Health for Conception and During Pregnancy

What to Eat While Pregnant

Avoiding Miscarriage

Cord Blood Banking

Packing for the Delivery Room

Tips for the New Mom

Bringing Home Baby

Getting Baby to Sleep

Budgeting for Baby

Traveling with Baby

Dressing Your Newborn

Breastfeeding Myths

Finding a Safe Baby Crib

Soothing a Newborn

Losing Weight After Pregnancy

How to Prevent and Eliminate Stretch Marks During and After Pregnancy

Having a baby should be one of the most joyous experiences of your life. However, if you are not careful to take preventative actions, you could end up with more than just a beautiful baby at the end of the 9 months. I am talking about those dreadful stretch marks.

If you do not properly moisturize your skin, you could end up with stretch marks everywhere, including your belly, flanks, and hips. Also, your face could become darker and your skin could become more dry.

Maintaining healthy skin during pregnancy seems like a daunting task, especially to those of us who suffer from existing skin conditions, like eczema. But you can remove or prevent getting stretch marks. Before we tackle the topic of how to prevent stretch marks, it is equally important to define what stretch marks are and where they come from.

What Are Stretch Marks and Where Do Stretch Marks Come From?

Stretch marks, or striae, are a form of scarring on the skin with a silvery white hue. Stretch marks can appear anywhere on the body and during pregnancy are likely to occur along the side of your stomach, the bottom of your belly, the upper portion of your chest, the center of your thighs, and circumference of your posterior.

Generally, stretch marks appear in places where larger amounts of fat are stored. Although stretch marks are associated with people who tend to be overeaters and obese, stretch marks can be the result of a variety of things.

Pregnancy, bodybuilding, weight loss, puberty, and intense physical activity can lead to stretch marks. Stretch marks actually develop when an increased level of circulating glucocorticoids enter the bloodstream. This hormone, which is secreted by the adrenal glands, becomes elevated during pregnancy, intense exercise, and puberty, causes stretch marks to appear.

But you can go through all these life events, and even stretch your skin without getting stretch marks. How? Well, it's as simple as 1-2-3.

How Can I Prevent Stretch Marks During Pregnancy?

Ladies, have I got the solution for you! Believe me, with just a little self-maintence, your skin will become tighter, brighter,and more brillant than before you became pregnant.

The secret to preventing stretch marks during pregnancy is to ensure that your skin remains elastic and moisturized. In order to do this, you need to lotion or moisturize your belly, legs, and arms at least twice per day. If you have difficulty doing this, because of the extra baby weight, then get assistance from your significant other, mother, or friend.

Although, there are several lotions and creams on the market, such Palmer's and Strivectin, I would avoid these. They contain primarily artificial ingredients, alcohol, and a little bit of cocoa butter or emu oil. This is simply not enough to prevent or remove stretch marks. You need several natural oils, butters, scar-heaing ingredients, and essential oils to attack these marks.

I recommend a product that is not found in stores for all you mothers or mothers to be. Beauty 4 Ashes' Christian Health & Beauty Company makes fabulous all-natural stretch mark products at a fraction of the cost of Strivectin. Moreover, this product is far more powerful than Strivectin because it is all-natural and does not contain artificial ingredients that may counteract the effectiveness of emu oil by drying the skin. Trust me, I have tried everything, and after 5 kids, I know what works.

Beauty 4 Ashes stretch mark creams, oils, and butters contain skin-firming, collagen-rebuilding, and elasticity-strengthening essential oils, vitamins, and proteins. Their stretch mark products will fade your current stretch marks into oblivian and prevent any future stretch marks from forming.

Plus, these creams have an added bonus, they tighten cellulite and tone the skin. Honestly, these creams are far better than anything I have found in stores. These creams and oils were created to penetrate below your outer dermis and infuse areas where stretch marks are directly forming. Check the ingredients and products out for yourself. Even do research. The main ingredient in their creams are aloe vera, vitamin E, jojoba oil, and stretch-mark reducing essential oils. Their website address is www.discoverb4a.com.

As with all things, the best products are often the hardest to find, because they are less marketed, due to their effectiveness. Hopefully, I can save you from wasting a lot of time and money on those nasty stretch marks.

And remember, to prevent stretch marks, you need to keep your skin infused with rich nutrients, vitamins, and moisture. Do not forget to maintain a healthy diet and drink plenty of water. Keep lotioning!

Article Author: Pam Ross

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com