How To Prevent Stretch Marks During Pregnancy or Weight Gain
by Michael Marenick on Jul 16, 2017
To prevent stretch marks you need to start before they appear
Stretch marks on your skin can occur when your body grows faster than the elasticity in your skin will allow. The elastic fibers just under our skin are designed to expand and retract naturally as our body grows, gains weight or loses weight. However, when we gain weight or grow to quickly for the fibers to gradually expand they break resulting in stretch marks. Once a stretch mark occurs there is very little that can be done to remove them. The key to not getting stretch marks is to prevent them from occurring through diet and by using topical skin creams.
Most Common Causes of Stretch Marks
In women, the most common cause of stretch marks is weight gain from eating or weight gain from pregnancy. Pregnancy stretch marks are much more common simply because the bodies weight can increase quickly within a short nine month period. To help your body adapt to the quick weight gain it is important to watch your diet and try to stay within the recommended weight gain levels. Experts suggest that during a typical pregnancy a gain of 25-35 pounds will occur. By maintaining a healthy diet and proper exercise during pregnancy you should be able to control the weight gain so it occurs more slowly over time rather than a quick increase in weight.
In men, the most common cause of stretch marks is weight gain from eating or increase in muscle size from bodybuilding or weight lifting. Dedicated body builders can see significant gains in as little as 90 days if they are training hard and eating a proper diet. A bodybuilder can consume thousands of calories to grow muscle quickly. This quick growth spurt will often exceed the skins natural ability to grow causing the fibers under the skin to break and resulting in stretch marks. It is very common to find stretch marks in bodybuilders where their arm meets their body.
How To Prevent Stretch Marks
To prevent stretch marks you need to help your body/skin before it’s too late. Once a stretch mark tear has occurred it is like a scar and there is very little that can be done to reduce the visibility of the mark. Many articles on the internet will stress how important diet and hydration are in preventing stretch marks. They may tell you to take vitamin c or increase vitamin d. Diet is definitely important. However, it is also extremely important to use a good quality topical cream in the areas where you are prone to get stretch marks.
The best cream to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy or weight gains will provide the same type of nutrients that you are consuming from your diet. In other words a stretch mark cream should feed your skin from the outside. You should look for a cream that not only includes excellent moisturizing properties but one that also has a complete form of nutrition. The nutritional content will often be sourced from essential oils, herbal extracts or even food based ingredients such as eggs. An egg contains over 70 vitamins, minerals and proteins. In fact, an egg contains every nutrient necessary for life. When formulated properly, incorporating eggs into a stretch mark cream can be an excellent source of nutrition for your skin. You need to apply the stretch mark cream a minimum of 2-3 times daily for the best results.
