Leg stretch marks pregnancy

Stretch marks in pregnancy - NHS

Pregnancy stretch marks

Stretch marks on white skin

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Stretch marks on light brown skin

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Stretch marks are narrow, streak-like lines that can develop on the surface of the skin. They can be pink, red, purple or brown, depending on your skin colour. They are common in pregnancy, affecting around 8 out of 10 pregnant women.

They usually appear on your tummy, or sometimes on your upper thighs and breasts, as your pregnancy progresses and your bump starts to grow. When stretch marks appear will be different from woman to woman.

The first sign you notice might be itchiness around an area where the skin is becoming thinner.

Stretch marks are not harmful. They do not cause medical problems and there is no specific treatment for them.

After your baby is born, the marks may gradually fade into paler scars and become less noticeable. They probably will not go away completely.

What causes stretch marks?

Stretch marks are very common and do not just affect pregnant women.

They can happen whenever the skin is stretched, for example during puberty or when putting on weight. Hormonal changes in pregnancy can affect your skin and make you more likely to get stretch marks.

They happen when the middle layer of skin (dermis) becomes stretched and broken in places.

Whether or not you get stretch marks depends on your skin type, as some people's skin is more elastic.

Pregnancy weight gain

You are more likely to get stretch marks if your weight gain is more than average in pregnancy. Most women gain about 10 to 12.5kg (22 to 28lb) in pregnancy, although weight gain varies a great deal from woman to woman.

How much weight you gain may depend on your weight before you were pregnant.

It's important not to try to lose weight when you're pregnant by eating less. You need to have a healthy diet during pregnancy.

If you are worried about your weight, talk to your midwife or GP. They may give you advice if you weigh more than 100kg (about 15.5st) or less than 50kg (about 8st).

Preventing stretch marks

Some creams claim to remove stretch marks once they've appeared, but there is no reliable evidence that they work. There is also limited evidence about whether oils or creams help prevent stretch marks from appearing in the first place.

Find out more about stretch marks, including possible treatments for them.

Find out more about other common health problems in pregnancy.

Video: Where does my pregnancy weight come from?

In this video, a midwife discusses where the extra weight in pregnancy comes from.

Media last reviewed: 27 March 2020
Media review due: 27 March 2023

Page last reviewed: 25 November 2022
Next review due: 25 November 2025

What Are Pregnancy Stretch Marks? Causes and Treatments

They’re long, pink/red/brown scarring streaks that form when your skin expands or shrinks rapidly. This abrupt change leads essential skin proteins, specifically collagen and elastin, to rupture. Stretch marks develop as the skin begins to heal.

Initially itchy, thin, and pink in color, stretch marks turn into long, reddish-brown streaks. They tend to gradually fade to white or gray, and typically appear around the breasts, abdomen, buttocks, and thighs. There is some variation in appearance from one individual to the next.

Stretch marks occur in roughly 90 percent of pregnant women. Research shows that women with a larger abdominal circumference, higher body mass index before pregnancy, and greater weight gain are particularly susceptible. Other contributing factors include family history, age (younger moms are more likely to have them), and whether or not you’re carrying twins.

Although they affect physical appearance to some extent, stretch marks do not negatively impact your health.

Are pregnancy stretch marks permanent?

Since stretch marks are a form of scarring, they can never be completely removed from your skin. However, they have been known to fade over time, and certain treatments make them less noticeable.

When do stretch marks appear during pregnancy?

Most pregnant women usually spot stretch marks in the final trimester, around the sixth or seventh month. In rare cases, stretch marks may present themselves as soon as the expectant mother’s abdomen starts to grow.

Stretch marks on thighs

Pronounced weight gain and skin stretching normally occurs in the thighs and legs during pregnancy. This is why stretch marks often develop on the inner and upper thighs, as well as behind the knees.

Stretch marks on stomach

Pregnancy stretch marks are prevalent in the abdominal area as the skin in this region undergoes the most dramatic expansion. They’ll become increasingly noticeable as your baby bump continues to grow.

There are a number of reasons for stretch marks to form while you’re carrying your baby, which include:

Physical stretching: Sudden expansion of the skin and weight fluctuations happen in the second trimester of pregnancy. Since these changes are abrupt, the skin around the breasts, abdomen, buttocks, and thighs do not have adequate time to adjust. This leads to a rupturing of the skin’s surface.
Elastin and collagen: These proteins play a crucial role in promoting and maintaining your skin’s resilience and elasticity. Pregnancy alters elastin and collagen, upping your skin’s sensitivity.
Hormones: Increases and decreases in hormone levels during pregnancy also play a key role in encouraging the formation of stretch marks.

