Stretch mark prevention

[Ngala]

Hey Ladies,

Just wondering what everyone uses to try and prevent stretch marks - do you buy something specail or is moisteriser OK? Stretch marks are ages away for me, but better to be prepared hey!

TIA

[hannanat]

Just make sure you keep moisturising. Dry skin makes you itchy and scratching causes stretch marks.

[chocolatecatty]

drink lots of water....eat things with zinc (snow peas have zinc).....but at the end of the day, you either have lots of elastin in your skin or you don't....
I used Palmers cocoa butter which might have helped slow them down? I reakon I stretched some more in labour too.....anyway. I'm now using Bio Oil to fade them.
Good luck!

[Ozziehoffy]

Is the Bio Oil helping that you can tell yet??

I used moisturiser religiously every day but still got them. I think it does really depend on your elastin and maybe size?? I'm only small boned and 5'2" and last pg - pre pg weight 45kg so I'm not sure if that's a factor as well.

[Karina]

I have been using Palmers cocoa butter. I'm not really pregnant enough to be getting stretchmarks yet so I dont know if its working to stop/lessen stretches, but it keeps my skin nice and moisturised. Its so dry and scaly if i dont use it.

I think some people are just more prone to them than others.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Body Shop Cocoa Butter and Boots Firming Gel - one is in the bedroom, the other in the bathroom, so it depends when I remember. Usually put on when I remember - either twice a day to once every three days. No stretch marks yet, but then there are some people who haven't spotted the bump yet, so that could be why.

[Lisa]

For me... the best stretch mark prevention would have been not getting pregnant !!! lol

With James... I tried everything... and I got stretch marks EVERYWHERE!!! So bad, that one of the midwives remarked that it looked like James was going to tear his way out.

I do agree with Natalie though, dry skin makes it itchy and therefore makes it worse.

[Netty]

I have used Bio Oil from day dot, once a day (now 25 weeks). I have a couple tha have just appeared on my hip but none on my big belly yet. I think to some extent if youare going to get them, you will get them no matter what you do.
THe coco butter gave me a bad itchy belly rash when I tried it :eek: went straight back to bio oil after that episode!