How Can I Prevent Stretch Marks While Pregnant?

Stretch marks can be genetic, so if your mother got them during her pregnancy, then more than likely you will too. But the key to stretch marks is to focus on preventing them, since getting rid of them is extremely difficult – if even possible.

To prevent stretch marks, you must moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Keeping the skin on the stomach moist can help prevent stretch marks because when the skin’s moisture lipid barrier is intact, the skin is stronger and more pliable, causing less injury and trauma to the skin when slowly stretched over the course of nine months.

What ingredients will moisturize the skin the best?

You may have heard that cocoa butter is best for moisturizing but truthfully, the best ingredients for keeping the skin on the stomach moist (just like on the face) are lipid-rich oils like linoleic acid, soybean sterols, jojoba oil, phospholipid, borage oil, kukui nut oil, grapeseed oil, squalane and rose hips seed oil. These help to repair the skin’s protective barrier to help keep the skin strong and less resistant to injury of the skin tissue. But I certainly know many women who had great results with cocoa butter…

Along with using a regular moisturizer at least TWICE  during the day, I suggest using Renée Rouleau Pure Radiance Mask at night to give an added boost of moisture repair. Pure Radiance Mask contains many lipid-rich oils that can help prevent stretch marks. Before bedtime, apply a thin coat to the stomach and massage in circular motions until all is absorbed. Do not rinse.

How should I apply moisturizer to my belly?

When applying moisturizer, massage in a circular clockwise motion, which follows your stomach’s natural digestive tract.

Why does the skin on my stomach get itchy?

The reason is because when the skin is being stretched, it creates tiny, invisible cracks in the skin’s moisture barrier allowing moisture to escape. This results in the skin feeling itchy, as well as looking visibly dry. So by moisturizing often, this will help prevent this from happening.

Regardless of which moisturizer you choose to use, studies have shown that the simple act of moisturizing and keeping the skin well-hydrated can really make a big difference in the prevention of stretch marks, so load it on – and often! Just like caring for the skin on the face to prevent wrinkles, it’s much easier to prevent damage than to repair damage.

Read: Which Skin Care Ingredients Should You Avoid if You’re Pregnant?

Read skin tips for those in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.

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Renée Rouleau

Celebrity Esthetician & Skincare Expert
As an esthetician trained in cosmetic chemistry, Renée Rouleau has spent 30 years researching skin, educating her audience, and building an award-winning line of products. Her hands-on experience as an esthetician and trusted skin care expert has created a real-world solution — products that are formulated for nine different types of skin so your face will get exactly what it needs to look and feel its best. Trusted by celebrities, editors, bloggers, and skincare obsessives around the globe, her vast real-world knowledge and constant research are why Marie Claire calls her “the most passionate skin practitioner we know.”