Getting stretch marks during pregnancy is a really common thing. The bad part is that when you’ve got them, they mostly won’t go away that easily. In time they will fade from that first pink and purple to silvery grey, and they’ll be less noticeable. If you follow some advice for reducing stretch marks then you just might make them even less visible.
The ground rules for preventing stretch marks during pregnancy is exercising, eating healthy food, and keeping the skin moist. How moist your skin is largely depends on if you drink enough water and eat water rich foods, if you get the right nutrients that balance moisture, and also what climate you live in. For example if you live in a place with very dry air, which can be found both in warm and cold places, then your skin naturally gets less moist.
Of course, exercising and eating healthily means you’ll probably stay in a good zone of weight gain and not put on extreme amounts in little time. Gaining weight in an even pace is good if you want to avoid stretch marks, although it’s not really something you have total control over when you’re pregnant.
Another thing you can do to keep your skin elastic is to stretch your limbs regularly, for example through practicing yoga or pilates.
Keep eating nutritious foods like berries, dark leafy greens, avocados, fish, and products from pastured and wild animals. This is to make sure your skin has everything it needs to be strong, keep the collagen production high, and prevent skin damage.
While just keeping your skin moisturized is important, you’ll also want to use some strengthening and healing concoction on your skin. Natural belly balms and creams rich in vitamin E and healthy fats are great to keep your skin strong and elastic.
Avoid regular moisturizers from the pharmacy and retail stores, since most of them are filled with mineral oils and synthetic chemicals. Mineral oil is also known as paraffin wax, liquid paraffin, and petrolatum. It can clog your pores and then rip off the skin’s oils, leaving it dry and vulnerable. The safest thing is to stick to 100% natural creams.
Good examples of ingredients to look for are shea butter, jojoba oil, cocoa butter, active manuka honey, and grapeseed oil. In their unheated, natural state they are rich in healthy fats and nutrients that are especially good for stretch marks during pregnancy.
