Who gets stretch marks?
Women tend to get them more than men, though men can get them too. They most commonly affect women in pregnancy – particularly in the second and third trimester when your bump is growing most quickly – but also affect children in puberty and anyone gaining weight quickly.
Annoyingly, they can also suddenly appear as you lose weight. Stretch marks are also genetic, so if your mum got them, chances are you will too.
Why use stretch mark creams?
The NHS says that there’s little evidence that any stretch mark creams work and that the best way to reduce your chances of getting them is to maintain a healthy body weight.
That’s sometimes easier said than done though, particularly if you’re pregnant, and it’s understandable if you want to do all you can to prevent them or get rid of them. Most of the lotions and potions on the market claim to work by hydrating the skin and keeping it supple and more elastic. To what extent you can affect what goes on in the dermis, as opposed to the top layer of your skin, is debatable, but it might be a case of every little helps.
Also, there are plenty of benefits to looking after your skin in pregnancy anyway, such as keeping your bump comfortable and reducing that itchy feeling as your skin stretches.
What can I do to avoid stretch marks?
You really can’t avoid them completely. If you’re genetically predisposed to them or you grow quickly, whether that’s putting on weight fast or carrying a baby that grows at a rate of knots, they’re just going to happen. The most important thing is to stick to a healthy diet and try to gain and lose weight at a steady pace as much as possible.
How long do stretch marks take to fade?
How long is a piece of (red and angry-looking) string? Most women say their stretch marks faded within six months to a year of giving birth, but it can take longer. For some women, they may never fully fade.
What is the best cream to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy?
There’s definitely more you can do to treat the appearance of stretch marks than there is to prevent or remove them. Creams such as Bio-Oil and Mustela come highly recommended for treating and/or preventing stretch marks - but really it's down to genetics whether you get them or not. And, according to the NHS, only solutions like laser treatments, retinoid and microdermabrasion will completely eradicate stretch marks and, even then, new ones can appear in the same places.
If you’re thinking of going down this route, always talk to your GP first and remember many of those types of treatment won’t be safe in pregnancy.
What natural remedies are there for stretch marks?
While there’s little evidence to back any definite theory here, anecdotally some natural products have been shown to help prevent or fade stretch marks. These include aloe vera, rosehip oil, argan oil, cocoa and shea butter, and coconut oil. The theory behind all these tends to be that they add elasticity to the skin to help prevent the dermis tearing as the skin grows. The key with them all is regular application – twice daily if you can – and giving your skin a good massage at the same time.
What is the most effective cream for stretch marks?
Stretch mark cream is quite a personal purchase - we think as a starting point, and certainly in terms of budget buys, you can't go far wrong with Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Massage Lotion at under £5 a bottle, but the scent may not appeal to all. In terms of stretch mark prevention, Mustela Maternite comes highly recommended by Mumsnet users and comes in an unscented option if you don't like strong smelling lotions. If you're after a belly butter, we like the Mama Mio Tummy Rub.
Which oil is best for stretch marks?
There are lots of oils available that claim to help with stretch marks. Choose one that you like the scent of (or is unscented) and look for ingredients such as olive oil and argan oil that make the skin supple and stretchier. We think Bio-Oil is a good choice and lots of pharmacists and midwives recommend it over any other oil.
When should I start using stretch mark cream during pregnancy?
You can start using stretch mark cream as early as the first few weeks of pregnancy to help prepare and moisturise your skin before it starts stretching. No cream can guarantee you won't get stretch marks, but moisturising and caring for your skin during pregnancy can certainly help ease any discomfort from itching or dryness.
How we chose our recommendations
It’s very difficult to test the efficacy of stretch mark treatments in any scientific way simply because there’s little evidence to say whether they do or don’t prevent them. Even in a testing situation, the fact that someone doesn’t get stretch marks could simply mean they were never likely to get them in the first place rather than that a cream has prevented them.
So we based our recommendations largely on empirical evidence from Mumsnetters about what had worked for them in pregnancy. When looking at treatments to fade rather than prevent stretch marks, it was easier to measure success and identify products that worked.
We trawled the Mumsnet forums for conversations about creams and oils that worked for mums and made careful notes about which had the best hit rate. We then looked at reviews across the media, both in the parenting and beauty sectors, to find out which products were rated most highly by reviewers and which scored best in their testing.
We then collated this list of products with our own to come up with the best stretch mark creams and oils that we think offer something for every taste and budget
About the author
Mum-of-three Jenny Wonnacott is a Content Editor for Mumsnet, specialising in writing, editing and optimising pregnancy care and child play content.
Before joining the content team at Mumsnet, Jenny worked as a journalist for newspapers, radio, TV and b2b trades magazines for over a decade. She is also a bestselling sci-fi author (writing as J M Briscoe) and parenting blogger.
As a parent of three primary school-aged children, Jenny is passionate about making Mumsetters' lives easier through rigorous research of all items recommended in buyers' guides such as these, as well as product reviews and expert advice on all things pregnancy and child play related.
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