Bio-oil is it worth it?

[NoTeaForMe]

Hi,

I'm 36+5 and have gained a few stretchmarks, thankfully not many but I was so happy to have got this far without them and now they have suddenly appeared! Boo!

I keep hearing how amazing bio-oil is for stopping them and then reducing their appearance if you do get them. This sounds too good to be true, though 99% of reviews do seem to say it!

I have found it here it seems a good deal but have never heard of the company, anyone used them or can recommend somewhere else?

Thanks

I've used them for bio-oil! They are fab with cheap prices and quick delivery.

Hi there,
I like bio-oil myself, but to be honest I don't think any of them have been scientifically proven. I use it because I like it and thought it was worth a go, but medical opinion seems to be that stretch marks are genetic - end of.

Haven't heard of the site you mention but I buy it from Lloyds - always seems to be on offer.
www.lloydspharmacy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=1008&storeId=90&productId=16111&langId=-1

I don't know that it necessarily works. My sister used it and got loads, I hardly used it at all and have got none so far and I'm 39+4 and have put on 3 and a half stone. It makes your skin feel nice though.

I think they're definitely genetic. I got loads, and I really mean loads, when I had DD (coco butter obviously doesn't prevent them!) I figured I was just stuck with the ugly buggers. But I did try bio oil after about a year and I really do think it has made a difference, they seemed to be much less obvious. I just bought it from boots. I'll will def be using it this time round.

I started using bio oil but found it was a bit too perfumed for me and reacted with my skin. I switched to the body Shop Cocoa Body Butter as I figured it would do the same thing. I am 33 weeks with no stretch marks so far but to be honest I am pretty sure it's all genetic anyway. But that doesn't stop me lathering on my body butter morning and night! Makes me skin nice and soft at least.

i dont think it works. i used it post pregnancy for stretch marsk and nice skin but not much fade. however tons of sit ups and lots of firming body lotion (like loreal nutrilift best) seem to be reducing them alot plus its not greasy like the oil

i was surprised that something as well marketed as bio-oil has no evidence to back it up. not a single study has been published on it's effectiveness, which probably means it doesn't work any better than moisturiser

I have read that nothing stops s. marks if one is predisposed to them. I have been using bio oil and don't have any but my mom did not have one single stretch mark either. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I do find it very expensive though and yes, nothing has been proven that it actually works. So go figure...
M 36+4

The midwife said to my daughter that she found that fair haired people had less stretch marks than dark haired.

Dont know how true this is,or if she just had a lot of faired hair ladies.

my daughter is blonde and 27 weeks,and none up to now,but i know they usually come later.

Iam dark haired,and so is my mum and we both got them,so watch this space lol .

I use the cheap version of bio oil from poundland! It costs - you guessed it - a pound, and has exactly the same ingredients.

I used to use it on scars and it seemed to help - putting it on my face made me break out though.

no cream or oil will prevent stretch marks - they are caused by movement in the collagen underneath the outer layer of skin and nothing you apply topically to your skin will change that.
You will either get them or you won't.

I used bio oil up to about 20 weeks because everyone seems to rave over it, but I find it greasy and it doesn't absorb,leaving me unable to get dressed for ages.
Someone bought me some Avent Future Mother massage cream during the summer, (you can get it in the baby section at Boots) and this has been a godsend, absorbed within seconds, smells nice and leaves skin silky - far far better than bio oil in my opinion!
I'm 35 weeks now, had a lot of stretchmarks with two previous pregnancies but so far, no new ones at all. (Still time though!)

Whether you get stretch marks or not totally depends on your skin type. Also in pregnancy your skin stretches from the lower layers upwards so the stretchmarks tend to very deep. Creams and oils will help to reduce the appears of marks on the upper layers of skin but won't ever prevent or reduce the marks on the lower layers as it's just not absorbed that deeply. Bio oil is good for scars because they're on the surface of the skin but stretchmarks are too deep down to be really affected by it.

sorry that should be reduce the appearance

Hello!

Just a bit of a warning regarding stretchmarks.
I had none up until 39 weeks...then one morning BAM! I wokeup with a red corona around my belly button

The culprit I reckon, was that my washing powder was too harsh for my newly super-sensitive skin. After all the strain it was under, I suddenly had a horrible reaction to it and developed an itchy rash all over me, at about the same time as those stretchmarks appeared.

So whatever you choose to use, just be kind to your skin x

Hi,

I had a similar experience to thell, I didnt have any stretch marks, until I went over my due date. DS was 8 days late and I got the stretch marks in those last 8 days! I used bio oil all the way through, on the recommendation of my sis who didnt get any (her bump was quite small, I looked like I had swallowed a small whale)

I think it is part genetic (my mum has loads) part bump size.

Forgot to add, I didnt use anything after the birth and they have faded LOADS all by themselves (DS is 2) So dont worry, they fade anyway.

I had NO visible stretchmarks until I gave birth. I used Bio-Oil throughout pg. Imagine my horror a couple of days after when a small group turned up on my lower abdomen! They only showed when my tummy was going down! Massive sulks here...

check the ingredients - the main ingredient is parraffin aka mineral oil a by product of petroleum, which I prefer not to run on my body on a regular basis. I think its a con - flashed up baby oil well marketed. Mineral Oil is incredibly cheap.

bio oil ingredients

mineral oil

I made my own belly rub oil from a plain carrier oil (I used jojoba or grape seed oil) and then loaded it up with pregnancy safe essential oils (you'll need to do a bit of research on these but from memory neroili & mandarin were fine & very good for skin/stretch marks). I didn't get a single stretch mark on my belly though I have them on my hips from putting on weight as a teenager (so I thought I may have been susceptable)

I'm blonde and have humungous stretchmarks from last time. I seem to be bigger at every stage this time round, so I see no way how they're not going to get worse this time. Used Bio Oil religiously last time and it didn't do anything I can see. My mother never got them, but I do believe it's mostly genetic (maybe skips a generation?). I have bio oil this time but can't really be bothered to use it. I might try it afterwards and see if it makes them look better.

My stretchmarks showed up only after I'd given birth and my stomach was deflating.

As Ilovedonalddraper says nothing you apply to the skin will reduce strectchmarks.

However if you have lost and gained weight previously you are less likely to get them or if you are already a bit overweight because the tissues have already been stretched sloooooooooowly.

They also tend to show less on people with fairer skin because there is less contrast between the scar and the skin.

agree with ilovedonalddraper.

stretch marks are the collagen bundles tearing in the dermis. mineral oils cannot penetrate the dermis.

emu oil is one of the few oils that can penetrate the dermis but it is very expensive at £50 for 30ml and even then there is no evidence it actually works.

Gosh just googled a few of the other ingredients of "Bio" Oil:

CI 26100 - toxin, persistant accumulator in nature, thought to cause cancer here

BHT also controversial with many cosmetics companies replacing it since the 1970's en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butylated_hydroxytoluene

Triisononanoin has been determined safe for use however it alters the skins structure to allow increased absorbtion of the mineral oil, BHT & all the other ingredients here

Retinyl Palmitate - accelerates cancer in lab rats here

These ingredients aren't painting a pretty picture - even if they were proved to prevent stretch marks why would you choose to rub this much all over your beautiful belly?

I ment MUCK not much!