The problem of many pregnant women is the appearance of stretch marks on the skin. Striae are small stripes on the body that resemble scars. When a stretch mark appears, it has a reddish-blue color, the intensity of which weakens over time, and it takes on a whitish tint. The skin in this area becomes rough compared to other areas of the body and looks unattractive.
If you do not take care of your skin texture, stretch marks can remain for a long time, so it is easier to prevent their appearance than to try to get rid of them after childbirth, when the skin has already hardened. Correct preventative measures will help maintain the beauty of your skin, but you also need to know the reasons for the appearance of stretch marks.
Why stretch marks occur
An increase in the size of the fetus and an increase in body weight provoke severe stretching of the woman’s skin, which leads to tissue rupture. Stretch marks during pregnancy occur due to the destruction of the reticular layer of the dermis.
Causes of stretch marks: poor diet; bad habits; lack of moderate physical activity; low physical activity; chronic swelling; cardiovascular or endocrine diseases. Lack of protein in a pregnant woman’s body is one of the main causes of rupture of connective tissue fibers. A lack of protein stops the production of the natural “building” element of tissue - collagen. This makes the skin less elastic and firm. In order for a pregnant woman’s body to receive as much protein as possible, it is important to regulate nutrition and make it complete and balanced.
Stretch marks after childbirth
Motherhood and pregnancy are truly a happiness that only a woman can experience. Along with such a gift, an unpleasant factor may also be added in the form of stretch marks. During pregnancy, no one excludes this possibility, but even if it occurs, all measures to prevent or minimize manifestations are postponed until the postpartum period.
It is worth noting that if absolutely no preventive measures are taken, then stretch marks after childbirth can turn into a significant cosmetic defect, which will then need to be dealt with for a long time, and often this will require serious material investments. That is why you need to think about this factor both before and during pregnancy.
How to avoid stretch marks during pregnancy
To avoid the appearance of stretch marks on the body of a pregnant woman, you should:
- adhere to a properly balanced diet;
- to live an active lifestyle;
- use the right cosmetics;
- wear special clothes for expectant mothers.
Proper nutrition for a woman is especially important while expecting a child. The expectant mother should diversify her diet with poultry, which is rich in proteins, which prevent collagen from being destroyed. Collagen is an important component of connective tissues, which make the skin firm and elastic.
Experts recommend reducing the amount of sugar because it makes collagen fibers stiff, which negatively affects skin elasticity.
Stretch marks during pregnancy occur due to low physical activity of women. Daily simple physical exercises will help not only maintain your figure, but also prepare the body, especially the muscles, for childbirth. The load is important, first of all, for the muscles of the abdomen, thighs and legs. Moderate exercise will reduce the likelihood of stretch marks.
Special clothing for women expecting a child helps preserve the beauty of their body. Bras designed for expectant mothers avoid the risk of stretch marks on the breasts. This type of underwear will stretch as your breasts grow and will also support them properly. Underwear, special belts and a belly band protect the skin of the body from sagging, so it does not stretch as much as the fetus grows.
What are striae?
Stretch marks are small defects that form on the surface of the skin. They often appear in the thighs, abdomen, chest and buttocks. Externally, they appear as parallel or radial long strips that differ in color from the surrounding skin.
Initially they are red in color due to congestion of the vessels. As they become deserted, the striae first acquire a purple tint, then become white. They are called "old" stretch marks, the color changes 6 months after their appearance.
Due to a decrease in collagen and elastin, gaps form in the skin, which are replaced over time by connective tissue. They do not contain pigment, so when the skin tans, stretch marks become more noticeable.
How to remove purple stretch marks
Not everyone is able to prevent the appearance of stretch marks, but if they occur, it is better to remove them as soon as possible. As a rule, cosmetologists recommend ozone therapy, mesotherapy and fractional thermolysis to combat stretch marks.
Ozone therapy
Features of the use of ozone therapy against stretch marks:
- 6-8 procedures are required to achieve the desired effect;
- sessions last about half an hour;
- the intervals between them are usually about 2 weeks;
- The technique can be combined with massages, wraps and other procedures in agreement with the doctor.
Mesotherapy
The injection technique improves the condition of the skin by triggering its natural restoration mechanisms. Nomosclinic recommends body cocktails F-magistral and F-PPC to get rid of stretch marks using mesotherapy.
Prevention of stretch marks
Girls who pay attention to their figure and their health by playing sports are already, to some extent, protected from the appearance of hated stretch marks. This happens because sports activities constantly maintain skin tone, and weight is under constant control.
This method of prevention, of course, does not guarantee that stretch marks will not appear during pregnancy, but if this happens, then it will be easier to deal with them later, and new ones will not appear, and this is very important. Young mothers who were actively involved in sports before pregnancy will be able to return to their exercise within 2 or 3 months after giving birth.
You need to start getting back into shape with small loads and slowly return to those you had before pregnancy.
Another important factor that cannot be ignored is wearing the right underwear during and after childbirth.
Experts advise a young mother to wear a bandage immediately after the birth of her baby and not to give up a bra, since the mammary glands significantly increase in volume during breastfeeding, they need to be properly supported; if this point is ignored, the breasts will also be susceptible to stretch marks. It must be remembered that even after some time, tanning will not help hide these scars, because they do not tan.
For those who cannot cope with stretch marks on their own, there is special help and procedures. After examination, a course of laser therapy may be prescribed.
Pregnancy and mammary gland. What you need to know
During pregnancy, in addition to the growing hips and tummy, one of the most amazing transformations is experienced by the breasts. From the end of the first trimester, she prepares to produce milk.
