You may be wondering if you will end up with stretch marks after the arrival of your little one. Stretch marks are very common after pregnancy, rather you can experience the appearance of stretch marks within 2 to 3 months of your pregnancy.
So, if you end up with these very common stripes on your belly then you must not lose your confidence.
Stretch marks are not exclusive to pregnancies, just because rapid weight gain, belly expansion, hormonal changes, and perhaps genetics lead to developing these stretching lines on your tubby, legs, and breast areas.
However, there are steps that you can follow to cover up pregnancy stretch marks during pregnancy. You must remember that you need to put attention to taking care of these lines during pregnancy as well as after your baby’s arrival too.
Here, in this article, we are going to describe what pregnancy stretch marks are and also cover the 6 best tips and tricks that can remove pregnancy stretch marks.
What are pregnancy, Stretch Marks?
Stretch marks are very common in pregnant women and they do not affect them. Stretch marks look like lines across the skin and they can be pink, red, purple, or white. Generally, they started with darker and gradually fades away.
During pregnancy, stretch marks commonly appear on the tummy, breasts, thighs, and buts area as your bump starts to grow. Stretch marks affect 9 out of 10 women. Whenever your skin gets stretched you will experience stretch marks. Stretch marks happen when the middle layer of the skin expands and breaks in places.
Because of hormonal changes during your pregnancy, you can experience stretch marks. But you must keep in mind that hormonal changes are not harmful to you. Once your baby is born, the stretch marks gradually started to fade away.so, the lines become less visible to people over time.
6 tips for covering up pregnancy stretch marks:
Stretch marks are very common in pregnant women. But some women keep wondering how they can hide their stretch marks since they are self-conscious about them. Here, we are providing 6 effective tips and tricks that you can follow to reduce the visibility of the stretch mark’s appearance.
Tip #1: Use Body Makeup
If you want a smooth and flawless appearance of your tummy, breasts, or leg areas then there are a variety of ways that you can follow. One of the best effective methods is to use body makeup to cover stretch marks. Here are the steps that you can follow:
Step 1: Exfoliate the skin:
Your skin must be smooth before you apply makeup on your skin. Exfoliation helps you to remove dead cells from the skin and makes the skin smoother. You can use a scrub for exfoliation.
Step 2: Apply sunscreen:
Whenever you are heading out, sunscreen is essential. UV lights can damage your skin. Exposing stretch marks to UV rays can cause hyperpigmentation.
Step 3: Apply concealer:
Then you need to layer the sunscreen with concealer. Using a flat foundation brush you can conceal the stretch marks. You need to make a thin layer and check the coverage. If you don’t satisfy with the coverage then you can again make another layer of concealer.
While applying concealer, you can use short strokes. Then tap with a beauty blender to have a flawless look.
Step 4: Apply setting powder:
After applying concealer over the stretch marks you need to apply setting powder over them. You can do it using a powder brush. Once you have applied the setting powder you need to wait for 2 minutes.
Step 5: Fix the makeup:
At last, you need to apply a makeup setting spray to set the makeup. It ensures the makeup will not melt over time or not transfer to your clothes.
Tip #2: Try Self-Tanning
Here are the following steps to cover up pregnancy stretch marks by applying self-tanning lotion.
Step 1: Exfoliate the skin:
First, you need to prepare your skin for the process. Exfoliating your skin is essential so that the product can get a flawless and smoother surface to be fixed. You can use a scrubber to exfoliate your skin when you take a shower. You can do this a day after applying for self-tanner.
Step 2: Apply tanner:
You need to squeeze out the self-tanning lotion into a plate. Dab the beauty blender into the tanning lotion and then apply it over the stretch marks. You can also apply the tanning lotion over your hands and legs to get an even skin tone.
Step 3: let it dry:
After application, let your skin dry. You need to check if the application is uniform. You can correct any dark patches or streaks.
Tip #3: Use Scar Removal Creams
To minimize the appearance of stretch marks that you have gained during pregnancy, you must look for scar-removing creams with effective ingredients such as vitamins A and E, along with Shea, cocoa, and jojoba butter. Vitamin A helps with collagen production and with the healing process.
