A good stretch mark cream?

Question

I just found out that I am pregnant, and wondered if anyone could recommend a good cream to prevent stretch marks. Something that I could buy at the store, not online. Thanks!

Answer 1

What are stretch marks?
Stretch marks are small, depressed streaks in your skin caused by tiny tears in the elastic supportive tissue that lies just underneath your skin and helps the skin stretch. They start out pink, reddish brown, or very dark brown, depending on the color of your skin, and later fade, though never totally disappear. Stretch marks most often appear on the abdomen in the later stages of pregnancy when the belly is rapidly expanding to accommodate a growing baby. Some women also get them on their buttocks, thighs, hips, or breasts. At least half of all pregnant women get stretch marks, although they're less common among women with dark skin.

How can I tell if I'll get them?
It depends mostly on how elastic your skin is, and that's a matter of genetics. If your mother or sister got stretch marks during pregnancy, you're more likely to. Whether you'll get them also depends on how much and how fast your skin has to stretch during your pregnancy. "The skin is very elastic, but the weight gain that comes with pregnancy can be pretty dramatic, and sometimes it's more than the skin can handle," explains Alexa Boer Kimball, an assistant professor of dermatology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. For this reason, you're more likely to get stretch marks if:

• You gain a lot of weight rapidly.

• You're carrying multiples.

• You're carrying a big baby.

• You have excess amniotic fluid.

What can I do to prevent them?
Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do. Gaining no more than the recommended amount of weight (in most cases 25 to 35 pounds) and gaining it slowly may help reduce your chances of getting stretch marks. There's no proof that any of the creams, salves, and oils that claim to prevent stretch marks actually work. (Keeping your belly well moisturized as it grows may reduce itching, though.)

Will they ever go away?
The good news is that stretch marks usually become considerably less noticeable about six to 12 months after childbirth. The pigmentation in them fades and they generally become lighter than the surrounding skin (the color will vary depending on your skin color), but their texture will remain the same.

Is there anything I can do to get rid of them later?
If your stretch marks still bother you after your pregnancy, talk to a dermatologist about ways to minimize them. Some studies have shown that topical ointments, such as tretinoin cream (Retin-A) may help with stretch marks when applied after your baby is born. However, to have much of an effect at all, these creams must be applied relatively soon after you give birth, while the streaks are still the same color they were during pregnancy. (Note: Retin-A is not safe to use during pregnancy and there's no reliable information on the amount excreted in breast milk or its effect on a nursing infant, so it's best avoided while breastfeeding.) And although Retin-A can improve the appearance of stretch marks, it doesn't do much to change the quality of the connective tissue itself, so it won't change the texture of the marks or any sagging of the skin around them.

There's some evidence that laser treatments can help restore the skin's elasticity and also change the pigmentation so the stretch marks better "match" the rest of your skin. Unfortunately, this kind of procedure, which is done for purely cosmetic reasons, isn't covered by insurance.

Congratulations on being pregnant! I'm excited for you!

Answer 2

I use Bio Oil and Cocoa Butter. I have still gotten stretch marks but I think using the above products has helped to keep them to a minimum. I find that if I don't use them for a couple of days the stretch marks look worse so I assume it's helping =] All the best xx

Answer 3

There is no good stretch mark cream i have tried them all the only thing that has been working lately is SUAVE cocoa butter
i have been using it 2x per day for a year and a half now and i am getting good results but it takes alot of time

Answer 4

Palmer's cocoa stretch mark cream, and Vitamin E....BUT lol if your mom had stretch marks, you are most likely to get them too. My Dr. told me that the lotions work but not 100 % because stretch marks are hereditary. Good luck

Answer 5

I understand that you are predisposed to strech marks, depending on your skin. Regardless, I didn't want to take that chance and find out the hard way. So, I am now 8 months pregnant and use baby oil when I get out of the shower each day, then put some Nivea Q10 firming cream on after that dries. So far so good, this is my second pregnancy and I don't have any strech marks yet.

Answer 6

Congratulations on your new baby. Palmers brand works good, they have all types of stuff even a product that will help with the itching. I found it to work good. You can purchase Palmers products at any store but I found that by going to the Motherhood Maternity store they have a different size bags that you can buy instead of going to Walmart or other stores to purchase each item seperately. Things with shea butter in them also works well. Try taking a bath with shea butter it makes your skin supple so it will not stretch. Also it depends on whether your mother has them because doctors have been known to say that it is hereditary.

Good luck and Congratulations!!

Answer 7

Anything with Cocoa Butter or Shea Butter. As long as vasaline isn't one of the first ingredients on the back. Vasaline won't do a damn thing. Palmer's specializes in stretch mark prevention cream. Its the one with the pregnant lady on it. And it smells good!

Answer 8

You can't prevent stretch marks. They're caused by your belly stretching so far out for so long a period. Eventually your skin loses its elasticity. Nothing short of cosmetic surgery can get rid of them. As for preventing them...I've heard cocoa butter helps, but I don't see how. It doesn't have rubber extract in it that's going to make your skin regain elasticity. Take heart...you might not have any stretchmarks. I've been pregnant twice in two years, and I don't have any.

Answer 9

I tried cocobutter in the beginning, but the smell really sickened me. I asked my doctor what I should use, and he said everyone uses cocobutter because they did a good job marketing it as a stretch mark cream. However, it's not the only thing you can use. He recommended Cetaphil cream (plus it's unscented and hypo-allergenic, which was good for my eczema). I also use Kiehl's body massage oil after showers, which is super-emollient. Good luck!

Answer 10

Avon has some good creams to use.

If the link below dos'nt take you to the stretch mark items, then do a search for it.