Stretch marks are a natural result of your skin stretching to make room for your developing baby and uterus during pregnancy. While they typically fade after pregnancy, they may not completely disappear. Stretch marks are a form of scarring that appear after your skin quickly stretches or shrinks. They are permanent, and you will never be able to get rid of them completely. However, there are ways to make them less noticeable. Here are some positive and negative aspects of different treatments:

Prevention:

• Stretch mark prevention lotion: Applied all over your body twice a day over the course of your pregnancy, a stretch mark prevention lotion can encourage skin elasticity and help prevent stretch marks. However, make sure that the lotion or product you choose doesn’t contain chemicals that could be unsafe for use while pregnant.

• Maintain a healthy pregnancy diet: Eating a balanced diet rich in zinc, protein, and vitamins A, C, and D can help promote healthy skin.

Treatment:

• Creams: Creams can’t prevent the formation of stretch marks on your pregnant belly, but they may be able to lessen the appearance of these markings after pregnancy. Ingredients such as tretinoin and other retinoids derived from vitamin A can help boost collagen production on the skin’s surface, which may reduce the appearance of stretch marks. Specialized creams, like Mustelas Stretch Marks Serum and Body Firming Gel, are the simplest way to treat stretch marks after pregnancy.

• Massaging: Massaging the skin of your hips, belly, and bust is one of the best ways to treat stretch marks after pregnancy. A gentle massage increases blood flow and breaks up the scar tissue that causes stretch marks.

• Laser skin resurfacing and dermabrasion: These treatments can help to smooth out stretch marks and make them less noticeable. However, they are expensive and may not be covered by insurance.

• Surgery: After pregnancy, you may be able to remove certain stretch marks with surgery. However, this is an invasive procedure and should only be considered as a last resort.

Its important to note that many treatments have been debunked for improving stretch marks. For example, research suggests that almond oil, cocoa butter, olive oil, and vitamin E wont fade stretch marks. Additionally, topical therapy of existing stretch marks doesnt work[[6]](https://www.webmd.com/baby/features/get-rid-stretch...