What causes stretch marks during pregnancy?

Stretch marks are an enemy of every young woman's figure and they frequently appear during pregnancy. In fact, small women will find it nearly impossible to avoid stretch marks entirely. But, there are many things one can do to keep them at bay, both during as well as after pregnancy.

What Causes Pregnancy Stretch Marks?

Pregnancy stretch marks are caused due to the rapid growth of your body. The skin simply can't keep up with the pace and its elasticity begins to break down. Instead of stretching over the newfound girth, the skin starts to break, causing stretch marks. During pregnancy, stretch marks are most likely to occur on your abdomen, hips, thighs and buttocks.

Prevention of Pregnancy Stretch Marks

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Using a highly moisturizing lotion containing cocoa butter can greatly increase the elasticity of your skin and help prevent pregnancy stretch marks. However, this lotion needs to be applied on a daily basis, after you have your bath or shower as well as throughout the day on your problem areas. In addition, you need to take a hot shower in the morning as well as a hot bath in the evening, since the hot water helps to open up pores of the skin, allowing it to stretch a little more easily.

You can also work towards preventing pregnancy stretch marks in certain areas by restricting your diet. Many women are tempted to give in to their cravings and "eat for two" when actually it isn't necessary. Instead, you must try to maintain a healthy diet while you're pregnant. If you follow a healthy diet, you are likely to prevent rapid weight gain on your buttocks, hips and thighs, as well as prevent stretch marks.

Treatment for Pregnancy Stretch Marks

If preventative measures aren't enough, there are several treatments available today for pregnancy stretch marks. Cocoa butter helps with stretch marks for their treatment and as a preventative measure. This is good because in some cases, you may not even realize you have stretch marks on your belly until after you give birth and your abdomen begins to shrink. But, remember that cocoa butter generally works best when stretch marks are new - after some years, it won't work at all.

There are even clinical treatments available for treatment of stretch marks. Laser plastic therapy can eliminate stretch marks completely. Or, for those who can't afford expensive plastic surgery, there are many other clinical topical treatments which can be applied to decrease the appearance of stretch marks. These can be purchased from plastic surgeons, health and wellness stores, internet websites, and health- or beauty-related network marketing ventures.

Unfortunately, it's quite unlikely for your stretch marks to disappear completely. However, you should be able to effortlessly disguise them so that they're noticeable only to those who are actually looking for them or to those looking at you close up. As the only people likely to do this are either your spouse or your doctor, this might just be good enough for you!