What Are Stretch Marks?

Stretch marks are at best, fine pink lines that appear around the fourth month of pregnancy. They can appear on the arms, thighs, buttocks, breasts and most commonly the abdomen.

They occur in 50 to 90% of women for a variety of reason and can range from the silvery pink color mentioned above to bright red or purple lines.

*So what causes them to form in the first place? The weight gain is stretching the dermal collagen and elastin beyond breaking point and what you see are the scars formed as the fibres separate.

*As I mentioned above, stretch marks are forming deep within the skin, so massaging the skin with oils and creams will make you feel better, but unfortunately, you can't prevent them from occurring.

*Actually, the amount of stretch marks you will have is genetically decided for you. If your mother and grandmother had stretch marks, chances are, you will too.

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Hot Mama ! Beauty Tips for Expectant Moms

How to fight stretch marks, undereye circles & problem skin

Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful times in a woman's life, however, you might not feel so gorgeous when you're battling a few of motherhood's downfalls, including stretch marks, undereye circles and problem skin. Here we run down a few solutions to typical pregnancy problems.

Problem #1: Stretch marks

If you are genetically prone to stretch marks, there's not much you can do to prevent them. Stretch marks occur when skin grows too fast for its fibers to handle. These can tear, leaving violet-colored marks. To help improve your skin's elasticity, you can rub your belly several times a day in a circular motion with creams or oils that contain cocoa butter, vitamin E or sweet almond oil. (A big fave with pregnant celebs is Bellamama cocoa butter, bellamama.com.)
Once the baby is born, you can treat stretch marks with StriVectin-SD, perhaps the most well-known product for marks. .

Problem #2: Brown spots

Pregnant women are susceptible to splotchy pigmentation. These brown spots are caused by hormones and sun exposure and are aggravated by the sun. To prevent brown spots, use a sunscreen with at least 15 SPF. To lighten dark patches you can try topical vitamin C serum under moisturizer. Trish McEvoy makes an amazing vitamin C product.

Problem #3: Lifeless Hair Color

While it's true hormonal changes during pregnancy will make hair stronger and shinier than ever, hair benefits usually kick in after the first trimester, according to Marie Claire's, "Hair & Makeup" book. In the first three months, oil can be oily due to overactive sebaceous glands. To battle oily hair, Marie Claire suggests washing hair daily with a mild shampoo. Some women experience dry hair during pregnancy. Using a moisturizer daily and a deep conditioning treatment weekly will help.

Many pregnant women avoid getting their hair colored during pregnancy, however, medical experts agree it's safe to color your hair after your first trimester. Consider highlights over a full color. Many women opt for vegetable dyes during pregnancy. The fewer chemicals to touch your scalp, the better.

Problem #4: Dry skin and acne

These problems are also effects of hormones. The only thing you can really do is moisturize nd exfoliate daily. For a lists of great moisturizers for all body types see this article. Keep in mind that this is NOT the time to use products like Retin-A, salicyclic acid or benzoyl peroxide.

Problem #5: Dark undereye circles

There's no real way to fix undereye circles, however, there are 3 options available to you for covering them up.

Problem #6: Sore muscles

Prenatal massages are great for expectant moms but wait until after the first trimester. Massages relax both mom and baby. You can expect work on your lower back.

Problem #7: Varicose veins

The American Institute of Preventive Medicine offers these suggestions to help prevent them from forming: wear elastic support stockings, elevate legs when resting and take long or short walks every 45 minutes during long flights or car rides. Avoid standing for long periods and don't cross legs when sitting (like you can do this when heavily pregnant!).

Problem #8: Aching legs and feet

To ease foot soreness, soak feet in a cool bath sprinkled with a capful of Epsom salts, then follow with a foot cream with menthol. You might also invest in special medical socks that keep fluid from buiding up. See supportsockshop.com for more information.

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Understanding Stretch Marks

We have three layers of skin: the epidermis, or outer layer; the dermis, or middle layer; and the subcutaneous stratum, or deepest layer. Stretch marks (also known as stria atrophica and striae distensae) occur in the dermis, the elastic, resilient middle layer that allows skin to retain its shape. If stretch marks formed on the skin's surface, they'd be much easier to treat. When the dermis is constantly stretched over time, the skin becomes less elastic and the connective fibers break. The result is the markings we know as stretch marks.

Depending on your natural skin coloring, stretch marks begin as raised pink, reddish brown or dark brown striations that then turn a brighter violet or purple. Gradually these bright marks flatten and fade to a color a few shades lighter than your natural skin tone. They usually become less noticeable over time.

