Many pregnant women will develop stretch marks during their pregnancy. Stretch marks are also known as striae gravidarum. It looks like purple or red lines which sometimes may be vary in color depending on the color of your skin. Most lighter skinned women develop pinkish stretch marks, whereas darker skinned women tend to have stretch marks that are lighter than the surrounding skin.

During pregnancy, most women develop stretch marks on the abdomen area. Stretch marks are also common on other areas of the body such as the breasts, thighs, hips, buttocks, and underarms.

What causes stretch marks during pregnancy?

Stretch marks are often the result of the rapid stretching of the skin associated with rapid growth or weight gain during pregnancy that overcomes the dermis’s elasticity. Most women develop stretch marks during the later trimesters of pregnancy, but there are women develops them in the beginning of pregnancy when their bellies start growing.

Here are pictures of stretch marks during pregnancy:

Stretch Mark Prevention

There are many stretch mark creams available in the market which help rebuild and rejuvenate the skin. It may help moisturize your skin and reduce itching. Drinking plenty of water helps to strengthen the skin layer as it helps to retain the moisture in the skin.

The best thing you can do to minimize stretch marks aside from using stretch mark cream is gaining the recommended amount of weight during pregnancy. Doctors recommend most women gain between 25 and 34 pounds. Gaining much more than this can cause you to develop more stretch marks.