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 did nothing abou stretch marks, and got none. Until after I put on a bit more weight when breastfeeding, then for some reason I got some fine ones on my back. .

I think either you get them or you don't but using lannolin based products can reduce redness/ease itching, as can regular exercise to keep your skin supple and drink plenty of fluid to keep your skin rehydrated, these things will just as easily reduce the noticeability of any stretch marks that you may get.

I got stretchmarkd during puberty - legs n bum. hve always used body lotion and used mama mio oil and body butter and didnt get one stretch mark?! Could just be luck but i'd put something on anyway.

Look at your mum and sisters if they didn't get any then chances are you wont either.
The best thing you can do is eat well and DRINK WATER. Hydrated skin will stretch better. All the oils in the world wont stop you from getting stretch marks but it can't hurt to use something. I used almond oil and vitamin E pills (the ones you eat) pop one with a pin and spread over your tummy, thighs, bum twice a day. It's quite thick like the bio oil but not half as expensive, keeps your skin really supple and no other chemicals either. Good luck and don't panic too much if you do get them, they will fade.

One of my friends used Bio Oil and didn't get any stretchmarks, so I decided to try it.I didn't get any, but not sure if it's becuse of the Bio Oil or not. I'd use it. One large bottle lasted me almost through the whole pregnancy.

Rashmi, it will go on its own-and then you'll miss it!

Hi
I am 31 weeks pg and I have been using the Mother's Balm by Neil's Yard, I am not sure these products are really effective, but my skin is very supple and I did experience virtually no itching.

Used Bio Oil every day and got them in week 38. Grrrrr.

Still use Bio oil now to try and fade the buggers (plus my section scar) and they have faded significantly 9 months on.

Had my little munchkin 8 weeks ago & the few marks I had are fading really well. I used Palmer's Cocoa Butter, but also almond oil which really helped (particularly towards the end when my skin felt really stretched). You can get it at any indian food shop, or at Tesco's in the 'foreign foods' aisle. It lasts for ages, as you don't need much & it's great for baby skin too.

Used Bio OIl with both my pregnancies, and no stretch marks at all.

(My Mum on the other hand has lots, so if it is genetic the bio oil seemed to work well.)

I used Palmer's Cocoa Butter right from the beginning and didn't geat any stretch marks at all. Whether it was the cream or pure luck I'll never know. My mum has lots so maybe it did work.

I too got them at puberty but didn't get any with my 2 ds's. As soon as I got pg with both of mine, I got a bottle of baby oil and a small bottle of vitamin E oil (from Health food shop) and mixed them together and used that after every shower.

I think that you should get your skin supple before you start to pop and as soon as it starts to itch, lather on something as that means the skin is pulling... good luck

I used Vasaline intensive cream and bio oil and I've not one stretch mark so far. touch wood! maybe they still to come? I'm 34 weeks at mo.

palmer's cocoa butter oil. I have no stretch marks on my tum whatsoever (then again I was only pregnant for 34 weeks) I did get stretch marks on my hips at the back and on my legs where i didn't use the oil though

I SWEAR by Bio-oil - have terrible stretchmarks all over my bum, hips, thighs and breasts from puberty and my mum got the most awful stretchmarks I've ever seen from her pregnancies, so thought I'd give it a bash. Applied it religiously twice a day from 6 weeks pregnant and only got one tiny one on one of my breasts which I hardly noticed at first as it came up white instead of the normal red. And I was HUGE too - had a 9 lb baby!!

Hiya,

I would recommend using something, as even though there is genetic predisposition, having a well moisturised and elastic skin definitely helps.

I'm using Neal's yard mother's balm, and really like it. I'm 27 weeks and still no stretch marks. I keep my fingers crossed though, as they say that the last month is the worst.

Definatley Bio Oil. It's £10 in costco by the way. I had red spider spot marks (I think that's what they're called!) on my collar bones and chest and from blobbing on bio-oil they have almost disappeared 6 months later!

Didn't use it on pregnancy number one (and had horrific itching under bump) and had v bad stretch marks. Pregnancy 2 I used it religiously and the only new stretch marks are where my appendix-out-scar is, I'm also applying the bio oil to my c-section scar.

