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TIPS TO PREVENT STRETCH MARKS DURING PREGNANCY

WHAT ARE PREGNANCY STRETCH MARKS? Pregnancy stretch marks are pink, red, purple, or brown striations or streaky indentations in the skin. They are very common and generally present on the stomach, breasts, thighs, buttocks, and sometimes on the upper arms. Many women get stretch marks during pregnancy. It’s an indication that your skin has expanded […]

WHAT ARE PREGNANCY STRETCH MARKS?

Pregnancy stretch marks are pink, red, purple, or brown striations or streaky indentations in the skin. They are very common and generally present on the stomach, breasts, thighs, buttocks, and sometimes on the upper arms. Many women get stretch marks during pregnancy. It’s an indication that your skin has expanded as your body expands to accommodate your child. You can’t eliminate stretch marks from developing during pregnancy, but there are certain things you can do to help reduce the risk of having them. Don’t think too much, because stretch marks usually disappear over time.

WHEN DO STRETCH MARKS APPEAR IN PREGNANCY?

You may be thinking when stretch marks show during birth, but for everyone, it may be different. When the skin expands as a result of weight gain, and to support the growing baby and uterus, stretch marks frequently develop later during pregnancy. In the second trimester, some women will start having them, while others do not find them until the last couple of weeks of the third trimester. Few women are lucky, because they don’t get any at all.

WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT TIPS TO REDUCE PREGNANCY STRETCH MARKS?

1.Take a healthy diet

For the development of your child, keeping a healthy, nutritious diet is important. In comparison, stretch marks can appear simply because some important nutrients are lacking. Four of the essential components of a healthy pregnancy diet that can help avoid stretch marks are vitamin C, E, D, and zinc. Taking a prenatal vitamin will also ensure that your everyday targets are fulfilled, and your Gynecologist will provide some guidance to provide you with the correct levels of nutrients to determine the best prenatal vitamin. Another way to reduce stretch marks is ensuring that you eat a suitable amount of proteins. You should aim to consume nutritious food to meet the daily target of consuming the required quantities of healthy foods. These sources are made up of grains, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and protein sources. Vegetables, sweet potato or whole grain bread slice, and broccoli may be an example of a nutritious meal. From inside, nourish the skin. Consuming plenty of foods high in vitamin C will also help keep the skin toned and less sensitive to stretch marks.

2. Increase water intake and always hydrated

For several factors, drinking sufficient water is helpful during pregnancy. Water allows you and your growing fetus to get nutrients. It may also help in avoiding urinary tract infection (UTI), which is common during pregnancy. Also, a sufficient hydration level will assist with fatigue, avoid swelling, and even reduce morning sickness. You can feel headaches, nausea, and cramping if you become dehydrated during pregnancy. If you are well hydrated, though, it means that your skin is well hydrated and also much smoother. In basic terms, smoother skin is less likely than dry, hard skin to form stretch marks. Check with your doctor how much water you need to drink in a day, as your level of exercise and temperature will impact your daily water consumption target. One of the best advice for pregnancy is to have a glass of water with you at all times so that you can drink it during the day.

3.Gain weight as per doctor’s advice

The effective way to prevent stretch marks is not to add weight easily, since stretch marks occur when the skin is rapidly torn apart. There are many views on how much weight gain is acceptable during pregnancy. Although you’re not expected to feed for two, you’re going to raise your calories. Finding the balance between how much more to consume but not overdoing is possible. Speak to your doctor about what’s better for you, as overall weight gain will be different for each person. This figure is going to range between 25-35 pounds for most patients. However, your optimal weight gain number can fluctuate depending on whether or not you are overweight or underweight during pregnancy.

4.Pregnancy exercise

Regular exercise can help a person lose weight and prevent weight gain in the future. Maintaining a healthy weight will reduce the risk of unnecessary stretching of the skin. Exercise also increases the supply of blood to the tissue and will allow the skin to rebuild itself.

5.Skin massage

Like wounds and burns, stretch marks are living tissues that can become healthier with self-care. Stretch marks can be reduced with consistent self-care, like a massage. Massage increases circulation. More blood available to tissue is equal to a greater supply of cellular nutrients and elimination of waste. This, in essence, encourages tissue formation, theoretically reducing the visibility of stretch marks. Scar tissue, like stretch marks, also has restricted lymphatic return and blood flow, which ensures that improved circulation is highly helpful by daily massage therapy. The therapist believes that massage facilitates the production of new blood vessels, resulting in temporary inflammation accompanied by remodelling.

6. Sunshine Vitamin D sources

Vitamin D can also help reduce stretch marks during pregnancy. It is incredibly important to be careful when you expose yourself to direct sunlight, particularly when you are pregnant. Your skin appears to get more responsive during pregnancy. You should also be careful not to get overworked or dehydrated. With this in mind, a few minutes in the sun here and there during your pregnancy will only give you the boost of vitamin D which will help you to prevent stretch marks.

7.Treat new stretch marks

When stretch marks occur, you can also move rapidly and treat them. There are many creams and lotions available on the market to help minimise their appearance. The ingredients of common stretch mark care lotions range from vitamin E to hyaluronic acid as well as shea butter and cocoa butter. Your doctor can also help you to better determine what may cause stretch marks and give you some advice on treatment choices. Get advice from a dermatologist to treat stretch marks during pregnancy

The writer is Director and Head of Obstetrician and Gynaecology at Cloudnine Hospital, Gurugram.

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