Oyster Woman and Child Specialty Hospital, a dedicated state of art hospital for mother and child devoted to providing ethical, evidenced based, patient integrated holistic care.
Every woman in this world wants their skin to be flawless, shiny and soft texture. Today let’s discuss about stretch marks in pregnancy. What are stretch marks? Why do they appear? Who are more prone to develop? What are the preventable tips?
Stretch marks are narrow lines that develop on the skin usually on lower abdomen, flanks and sometimes on buttocks and breasts. It is basically due to rapid stretching of the dermis layer of the skin.
If you are obese before pregnancy or if your mother had stretch marks, then there are greater chances that you probably too might develop. It also depends on the elasticity of your skin.
Tips to prevent stretch marks:
- Steady weight gain in pregnancy
Normally the total weight gain in pregnancy on an average should be around 11-13kgs.
1st trimester (<12 weeks): 1-2 kgs (You might even lose weight in first 3 months of pregnancy if you have nausea and vomiting)
2nd trimester (12+1weeks to 28 weeks): Approx 4-5 kgs
3rd trimester (28+1weeks to 40 weeks): Approx 4-5 kgs
- Hydration: Minimum 3-4 litres of water intake/day is very important
- Diet: Healthy balanced diet is very important rather than quantity of food what you eat. Diet rich in Vit C (oranges, lime, berries), Vit A, Vit D and food rich in zinc and antioxidants is very important to maintain the integrity and elasticity of your skin. It also helps in healing & regeneration of tissues.
- Exercise: Regular stretching exercise in pregnancy and yoga will help in achieving steady weight gain. Walking for minimum 15 to 20 mins after each meal is equally important.
- Skin Care: Lot of products in the market are available which claim to prevent stretch marks. None of the products can give you 100% results. From second trimester onwards ( 4th month of pregnancy), application of coconut oil/ almond oil to your skin before shower followed by gentle massage of abdomen with moisturizer after bath for about 10 minutes may be beneficial.
Let’s take it with a pinch of salt and understand that stretch marks in pregnancy cannot be prevented 100% but the above tips will help in reducing them. Let’s embrace this sign of motherhood in our life.
Following delivery of the baby, the stretch marks do reduce in size and fade and become white and slightly shiny. So, maintaining healthy balanced diet, adequate water intake and exercises are of equal importance after delivery too.
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