During pregnancy, a woman's body performs an enormous amount of work and has to cope with many changes. However, expectant mothers often have one very specific worry: stretch marks.
Hardly any woman is happy about the fine tears in the skin, yet they are part of the natural process of pregnancy. So there's no need to be ashamed!
Nevertheless, unwanted stretch marks can be prevented, and we'll reveal the 7 best tips for beautiful and elastic skin!
Table of Contents:
- How do stretch marks develop?
- 7 tips on how to prevent stretch marks
- Exercise and sufficient movement
- A healthy and balanced diet
- Massages to promote blood circulation
- Alternating showers made easy
- Moisturizing skin care
- Drink water
- Sun protection
- Preventing stretch marks with Aloe Vera
- Treatment options for stretch marks
- FAQ – Your Questions
- Matching Wild Baboon care products
How do stretch marks develop?
Your skin is heavily strained during pregnancy, and your abdomen in particular slowly expands as the baby grows.
If your belly grows very quickly, the connective tissue of the skin can be stretched too much and tear. These tears are called stretch marks and are initially visible as blue or reddish. Don't worry, they will fade over time and turn white.
Typical areas for stretch marks, in addition to the abdomen, are your breasts, hips, or thighs, as these areas are also heavily stressed, and the breasts, in particular, grow for subsequent breastfeeding.
In addition to the stretching of your skin and how quickly the baby grows, other factors also play a role in the development of stretch marks. A combination of genetics, the mother's weight and age, and the baby's size can particularly contribute to stretch marks.
Thus, some women may not be affected by stretch marks, while they are very pronounced in others. In general, however, most women are affected.
Important: No matter how many stretch marks you get, never forget that they do not detract from your beauty in any way!
7 tips on how to prevent stretch marks
Whether or not one will be affected by stretch marks during pregnancy is difficult to predict in advance. However, with proper skin care and optimal preparation, you can minimize the risk and possibly even remain "spared."
We'll reveal the best 7 tips on how to prevent stretch marks!
1. Exercise and sufficient movement
If you weren't very active before pregnancy, now is the right time to start exercising. Because exercise and sufficient movement promote blood circulation and prevent significant weight gain, which in turn would promote stretch marks.
Aside from the generally known health benefits for your body and the possibility of preventing stretch marks, exercise can also help with other pregnancy discomforts. In addition, a study from the European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology found that exercise has a positive effect on childbirth. Women who were physically active during pregnancy had fewer and shorter contractions.
Of course, when we talk about exercise here, we're not referring to extreme physical exertion. After all, you're still carrying a child, and your exercise routine must be adapted to that. However, walks, swimming, yoga, or other moderate sports are ideal during pregnancy.
Listen carefully to your body and take enough breaks if it becomes too strenuous.
2. A healthy and balanced diet
Paying attention to a healthy diet makes sense in all circumstances. At the same time, many find it difficult to maintain this diet in the long term.
Especially during pregnancy, it can sometimes be very difficult for expectant mothers. Not only do nausea and sensitivity to smells make appetite difficult, but various pregnancy-typical cravings are not necessarily part of a healthy diet.
And yet it's important to pay attention – even if you want to prevent stretch marks. A healthy diet provides the body with important vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that support your skin.
3. Massages to promote blood circulation
If you want to prevent stretch marks, you should definitely ensure regular massages and ideally start at the beginning of pregnancy. This promotes blood circulation early on and stimulates connective tissue, optimally preparing your skin for subsequent expansion.
However, not all massages are created equal. There are many different types of massage that you can incorporate into your routine.
So-called pinching massages are particularly popular among women who want to prevent stretch marks. First, you should oil your belly and spread the oil evenly over the entire surface. Wait until the oil has been absorbed before starting the pinching massage.
Then, take small sections of skin between your fingers one by one and gently pull them upwards. Work your way along the entire abdomen – the only exception is the pubic bone, as massaging there could potentially irritate the uterus. For this reason, the pinching massage should not be performed in the last month of pregnancy. You can then switch to the stroking massage.
Stroking massages are particularly suitable when the belly is already larger and firmer. Here, you gently massage the oil into the belly in a clockwise direction with stroking movements.
An alternative to the pinching massage is the brush massage, where you can massage your body with a soft brush in the shower. Afterward, you should moisturize the massaged areas with a hydrating cream. Our Aloe Vera Gel is also particularly suitable for this.
During pregnancy, you can also massage other affected areas such as your legs or buttocks. There, you don't have to be as cautious as on your belly and can apply more pressure. Overall, a regular and combined application of different massages is recommended to effectively prevent stretch marks.
A daily massage with an oil or cream can also become a beautiful ritual with your partner and at the same time moisturize your skin. The combination of our Aloe Vera Gel and our "liquid gold" – the Wild Baboon Prickly Pear Seed Oil – is particularly suitable. The gel acts as a perfect carrier, enhancing the positive effects of the oil. Its ingredients, such as vitamin K to promote blood circulation and support skin healing, or linoleic acid to maintain moisture levels, are especially beneficial.
You can read all the properties and benefits of our prickly pear seed oil here.
4. Alternating showers made easy
In addition to massages, alternating showers also promote blood circulation, and you can prevent stretch marks with this tip as well. Alternating showers also offer other benefits: for example, they also have a positive effect on the immune system and stimulate your metabolism.
Of all the tips for preventing stretch marks, alternating showers probably require the most willpower. But it's worth it, and we'll show you how:
- Warm Shower: First, start with a warm shower for a few minutes, as usual.