Do stretch marks fade after pregnancy?

While pregnancy stretch marks tend to be very apparent in the final trimester, they slowly begin to fade after delivery. You may even see them turning a bit lighter in color on their own.

Although it’s impossible to completely rid your body of pregnancy stretch marks, there are a few products which serve as a remedy for stretch marks. Note that these should not be used during pregnancy, but only after your body’s fully healed and your doctor gives the green light.

Retinol cream: Derived from vitamin A, it stimulates the production of collagen and takes up to 4 weeks to produce visible results. As with any topical cream, consult a medical professional first, and avoid using it while pregnant.
Microdermabrasion: Also known as microneedling, it uses aluminum oxide crystals or other abrasive substances to remove the uppermost layer of skin. This reveals the fresh, scar-free surface below.
Laser therapy: Studies show it’s one of the most effective treatments available for stretch marks. Laser therapy can be quite expensive, however, and may require multiple sessions.

As previously mentioned, pregnancy stretch marks are caused by sudden weight gain and skin expansion. But by taking certain precautions, you may be able to lessen the effects on your body. Consider doing the following:

Applying natural topical creams

Specially formulated creams containing jojoba oil, shea butter, hyaluronic acid, onion, and aloe vera could prevent pregnancy stretch marks. Use twice a day beginning with the third month of pregnancy. By being proactive, you can maximize the product’s effectiveness, which drastically decreases once stretch marks become visible.

Choose odorless topical creams composed of natural ingredients which are easily absorbed by your skin. Note that different products might be required to treat different areas of the body.

Staying well-hydrated

Drink plenty of fluids as it keeps your skin soft, supple, and elastic. Dehydrated skin is more prone to developing stretch marks.

Eating a balanced diet

By maintaining a healthy, well-balanced diet, you can add those pregnancy pounds at a slower, steadier rate. You’ll thereby reduce your chances of forming pregnancy stretch marks in the process.

Increasing vitamin C intake

Vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants which repair skin and tissue damage. Incorporate oranges, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, spinach, and other leafy greens into your meals.

Massaging your skin

Gentle massages of the areas where pregnancy stretch marks are likely to pop up might also be beneficial. Focus on the breast, abdomen, buttock, and thigh regions.

Doing light exercise

Stay active to avoid huge fluctuations in body weight. Additionally, regular exercise boosts circulation and blood flow to your skin, making it less vulnerable to damage.

The development of pregnancy stretch marks may be troublesome, but there are several steps you can take to prevent and minimize their appearance. Just remember to consult your doctor before starting any type of treatment.

Stretch marks - the whole truth - articles from the specialists of the clinic "Mother and Child"

Brezgunova Svetlana Leonidovna

Obstetrician-gynecologist

Clinic "Mother and Child" Togliatti

What is it

Stretch marks are also called striae. They appear in any area of the body, but more often occur in those places where there is a large amount of fat. The most common locations are chest, abdomen, underarms, shoulders, hips, back and buttocks.

Stretch marks look like stripes on the skin, and over time their color changes. "Fresh" stretch marks are pinkish-red in color, the skin on them is slightly convex. Gradually, the striae increase in length and width, become bluish-violet, and eventually become discolored. This happens because at first there are still blood vessels inside the striae, which is why initially the stretch marks have such a bright color. Then the blood supply at the site of the stretch marks stops, the vessels become empty, the resulting skin defect is filled with connective tissue and the stretch marks become white. Since there is no pigment in the connective tissue, even under the influence of sunlight, the stretch marks remain white. Moreover, against the background of tanned skin, they become more noticeable.

Why they occur

It seems that the reason for the appearance of stretch marks during pregnancy is clear at first glance: the expectant mother's belly grows, the skin stretches, and stretch marks form. Why, then, do they not occur in all expectant mothers? And is their appearance associated with weight gain? After all, it has been noticed, for example, that the likelihood of stretch marks does not depend on the size of the abdomen during pregnancy.

Stretch marks may appear in a woman with a small tummy, while a woman expecting twins will bypass this problem.

Why is this happening? Several factors come into play here. Yes, indeed, one of the reasons for the appearance of stretch marks is weight gain, but it is not so much the number of kilograms gained that is important, but how quickly a woman gained them: the faster the expectant mother gains weight, the higher the risk of stretch marks. That is why even with a small increase in weight, stretch marks can appear. The second reason for stretch marks is hormonal imbalance. During pregnancy, the amount of estrogen and cortisol decreases, resulting in a violation of the synthesis of skin and connective tissue proteins - collagen and elastin. Namely, with the help of these proteins, our skin can stretch well and restore its elasticity.

