painful strechmarks-any tips?

[spongecake]

I have some stretch marks under my bump which are really painful -agony to move or bend-and I would welcome any tips on dealing with it from more experienced ladies. (am due in 1.5 weeks) thanks

Spongecake just wanted to offer my sympathy. Mine are sometimes really itchy, and then if they're not itchy, they really sting, you know, as if the skin is going to rip apart.

I moisturise them every day with non-perfumed stuff, and the other thing is, now I'm not in work, I make sure I always wear nice soft jogging bottoms so there is a layer of cloth between the bottom of my bump, and the top of my legs when I bend over, so the skin doesn't touch the skin. Also I have finally given in and started wearing giant cotton knickers that cover my entire bump. I couldn't look less sexy if I tried but I am finally past caring!

They still sting, but they would hurt much more if I didn't do all the above, iyswim.

Owww spongecake. I sympathise. I don't know if it's my stretchmarks or just the skin on my bump generally but the whole front of my bump (especially my bellybutton) is really sore. I put cocoa butter on it all the time, aloe vera gel (which is cooling and reduces inflamation) and like mossy wear the softest trackie bottoms I can find. And I only wear low cut shorts style pants. I find it helps if I remove all clothing from it of an evening too (if your family don't mind you wandering about like you're a member of the AllSaints )

cocoa butter liberally a lot
Also oil, even olive.
I've got an appendicitis scar from op at 21 wks and it's so itchy it's driving me truly mad
But regular CB and oil has helped LOADS
I put it on about 8 x a day though

thanks for all this- i have tried some lavender oil and some stuff i bought from neils yard for burns and scalds with lavender oil and aloe vera (for dp)

i just wear a smock thing all the time dp is in the restaurant all the time anyway, so no one sees me! have let the sun get to bump today.

the marks are really raised and sore-am scared they will hurt during labour- yet another thing to worry about.

Piffle, I don't know if the cocoa butter will work on me as I have really sensitive skin to anything perfumed, unless it is unperfumed?

But I will try moisturising the eight times a day (currently only do it twice a day - that's clearly where I'm going wrong!)

bio oil is meant to be dogs bollox...

bio oil is fab...

and if you want to push the boat out, elemis japenese camelia oil- knw about 4 people who have used this and never got stretch marks...not much use now though i guess

nothing will prevent stretchmarks if you are genetically pre-disposed to them, not even japanese elemis camelia oil, whatever that is! But Bio-Oil is supposed to be good at treating them once they've arrived.

strangely enough emma, i didn't get any when pg, despite being riddled with them from puberty

I got loads of stretchmarks on my breasts, inner thighs and lower back when I went through puberty and now I'm pregnant I've got a couple of faint marks on my belly (at nearly 36 weeks) but none on my breasts or my hips. The only place I've ended up with stretchmarks has been the only place I've been massaging with cocoa butter: going by your reasoning, you could say the cocoa butter caused the stretchmarks!

I'm just very sceptical of any "miracle stretchmark product" claims. Perhaps genetics aren't the only factor but they're definitely the main contributing factor, as anyone who doesn't have a vested interest in flogging over-priced cosmetics will tell you.