From the end of the first trimester, she prepares to produce milk. Monitoring the condition of the mammary glands during this period is especially important, because many hormonal changes occur in the body.
To ensure that the expectant mother feels good and can easily establish breastfeeding, let’s figure out together how to protect against breast diseases.
What happens to the breasts during pregnancy
Breasts become more sensitive at 4-5 weeks
, painful sensations similar to PMS symptoms may appear. This is normal and there is no need to be alarmed. Increased sensitivity usually goes away after the first trimester, but sometimes persists until childbirth. After 6 weeks, a woman’s body becomes more melanin, causing the nipples and areolas to become darker.
By 10-12 weeks of pregnancy, a complex system of ducts develops in the breast
, the glandular tissue grows, and the nipples become more swollen and convex, and a noticeable venous network appears on the chest. This is a normal phenomenon and usually disappears after the baby is born.
At the beginning of the second trimester, yellowish discharge appears from the nipples
. This is not milk yet, but colostrum, similar in composition, but more nutritious, is the first food for babies. This is how the mother’s body prepares to meet the newborn. Colostrum may be released more actively during intimacy or after a shower. Some women may even experience slight bleeding from the nipple. They are associated with the destruction of small capillaries caused by the growth of ducts. There is no need to worry, but be sure to inform the gynecologist who is observing you about this
By 18 weeks, the bust may increase by 1-3 sizes
. Therefore, it is very important to choose the right underwear that will not restrict movement and can well support increased volumes. It is recommended to pay attention to cotton bras with wide straps, without wires, but with lower support.
How to prepare your breasts for pregnancy
If you are just planning to become a mother, you should definitely pay attention to breast health.
Experts usually recommend having a routine ultrasound, but if you are over thirty years old or women in your family have had breast problems, it is better to also have a mammogram.
Mammography is an X-ray that is good at identifying even small tumors and cysts in tissue. In case of urgent need, it is also done for pregnant women, protecting the tummy from X-rays with a special apron. But such studies are not routinely carried out so as not to risk the health of the fetus.
If any pathologies have been identified, for example a cyst, removal will most likely be recommended
. It is important to do this before pregnancy and childbirth, since during lactation, cysts can block the ducts and become inflamed, causing mastitis.
Therefore, it is very important to track all diseases or changes before conception and stop them surgically or conservatively.
Bad advice: what not to do
There are many myths surrounding preparing the breasts for lactation. For example, that the nipples need to be trained and rubbed with a wet towel to avoid cracks on them later.
In fact, the nipples of a woman who has given birth are quite capable of withstanding feeding, and cracks appear not from excessive sensitivity, but due to improper attachment of the baby.
In addition, the areola secretes its own protective layer, which helps the skin adapt to lactation. And if you frequently rub and wash your breasts, especially with soap, it will break down, which will lead to cracked nipples. If you have uterine tone, actively rubbing your nipples is also not recommended; this can increase muscle tension.
Marketers actively advertise creams and oils for cracks and stretch marks. However, the effectiveness of such products has not been scientifically proven. The number of stretch marks is largely related to the hereditary elasticity of the skin.
So to combat them, it is better to choose good supportive underwear and take a contrast shower.
Risk factors for pregnant women
Hormonal changes and other changes in the body of an expectant mother can be a big test for a woman’s body. Pregnancy usually does not provoke the appearance of pathologies. But, if a woman had an undetected tumor before pregnancy, during these 9 months under the influence of hormones, it can begin to actively grow, because up to 70% of tumors are estrogen-dependent.
It has long been believed that pregnancy, childbirth and lactation reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. Now researchers have found that this is not true.
Firstly, the risk of cancer decreases only for hormone-dependent types of cancer and in the long term, that is, after 15-20 years. But immediately after pregnancy they increase.
This means that all women, regardless of age or status, should undergo annual screening.
Sometimes women, experiencing chest pain, are afraid to go to the doctor, lest they hear a frightening diagnosis. But breast cancer does not hurt; it is usually accompanied by other symptoms, such as
:
- Formation of dense lumps and bumps in the breast tissue;
- Asymmetrical lumps and swellings in the chest;
- Sudden retraction of one or both nipples;
- Enlarged lymph nodes in the armpit area.
During pregnancy, diagnosis is complicated by the peculiarities of the woman’s physiological state. Fatigue, breast enlargement, and pain can also occur in healthy pregnant women.
In general, pregnant women have the same risk groups as other women:
- patients with a hereditary predisposition;
- age after 40-45 years;
- early menarche;
- excess body weight;
- bad habits;
- lack of physical activity
How to protect yourself from breast cancer
Of course, the risk of breast cancer is present in all women and increases with age. Our task is to identify it at an early stage.
If treatment is started at an early stage, the percentage of patients in complete remission is very high
This means that every woman should give up bad habits, lead an active lifestyle and regularly visit a mammologist. If there are no associated risks, it is optimal to have a mammogram once a year after age 45.
Laser therapy for stretch marks on the chest
The essence of this method is that under a certain influence, bright stretch marks become significantly lighter, and to those that have been on the skin for a long time and have independently changed color a little, a certain pigment is added under the influence of a laser and this makes them almost invisible.
The effect of this procedure is very significant. We can say that this method is the most effective in the fight against stretch marks; it should be started only a few months after the birth of the child. Experts warn that the crusts that form on stretch marks will fall off on their own after some time.
The cost of such a procedure can start from 20–30 rubles per square centimeter of stretch marks. These numbers are conditional; they may vary depending on the clinic and specialists.