If there is not enough collagen and elastin, then the skin becomes brittle and thins faster, eventually, it breaks in some areas, and then scar connective tissue is formed in the places of tears .

And here is how the body of the expectant mother will behave during pregnancy: whether there will be sharp jumps in weight and hormonal imbalance (which means that stretch marks will appear or not, it is impossible to predict).

What to do?

Let's just say that There is no 100% effective treatment for and prevention of stretch marks. For example, most creams, lotions, gels for the prevention of stretch marks simply contain moisturizing ingredients and help soften the skin, but do not affect the balance of hormones. Therefore, these remedies cannot prevent the appearance of stretch marks if hormonal disorders have occurred. Yes, and after childbirth, various laser procedures, peelings and resurfacing will not get rid of stretch marks at all, they will simply make them more invisible.

But this does not mean that we should give up and do nothing. You can do just a lot of things: even if you do not achieve a 100% effect, there will still be benefits.

– Monitor the nutrition of the and avoid sudden weight fluctuations. Do not forget to eat protein foods - protein, together with zinc and vitamin C, stimulates the production of collagen, which gives the skin elasticity. If you don’t feel like meat yet, include fish, dairy products and legumes in your diet - these are also sources of healthy protein.

– Avoid sweets – sugar slows down collagen renewal, the skin loses elasticity and water, becomes dry, sluggish, its elasticity decreases.

- From the first days of pregnancy constantly nourish and moisturize the skin . To do this, use creams, gels, lotions with collagen, elastin, as well as vitamins C and E . The main thing is that these drugs must be approved for use during pregnancy. Before you buy this or that product, carefully read the instructions and the composition of the drug. Find out the mechanism of action of biologically active substances of a cosmetic product from a sales assistant. If you still have doubts, consult with your obstetrician-gynecologist. Look into your wallet and make a choice.

– If finances allow, do salon procedures for body moisturizing that are allowed during pregnancy (seaweed wraps, for example), if not, limit yourself to ordinary skin moisturizing, it is also effective.

- Regularly take a contrast shower : it tones and firms the skin, and the problem areas receive the blood flow they need. You can massage individual parts of the body alternately with cold and warm jets. Just don't aim the jet directly at your stomach.

– After showering, don't dry your body, just pat it dry with a towel. You can do light pinching self-massage using moisturizing creams or natural vegetable oils (such as olive or linseed). Massage promotes the removal of excess fluid and activates the work of blood vessels - they quickly carry nutrients throughout the body. Important: when massaging the abdomen and chest, massage only the sides, thighs and legs.

– Swim : the contrast of water and air temperature, active physical activity also contribute to the prevention of stretch marks.

- During pregnancy , wear special bras, they will support the enlarged breasts and will not allow the skin to overstretch.

Even if stretch marks appear, don't get upset. It has been noticed that if you immediately start a set of preventive measures (moisturizing the skin, proper nutrition, water procedures), then often stretch marks do not spread further. And if you start prevention from the first days of pregnancy, they may not appear at all.

REMINDER for moms

Start attacking stretch marks as early as possible: the younger they are, the less money and time it will take to eliminate them.

Watch your diet, try not to gain weight suddenly.
Daily moisturize and nourish the skin, not only the abdomen and chest, but also the thighs, buttocks, legs.
Lead an active lifestyle: walk in the fresh air, play sports, swim.
Take a contrast shower, do self-massage.
Wear the right underwear: a maternity bra is especially necessary for expectant mothers with large breasts

Note:

Stretch marks cannot be predicted. Even if during the last pregnancy there were no or, on the contrary, there were stretch marks, then there is no guarantee that the situation will repeat itself in the next pregnancy

You can make a composition for stretch marks yourself.

Here are the oils that will suit you:

Jojoba oil is the most effective remedy: it is used for the prevention and elimination of skin stretch marks during and after pregnancy, as well as for weight gain and sudden weight loss.
Essential oil of rosewood - helps to increase skin elasticity, also helps to dissolve small scars.
Almond oil - especially effective for the care of areas of the body where skin elasticity is reduced.
Grape seed oil - has a strong regenerating effect, improves skin elasticity.
Peach oil - has a regenerating, softening effect on the skin, restores elasticity, rejuvenates sagging skin.

You can use any combination of these oils, such as jojoba + almond oil, or jojoba + grape seed oil.

