Should I buy something to prevent stretch marks or is it a waste of time?

[barbareebaa]

What do you think?

I'm 19 weeks preg (almost!!) and my friends say I should be putting something on my little bump.

Do stretch mark creams/ lotions work?

Someone recommended bio-oil but its tres expensive and I don't want to buy it if I'm going to get stretch marks anyway...

what about palmers cocoa butter?

Any advice would be gratefully received!!

I don't get why people think Bio Oil is expensive.
I bought some the other day for £12.99
A 200ml bottle.
Last time, I slapped it on like it was going out of fashion and still had loads left.
So £12.99 , say over a 6 month period is not that bad.
I don't think it matters what you use though. I didn't get any last time. I might get loads this time.

my body seems to find a new place for stretch marks each time! Got them on my thighs and calves in puberty. Breast with dc1 hips with dc2 a few extra on hips and a couple of stomach with dc3 and now 13 weeks in with dc4 ive already got one extra on my stomach .. if i have any more children ill be covered with the things head to toe!!

Forgot to add that I'd already got stretchmarks leftover from puberty on my boobs and hips. The ones I got from my pregnancies were actually just extensions to old ones, one on the left for baby#1, on the right for baby#2!

Forgot to add that I'd already got stretchmarks leftover from puberty on my boobs and hips. The ones I got from my pregnancies were actually just extensions to old ones, one on the left for baby#1, on the right for baby#2!

Liberally applied wheatgerm oil (or olive oil - cheapo!) everyday once the bump appeared (boobs too) and no stretch-marks . No chemicals to worry about, and found it helped with itchyness too.

My sister did get them big time (not sure if she moisturised), though she was a bit overweight to start.

also read something about what you eat helping - omega3 oils and other stuff like avocado ,olive oil in your diet.

Heheh, this baby has seriously demanded a fortnightly fry-up since conception.

i think that they work i used advent body lotion with shea butter in for dd1 and hardly had any stretchmarks so using it now 2

I haven't used anything and don't have stretchmarks. For those of you who think I'm feeling smug; I'm not - I have mahoosive varicose and spider veins from my feet to my knees

I have used everything from Clarins to jonsons and johnsons.. I have no stretch marks but I think it is because I am Religious (!) about applying morning and night!

Bio OIl might seem expensive but well worth it pre and post baby I bought mine at 15weeks and now 35 and have only used a 1/3 of the bottle.

Worth every penny and helps any stretch marks you do get fade afterwards.

I use almond oil ( which is very cheap as well) and a cream called Relastyl.

I've used Vaseline Intensive Care moisturiser through all my pg's and i'm back to using it this time - i'm pg with no5 and have no stretch marks at all (fingers crossed)

When I was pregnant with twins I wondered if I'd get stretch marks as I got a seriously huge bump (measuring 48 weeks by the time I got to 38 weeks!).

The consultants and midwives all said the same thing, that it was completely dependent upon your skin type and that no lotion or potion would make the slightest difference.

I didn't get a single stretch mark and my mum who has a similar skin type didn't get any with any of her five pregnancies. One advantage of having a tendency to a shiny nose!

I think it will depend on your skin type and nothing else - so I wouldn't personally spend a fortune on magic creams.

I used various homemade mixtures of olive oil, pure shea butter, almond oil. No stretchmarks in 2 pgs, though I did get them as a teenager, and I put on 10kg (not including the baby) in each pg, so quite a bit.

I didn't go over term though, I think that can make a difference. Lots of people seem to get them in the last couple of weeks.

My sister in law bought me this, a bit pricy but it did really work, no stretch marks at all and i'm 40!

All the friends that I have that avoided stretch marks delivered at 38 weeks or earlier. I was really smug about the lack of mine until 38 weeks, and then they spread up my stomach in droves.

no dont waste your money!! eat plenty of bananas instead these have loads of potasium in which helps keep skin elasticy!!

I wish I hadn't gone on this thread
I just woke up with about a dozen large stretchmarks this morning
am 37.5 weeks
same thing happened last time, around 38 weeks IIRC
shit happens

like every other product i've ever bought, my bump lotions stayed unused on the shelf. god, i'm lazy. no stretch marks here, and my mum didnt either. went to 42 weeks. have cottage cheese lakes where my thighs used to be but i guess that's the price you pay for being so pregnant at creme egg time of year...

I didn't put much weight on at all. But I did go overdue. My stretch marks were terrible really really deep and very sore. 2 years later and they are hideous big silver wrinkles. I even have them on my fanjo . I'm now rubbing a stretch mark fading cream in every day and hoping for the best. I have a better figure than I've ever had after having children, but I still can't show it off . Hey ho.

Does seem to be that the creams won't stop you from getting them if you're genetically predisposed.
I think they can minimise the effects though... but also diet can too (i.e. food you eat rather than restricting food!).
E.g. Vitamin E is supposed to be really good for skin, so am making the most of summer and eating avocados regularly (one of the best sources of Vit E and also has "good fats" which are good for the skin too).

Personally, am also using Mama Mio stuff to ward of the stretch marks as have heard rave reviews about it (and Bio oil too!). So far so good, but still got a couple of months to go!

Also - I gather the creams etc work better if you gently exfoliate regularly before applying and you use them both morning & night rather than once a day.

Who knows.... I just figure that it's worth trying!

Didn't get stretch marks on my bump but got light ones on my boobs (32E to 32F though!). Used bio oil, palmers and boots own strch marks body butter through out, clarins is supposed to be good too.

Pure vit e is brilliant for fading the appearance of strtch marks and scars you can get it from the body shop.

Best of luck! x

that should say 32C to 32F quite an increase!