight shifts do occur.
Balance is key to a healthy diet and it should always be the goal.
3) Hydration
Hydration may just be key when it comes to how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy.
Skin that is well-hydrated can remain elastic in nature, meaning it will prove successful in retaining healthy qualities even in the deepest layers.
You should strive to drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day, especially when you are concerned about how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy.
A slice of ginger can be added to water if you find it difficult to drink due to morning sickness.
4) Vitamins
Understanding how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy also involves understanding the importance of nutrition.
A body that is properly balanced when it comes to vitamins and minerals has resources that can help it to continue to look healthy.
Vitamins and minerals are important components of every organ in the body, including the skin. This is why a daily, high-quality vitamin should be incorporated into every pregnant woman’s diet.
5) Exfoliation
Weekly exfoliation is a great method that is often advised if you are wondering how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy.
A high-quality exfoliating agent can remove the dead skin cells that reside on the surface, allowing healthier skin cells to shine through.
This can reduce the appearance of stretch marks, if not the stretch marks themselves.
The key when understanding how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy is to only use a gentle exfoliating agent, in order to prevent scarring of the skin.
6) Moisturizer
Moisture and hydration are keys to healthy skin. Healthy skin is essential if you want to prevent stretch marks at any point in time and especially while you are pregnant.
Cocoa butter is an excellent moisturizer. When used daily, it can help to keep the skin supple and elastic.
There are also many companies in existence that believe they have discovered the secret of how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy, and they offer high-quality moisturizing products that can help in this regard.
7) Start Early
Once you have some ideas about how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy, you should immediately implement them.
Studies show that mothers who have the best results in preventing their stretch marks start using their program in the earliest months of pregnancy before their bellies begin to grow.
The Postpartum Period
Grasping the concept of how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy should not end for any woman after their child is born.
For several months after the birth of a child, a mother remains susceptible to stretch marks.
This is because a woman’s body continues to change after the pregnancy comes to an end since it will take some time for her to return to her pre-pregnancy weight.
You should continue to eat a healthy diet and use a daily moisturizer. In addition, an increase in exercise is sometimes beneficial in helping you to tone your skin and avoid further stretch mark damage.
Will These Methods Always Be Effective?
Once you understand how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy, you often wants to know if you can always be able to prevent them.
Unfortunately, the answer is no.
Some moms will have a few stretch marks after their pregnancy is complete regardless of their efforts.
The beauty of understanding how to prevent stretch marks is that you can use these methods to reduce visible stretch marks, even if you are not able to eliminate them completely.
If I Get Stretch Marks, What Can I Do Next?
When you end up with stretch marks despite all of your efforts in trying to understand how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy, it can be frustrating.
The first piece of advice that experts would recommend for you would be to not despair.
Stretch marks often fade in time and can even disappear. This is especially true for women who have taken efforts to prevent them, as their skin is typically healthier and able to restructure itself in time.
In extreme instance when stretch marks are severe, laser therapy is an option that might be worth exploring.
The Conclusion
Your body undergoes many changes during pregnancy and stretch marks can be among them. While stretch marks are a common concern for pregnant women everywhere, they are not without remedy.
Eating right, exercising regularly, exfoliating and keeping the skin hydrated are all ways in which you can avoid stretch marks. These are important things to consider for any woman hoping to understand how to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy.