Stretch marks can appear anywhere on the body where the skin has been stretched (often as a result of weight gain). They're most likely to appear in places where fat is stored: the abdomen, breasts, upper arms, thighs and buttocks. They pose absolutely no health risk and don't compromise your body's ability to function healthily; they are purely a cosmetic issue and need to be treated accordingly.

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Preventing Stretch Marks

Imagine a balloon that has been blown up and then deflated. No matter how much you blow it up again, it has lost much of its original elasticity and will never look quite the same. So it is with stretch marks. They don't go away entirely. The key is to find ways to reduce their appearance. The earlier you begin treating stretch marks, the more likely you are to lessen their appearance; they are much easier to treat when they first appear as raised red or reddish brown marks. Once they begin to flatten and fade, they become less obvious and are more difficult to treat.

About 75 to 90 percent of all pregnant women (90 percent of white women) develop stretch marks during pregnancy. The sustained stretching on the abdomen as a result of weight gain usually means stretch marks will appear during the sixth or seventh month of pregnancy. But pregnant women aren't alone in being susceptible. Adolescents experiencing a growth spurt and athletes (especially bodybuilders who practice strenuous and repetitive exercise) are likely to get stretch marks, as is anyone who gains or loses a significant amount of weight in a short period of time.

If you never gain weight for any reason over the course of your life, you are not likely to develop stretch marks. But those of us who carry children or simply put on weight are likely candidates, as are those of us who practice strenuous and repetitive exercise. Some say that as our skin structure is genetically determined, we are predisposed to developing stretch marks; others disagree, pointing to the fact that there are ways to help prevent stretch marks. Prevention takes diligence, but certain things can help: Massage your skin with a massage brush or glove to increase circulation; apply moisturizing cream to the area of concern on a daily basis to keep the skin supple; and eat foods that contribute to the overall health of the skin, such as those high in vitamins C and E, zinc and silica (which helps to form collagen).

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Is It Possible To Get Rid Of Stretch Marks?--Fighters, Fixers and Facts You Need To Know

If you're like most women you're probably used to seeing air-brushed bodies in ads, fashion spreads and magazine covers. And you may not know that the large majority of the women, girls and even men have stretch marks. Why? Because growing causes them. If growth spurts during adolescence don't create these tiny skin tears, they will form at any time in your life when you suddenly get bigger, whether your stretched skin comes from bulging muscle, fat or pregnancy. (Ninety percent of women get stretch marks while they are pregnant.)

What can you do about stretch marks? First, be patient. Your reddish-purplish marks will eventually fade in color. Whether or not the marks disappear has to do with your skin type; the depth of the stretch marks and your determination to treat them. If you want a barometer of how your body will handle stretch marks, think of how your scars fade. Stretch marks are, in fact, tiny scars, formed when the lower layers of skin tear because they don't stretch as fast as upper layers of skin.

In some people it can take months and years for stretch marks to fade into barely-seen thin lines. In others, stretch marks may be thick and sit like scars on top of the skin, or as grooves in the skin. Doctors say it's possible topical creams can speed the fading process but there is no guarantee the treatments will make stretch marks invisible. If you go that route, you'll get the best results if you start early, as soon as stretch marks form. Prepare to be vigilant. Most products need to be applied two or three times a day.

"It's high- maintenance treatment but I've seen some results," says dermatologist Dr. Vivian Bucay, assistant clinical professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center. "I recommend a combination of treatments," she says, "beginning with an over-the-counter product like StriVectin-SD, which contains peptides," She says these non-irritating ingredients have been shown to stimulate the production of collagen in the skin, and can be found in a number of products, including Kinerase C6 Peptide Intensive Treatment and Olay's Regenerist. "If patients can tolerate it, I also give them a prescription for Retin-A, which helps rejuvenate skin, although Retin-A is too drying and irritating for some patients." In both cases products have to be applied at least twice a day, she says. The manufacturer of StriVectin-SD, which contains a patented oligo-peptide, claims the product can make a difference on older stretch marks. The company says in clinical studies their peptide performed better than retinol, vitamin C and a placebo.

If you have new stretch marks you may also want to try Mederma, a cream formulated to minimize scars. It contains a botanical mix of ingredients the company calls Cepalin which softens and smooth scars. It needs to be applied two to four times a day for at least eight weeks.

Or, you can grow to accept your stretch marks, comforted by the fact that nearly everyone has them. If you're OK with them but don't want to flaunt them, you can always diminish the appearance of stretch marks by using self-tanning products. There are dozens of sunless tanning products to choose from. St. Tropez Tinted Self Tanning Lotion claims to go on skin streak-free and hide stretch marks, varicose veins, and vitiligo.

source from http://beauty.ivillage.com