Pregnancy stretch marks are very common. It appears at different places all over the body, even up to your arms. They tend to appear in those particular areas where your skin becomes less elastic and more stretched. Stretch marks can as well be seen in the arms and buttocks during pregnancy.

What Are Stretch Marks?

These are basically reddish purple marks (lines basically) that tends to develop due to over growth of stomach during pregnancy. The skin overstretches as the baby continues to grow, causing your skin to start cracking. This causes the skin to stretch and crack, causing stretch marks.

It’s hard to completely prevent stretch marks from appearing since every woman has different types of skin, elasticity and texture. However, there are certain steps that can be taken for reducing these stretch marks and preventing the same from appearing.

Here are some easy tips to help you avoid pregnancy stretch marks:

Don’t Overeat

While pregnant women are supposed to be eating not only for herself, but also for her baby, it is not that they are eating for two adults. Hence, it is very important to eat in moderate portions and avoid overeating. Overeating can increase the body weight, which will eventually lead to fat accumulation and stretch marks. You should not take more than 300 extra calories a day on top of your regular daily caloric intake.

Drink Lots of Water

Water is the best solution to everything. Drink plenty of water when you’re thirsty and avoid juices or sugary drinks. Artificial fruit juices are packed with sugars and additives that can make you fat, whilst water helps in maintaining a slim body. Drinking loads of water also helps your skin to be more elastic and youthful, preventing stretch marks from occurring.

Eat Healthy

It’s important to make sure you watch what you eat while pregnant. A healthy diet containing all the essential nutrients makes the skin healthier too. Have lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, proteins and whole grains and some fiber to maintain a functional system during pregnancy. You should also add milk or dairy based food to your daily diet.

Olive Oil Massage

Our elders often suggested the use of olive oil massageduring pregnancy and how it helped in preventing stretch marks from appearing. Well, it seems so foolish then, but it’s true. As pregnancy stretch marks usually appear on the stomach, buttocks and thighs, you can massage olive oil in these areas at least once in a day and continue till the postpartum stage. Olive oil has excellent moisturizing properties that help in making the skin elastic.

Use Creams and Ointments to Remove Stretch Marks

If the stretch marks are already appearing on the stomach, start applying stretch mark creams immediately. The creams helps to reduce the effects of the stretching and ultimately remove them. However, if you are too late at using the creams, it might take time to disappear.

It’s quite hard to complete avoid pregnancy stretch marks. However, there have been many who managed to completely avoid them. If you are not one of them you’ll need help.