Before using any oil, read the instructions, pay attention to contraindications. Try the oil or formulation on a small area of your skin and see how it reacts throughout the day. If you experience discomfort or allergies, discard this remedy.

Make an appointment

to the doctor - Brezgunova Svetlana Leonidovna

Clinic "Mother and Child" Tolyatti

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Pregnancy stretch marks

The problem of many pregnant women is the appearance of stretch marks on the skin. Stretch marks are small stripes on the body that resemble scars. When it appears, the stretch marks are reddish-blue in color, the intensity of which weakens over time, and it takes on a whitish tint. The skin in this place becomes rough compared to other parts of the body, and looks unattractive.

If you do not take care of the skin relief, stretch marks can remain for a long time, so it is easier to prevent them from appearing than trying to get rid of them after childbirth, when the skin is already rough. Proper preventive measures will help maintain the beauty of the skin, but you also need to know the causes of stretch marks.

What causes stretch marks

An increase in the size of the fetus and an increase in body weight provoke a strong stretching of the skin in a woman, which leads to tissue rupture. Stretch marks during pregnancy occur due to the destruction of the reticular layer of the dermis.

Causes of stretch marks: unhealthy diet; bad habits; lack of moderate physical activity; low physical activity; chronic swelling; cardiovascular or endocrine diseases. The lack of protein in the body of a pregnant woman is one of the main causes of rupture of connective tissue fibers. Lack of protein stops the production of the natural “building” tissue element - collagen. This makes the skin less elastic and firm. In order for the body of a pregnant woman to receive as much protein as possible, it is important to regulate nutrition and make it complete and balanced.

How to avoid stretch marks during pregnancy

To avoid the appearance of stretch marks on the body of a pregnant woman, it is worth:

adhere to a properly balanced diet;
lead an active lifestyle;
use the correct cosmetics;
wear special clothes for expectant mothers.

Proper nutrition is especially important for a woman when she is expecting a baby. The expectant mother should diversify her diet with poultry meat, which is rich in proteins that do not allow collagen to break down. Collagen is an important component of connective tissues that make the skin supple and elastic.

Experts recommend reducing the amount of sugar, as it stiffens the collagen fibers, which negatively affects the elasticity of the skin.

Stretch marks during pregnancy occur due to the low physical activity of women. Daily simple physical exercises will help not only maintain a figure, but also prepare the body, especially muscles, for childbirth. The load is important, first of all, for the muscles of the abdomen, thighs and legs. Moderate exercise will reduce the likelihood of stretch marks.

Special clothing for women who are expecting a baby helps to preserve the beauty of the body. Bras designed for expectant mothers avoid the risk of stretch marks on the chest. Such underwear will stretch as the breast grows, as well as properly support it. Underwear, special belts and a bandage for the abdomen protect the skin of the body from sagging, so it does not stretch as the fetus grows.

Prevention of stretch marks during pregnancy

The appearance of stretch marks during pregnancy occurs in most women. During gestation, body weight increases, and the load on the skin increases dramatically, and as the baby grows, it is constantly forced to stretch. When a pregnant woman's skin stretches, itching or burning may occur. At the same time, the skin releases a large amount of toxins due to the accelerated metabolism and requires more moisture than in the normal state of the woman's body.

Preventive measures should be taken from the early stages of pregnancy. At 3-4 months, when the chest and abdomen begin to actively increase, you need to take care of the external and internal condition of the skin daily. Experts recommend stretch mark prevention procedures that help the skin of the body to remain toned and beautiful.

It is important to constantly keep the muscles in good shape, because sports, massage will support not only the inner beauty of the body, but also the outer one. The skin needs to be moisturized and nourished, so during a massage or after a shower, oils or body cream can be rubbed in. Places where stretch marks may occur in pregnant women should be massaged with a special massage glove. The result is improved blood flow to problem areas and skin nutrition.

If stretch marks cannot be avoided, postpartum colostotherapy can help improve skin texture. This procedure does not have any negative consequences for the skin, since it is based on the use of a special biomaterial - collagen. The use of colostotherapy with the use of COLLOST ^® gel will help to get rid of stretch marks after pregnancy and make the skin supple. The procedure involves the intradermal injection of a gel, which allows mechanical filling of stretch marks.

Benefits of getting rid of stretch marks with Collostotherapy:

skin surface smoothing;
replenishment of collagen lost by the skin during pregnancy;
tissue regeneration at the site of stretch marks;
scar replacement.

If you want to prevent the appearance of stretch marks, you should actively use preventive measures, and if stretch marks remain, you can remove them with the help of colostotherapy.