Whatever is left on my hands after applying I smooth over my hair!! Makes it really shine

I bought some bio oil but didn't use it after reading the ingredients list-basically lquid paraffin with a nasty perfume added.The smell made me sick! Liquid paraffin is cheap as chips if anyone wants to go down that route,and a friend swore by it for her mark free bod.I used an organic pot of stuff by a company in Cornwall called Spiezia-the name is something like body restorative balm,I had plenty of puberty stretchmarks,but only a few on one hip(!) with first baby and none with the second.Went to term but not over,but was massive,about 3.5 stone over my usual weight.maybe it worked,I don't know,it was expensive,but at post 40 I thought my skin needed as much help as possible.

I think if you are going to get them you're going to get them. Applied bio oil in morning and palmers cocoa butter in evening during first pregnancy and didn't get any stretch marks despite my mum getting them in her pregnancies and my sister (who always seemed to have "good" skin) due to over weight. This time round put on similar amount of weight, did same moisturising routine but got them at around 38 weeks. Still at least I tried!

Well I used Rosa Mosqueta Oil 15 MONTHS AFTER on ugly caesarean scar. It isn't chap but it was fantastic. It is supposed to be great to prevent and get rid of all sorts if you can afford it.

Hi all,

Thanks so much for all your advice!! Have started just using a moisturiser but am definitely going to get something a bit more hardcore on payday!

My mum tells me she never had stretch marks in any of her pregnancies so I might be lucky

Thanks again!

Bx

I've had two pregnancies and two c-sections and didn't put anything on my bump or my scar and I have no stretchmarks and my scar is almost invisble. If your mum has no stretchmarks and, if it's not too cheeky, not prone to wrinkles- I think you are most likely going to be the same. I put some neruli butter on after a soak inn the bath but that's it.

Helly - Bio Oil is basically liquid parafin?? I've got pg eczema so am using aqueous cream to wash and moisturise with - one of the main ingredients is liquid parafin. It is dirt cheap - £2.95 for a great big tub from superdrug, so no need to wait for pay day Barbareeba?

Thanks for pointing that out. I had previously been feeling torn between aqueous cream for eczema and nasty perfumed Bio Oil for stretch marks. Sometimes I put a few drops of Bio Oil in the bath - doesn't smell good but does leave me soft and hydrated all over.

Loubylou - do spider marks look like red broken veins? I think I might have a couple, I thought they were sign of something going on under the skin so basically untreatable.

I'm 20 weeks gone today and have no stretch marks so far. This pregnancy I have mostly been using various kinds of gooey crap and, while it could be genetic, I do have fairly naff skin usually and have got some stretch marks from gaining weight quickly a few years ago. Maybe it does work.

Personally, I've been using up all the ends of Christmas present moisturising-type stuff from the bathroom cupboard that I've not used in ages (I don't normally bother as I may be worth it but I'm also a lazy slob) and to be honest, they all seem about the same, apart from a really horrible one from Boots - I think it was some kind of weird mousse thing - that just stuck to all surfaces and textiles, including skin, the bathtub, towels, shoes, and would not rub in at all. It pinged off the edge of the bathroom bin quite satisfyingly, though.

I say go with one that smells nice. Have you tried the Sanctuary body butter and body oil? They seemed to last for ages whereas the Body Shop cocoa butter vanishes quite fast (but does smell so good that you get a bit hungry).

There is no way to avoid stretch marks. Not even avoiding pregnancy as you can get them with any weight gain, e.g. puberty. Some people get them and some people don't and that's all there is to it.

I'm pretty sure creams aren't legally allowed to prevent stretch marks as if they were capable of making changes in the structure of the dermis (the middle layer of the skin where the stretch marks form) then they would have to be sold as medicines and you would need to get them on prescription.

Stretch mark creams are good for two things: feeling nice on your tummy, and giving you lovely soft skin on the palms of your hands. They will not make one bit of difference to whether you get stretch marks or not. If they did there would be peer-reviewed studies proving that they work.

If anyone wants to carry out their own study, try putting the cream only on one side of your tummy and take pictures every week (under the same lighting conditions) throughout your pregnancy.