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that is effective for wound healing. Shea, Cocoa, and jojoba butter are thick, moisturizing skin that penetrates deeply into the skin. It also provides supple, and flawless skin.
The scar-removing cream that is containing hyaluronic acid can tighten your skin and improves the texture of your skin. This component is also helpful in fading away stretch marks over time.
There is a variety of effective scar-removing creams available in the UK, so while purchasing you must consider the ingredients of the cream. Further, these creams relieve you from the irritation and itchiness that you experience during pregnancy.
You can use an effective scar-removing cream from the very beginning of your pregnancy to make the stretch marks’ visibility very lessen.
Tip #4: Try Microdermabrasion
You can try microdermabrasion to reduce the pregnancy stretch marks appearance. This process focuses on the upper layer of the skin (epidermis) and works by stimulating the skin to tighten collagen and enhance elasticity.
During the microdermabrasion process, tiny exfoliating crystals are sprayed onto the affected areas. Else, the special tipped wand can be rubbed over the affected area. Then the crystals are gently removed using a wand-like device. The dead skin from the epidermis was also taken out with them.
To have a great result, you can repeat the microdermabrasion process over periods.
After the process, your skin may feel dry and tight. You also can experience redness over the skin. It requires 24 hours to heal.
Tip #5: Embrace Your Stretch Marks
Your stretch marks are evidence of your journey to becoming a mum, your achievements, and so much more. There is nothing wrong to shower your love and affection on these scars. You can continue to shower yourself with these positive affirmations.
Moreover, these pregnancy scars will not have any effect on your health. So as long as you are healthy and happy, you need not worry about stretch marks.
Further, you are carrying a new life into your belly and to be honest, your body will grow, change, and birth another human being. So stretch marks give a way to a new life, and for this reason, there is something to celebrate.
Tip #6: Using stomach tattoos for females
If you want to hide your pregnancy stretch marks then you can opt for a tattoo over your tummy area. But you must keep in mind that if the stretch marks are new and fresh then tattooing is not recommended.
If you desire stretch mark stomach tattoos for females then you must wait for at least the period when the scars start to fade away from red/purple to natural skin tone. The entire purpose of getting a tattoo over the stomach area is to reduce the visibility of the stretch marks and make the appearance fine with a beautiful design.
So, yes tattoos are very much effective to lessen visibility and making the scars look good. While planning to tattoo, you must talk to a tattoo artist. You must ensure that the artist has some experience in dealing with stretch marks tattoos.
It is the tattoo artist’s role and responsibility to get the task done in the best way possible. There is a variety of designs of stomach stretch mark tattoos; so you can pick the right one according to your preference.
FAQ-
Are stretch marks permanent?
Ans: Yes, just similar to any scar stretch marks are permanent. But if you go through proper treatment then the marks will become less noticeable. Generally, stretch marks take six to twelve months to become fade away.
Can I prevent stretch marks?
Ans: Everyone can’t prevent stretch marks to occur especially during pregnancy. Every 8 women out of 10 experience stretch marks during their pregnancy. If your weight gain happens more than average during pregnancy then you are more likely to experience stretch marks.
Can men get stretch marks?
Ans: Yes, men who work out regularly or lift weights can experience stretch marks. Stretch marks are more likely to happen in men in areas where the muscle is put on quickly or the areas of weight gain.
How long does it take for stretch marks to get removed?
Ans: Generally, stretch marks take six to eighteen months to fade away. But if you go forward with some effective treatment then stretch marks fade away even faster.
Are there any natural remedies for stretch marks?
Ans: Yes, there is a variety of natural ingredients that you can apply over stretch marks to lessen their visibility. These remedies are coconut oil, aloe Vera, vitamin A, sugar, cucumber and lemon juice, potato juice, egg white, cocoa butter, and almond oil.
Conclusion:
We know how eager can be the new mums to get rid of pregnancy stretch marks after giving birth to their babies. But you must be patient because it requires some time. Gradually, your skin repairs the tears that the pregnancy caused.
But, also you can stick with all the mentioned tips we have described here. You must remember that your body went through a lot to bring your little one into the world. Your stretch marks are evidence of what you have gone through. So there is nothing to be ashamed of them.