- Cold Shower: But don't rejoice too soon, now you switch to a colder temperature!
- Legs: Guide the cold shower stream from your feet upwards to your buttocks, first on the right side and then on the left.
- Arms: The same principle for your arms! Guide the stream from your fingers up to your shoulder and repeat on the other arm.
- Warm Shower: Briefly recover under the warm shower.
- Cold Shower: Now repeat the entire cold-shower process on your legs and arms. IMPORTANT: Do not switch back to warm afterward!
- Warm up in a towel: To warm up quickly anyway, it's best to wrap yourself quickly in your cozy towel.
5. Moisturizing skin care
During pregnancy, you should also ensure that you provide your skin with sufficient moisture. This can not only prevent stretch marks and improve skin elasticity but also counteract uncomfortable itching.
Especially suitable are natural moisturizing creams and oils such as our Aloe Vera Gel.
6. Drink water
You can also easily moisturize your skin by drinking enough water daily. Two to three liters a day are mandatory for every pregnant woman.
Sufficient water also ensures a stable circulation and a healthy metabolism. Mineral water or unsweetened teas are best, but you can also incorporate foods with high water content, such as watermelon or salads, into your diet.
7. Sun protection
We all know those beautiful vacation photos in a bikini, perfectly showcasing a heavily pregnant belly. But be careful: too much sun exposure can – just like before pregnancy – damage your skin.
Pregnant women's skin is even more susceptible to sunburn and hyperpigmentation. Additionally, fresh stretch marks can be exacerbated by it.
Therefore, always use a sunscreen with a high SPF and avoid midday heat to protect your body.
Preventing stretch marks with Aloe Vera
When choosing your skincare products during pregnancy, you should definitely know about the aloe vera plant and its benefits. With over 200 proven nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, it is considered a super plant and is used in many health and wellness products.
Even if you want to prevent stretch marks, the aloe vera plant is the right choice. Because these valuable ingredients promote and support the skin's healing process. In particular, polysaccharides, gibberellins, and glycoproteins promote skin growth and repair, which simultaneously stimulates collagen synthesis (Gupta & Malhotra, 2012). Collagen is a protein that keeps the skin and connective tissue elastic.
Since moisturizing care is also important during pregnancy, you can also benefit from the aloe vera plant in this regard. It contains a lot of water, vitamins C and E, and minerals, which provide the skin with sufficient moisture.
For your skin to benefit from all the active ingredients and nutrients of the aloe vera plant , it is essential to use high-quality organic products.
The aloe vera plant used in our gel is grown and harvested on certified organic plantations in Mexico. Furthermore, no other additives are added, so we can guarantee that it is 98% pure aloe vera gel of organic and ECOCERT quality.
You can find all information about our Aloe Vera Gel here.
Treatment Options for Stretch Marks
What to do if it's too late and you can no longer prevent stretch marks because they've appeared despite all tips and efforts?
This is certainly not ideal, but every body is different, and some women are simply more prone to stretch marks. But you don't need to worry about it! The best and simplest treatment option for unwanted stretch marks is self-acceptance.
Stretch marks are essentially nothing more than small scars that tell a story. Just like you probably have scars on your knees from when you fell as a child, which will always remind you. Your stretch marks now remind you of your pregnancy, what your body accomplished during that time, and how strong it is.
Furthermore, you should always remember that they are the most normal thing in the world and do not detract from your beauty in any way.
However, there are also some medical treatment options, which we present to you here:
Laser Treatment for Stretch Marks
Laser treatments are used for the correction of various scars and are also very effective for stretch marks. The laser emits short pulses over the skin areas to be treated, thereby reducing the underlying scar tissue. It also promotes connective tissue and collagen formation, making stretch marks less visible.
Microneedling for Stretch Marks
Another popular method is microneedling. A dermaroller (special roller with small needles) or a needling pen causes punctures in the affected area, creating small injuries. This also stimulates collagen formation, which reduces scar tissue.
FAQ - Your Most Important Questions
How can you prevent stretch marks?
Unfortunately, there is no 100% guarantee, but our tips for preventing stretch marks can minimize the risk of being affected.
When should you start moisturizing your belly during pregnancy?
There are generally different opinions about the best time or when it's too late to moisturize your belly to prevent stretch marks. We say, as early as possible! Because the sooner you stimulate your conjunctiva, the better prepared it will be for expansion.
Can stretch marks disappear again?
Unfortunately, stretch marks, like other types of stretch marks, cannot completely disappear. The tears in the skin are like small scars that will stay with your body forever. However, over time they fade and become less visible.
Until when can you get stretch marks?
Stretch marks can develop throughout pregnancy. Most women only get them towards the end of the 2nd trimester, as the belly grows more and faster from this point onwards.
How do I get rid of stretch marks?
Unfortunately, stretch marks do not go away on their own. However, there are certain treatment options such as laser treatment or microneedling.
What promotes stretch marks?
There are many different reasons for stretch marks, usually it is a combination of various causes. Significant weight gain by the woman or rapid growth of the baby are among the reasons.
What percentage of women get stretch marks?
Many scientific studies come to different results regarding what percentage of women actually get stretch marks. However, all studies agree that at least half (50%) of women are affected, and often even more.
Which oil prevents stretch marks?
We recommend our Wild Baboon Prickly Pear Seed Oil. It is rich in essential fatty acids, especially linoleic acid, which are essential for maintaining the skin barrier and skin moisture. The oil also contains phytosterols, which have anti-inflammatory properties and support skin regeneration, as well as vitamin K, which promotes blood circulation and helps heal skin injuries.
