Being a mother is a wonder and a joy, and it also can do a significant amount of damage to your body— leaving you feeling more deflated, literally, than you ever knew was imaginable. With the excess skin that is left over and the stretch marks that can sometimes consume your thighs and abdomen, it can be hard to imagine your skin going back to normal ever again. However, the great thing about your skin is that it works to rejuvenate and heal itself after things that are traumatic to it, such as pregnancy. Here are three things to know about your stretch marks after pregnancy.
They Will Fade
Immediately after giving birth, you may look in the mirror and realize that those tiger stripes that were on your belly during pregnancy are still there. And even for months after giving birth, those same tiger stripes might stare you down in the mirror. However, as your body heals and recovers from pregnancy, your skin will work to produce more pigment in the areas of skin around your stretch marks and leave you with more subtle looking marks. And although they may not ever fully go away, it’s a comfort to know that they will in fact fade over time.
They Are Genetic
If you are at the beginning of your first pregnancy and are wondering whether or not you are going to get stretch marks, ask your mother if she got stretch marks when she was pregnant with you. Fortunately for some, and unfortunately for most, stretch marks are actually genetic, which means that if your mother and grandmother got them, then you most likely will as well.
Most Women Get Them
If you don’t get stretch marks during your pregnancy, you are an anomaly. In fact, studies say that around 80% of women get stretch marks during pregnancy. So, if you are hoping that you won’t get stretch marks when you are pregnant, you might be getting ahead of yourselves because the chances are high that you will get them.
To learn more about stretch marks or how to get rid of them, contact Dr. Fiona Wright to discuss different treatment options that may be available to you.
