Best Stretch Mark Prevention Cream During Pregnancy: Guide & Reviews 2019

Whether you have warrior stripes that you’ve accumulated from pregnancy, or you’ve just simply developed stretch marks over the years, you don’t have to worry about getting stuck with them forever as there are great anti-stretch mark creams in the market.

Stretch marks are usually the common result of pregnancy, but in some cases, women tend to develop them even before they get pregnant. Luckily, there are a lot of products, such stretch mark prevention cream to minimize and prevent the problem. Therefore, choosing the best cream would be a good first step, but before that, here’s what you need to know about stretch marks.

What is Pregnancy Stretch Marks?

Stretch marks usually appear on your skin in long, thin lines or striations after the course of rapid stretching. As for the marks’ medical term, it is called as “stria.” These marks usually come in rippled and parallel appearances, and in various colors including:

• Silver
• Light Blue
• Red
• White
• Purple

For those who aren’t pregnant, these marks usually appear on the butt cheeks and upper legs. While for pregnant women, they tend to notice it more prominently around their baby bump. However, the stretch marks can appear on any parts of the body that experiences rapid stretching during pregnancy.

Therefore, in pregnant women, the stretch marks may appear on their:

• Arms
• Breasts
• Belly
• Hips
• Buttocks
• Thighs

Why Do We Get Stretch Marks?

According to some beliefs, scratching on any parts of your body during menstruation can cause stretch marks to appear for those who aren’t pregnant. For clarifications, this isn’t true as stretch marks appear when your skin stretches too fast. There are two main substances in your body, which are the cortisone and collagen, that contributes to your inclination to get stretch marks.

Collagen is a type of protein that can be found in your skin, which makes it more elastic. Therefore, if you don’t have enough collagen in your body, your risk of getting stretch marks would increase. While the cortisone, also known as cortisol, is a hormone that is often released as a stress response. This can weaken the skin’s elasticity and fibers, which contributes to stretch marks.

During pregnancy and the peak late in your third trimester, the cortisol levels rise which makes the stretch marks become more prominent. Aside from pregnancy, there are other different ways that stretch marks occur in our body. It may due to:

• Rapid weight gain
• Breast implant
• Steroid use
• Rapid growth spurts in kids
• Bodybuilding, and
• Medical conditions such as Marfan’s or Cushing’s syndrome

Who Can Get Stretch Marks?

Women are not the only ones who can get stretch marks on their bodies, men can also acquire, especially for those who are obese. There are several things that can put you at a higher risk for developing stretch marks.

And here some of the risk factors:

• If you are pregnant, especially if you’re a bit young
• If you are a female
• Obese
• You have lost or gained weight
• Your family have stretch marks
• If you had a breast enhancement
• If you’re using corticosteroid, which is basically used for allergies, inflammation, skin conditions, or arthritis.

How Can You Get Rid of Stretch Marks?

Once you have developed stretch marks in your body, you can never completely get rid of them. Quite similar like a scar, the marks will remain on your skin until you get old. But the good news is, there are different ways that you can do to reduce the mark’s prominences and make them less visible.

Here are some things that you can do to lessen the stretch marks in your body:

• Retinoids

A retinoid is based on Vitamin A and often used to treat acne, scarring, wrinkles, and scarring that are due to stretch marks. Retinoids are to be used topically, but you cannot use them during pregnancy. You can only treat your stretch marks after you give birth.

• Vitamin E

This vitamin is often used in skin care products because of its effectiveness. In addition, there is some evidence that creams that contain Vitamin E can reduce and affect the stretch marks visibility.

• Laser Therapy

If you are looking for a quick remedy in treating your stretch marks, a laser therapy would be a good choice as it has been shown to help reduce the mark’s scarring. Particularly, red-light therapy may be most effective in treating pregnancy stretch marks. This therapy is non-invasive and chemical-free and is often done in dermatological clinics or salons. However, it is also a bit expensive, unlike the other treatments.

• Leave It Be

Over time, when you’re not using anything to get rid of your pregnancy stretch marks, they would eventually fade out on their own until they’re no longer noticeable. They won’t completely disappear from your skin, but they would lighten in color until they’re not as prominent as before.

• Ant-Stretch Mark Creams

If you’re on a budget and doesn’t have the money to undergo laser therapy, then using the best stretch mark prevention cream would be a great choice. Not only do you get to save money from expensive treatments, but you also get to prevent and reduce the mark’s prominence on your skin.

10 Best Stretch Mark Prevention Creams for Pregnant Women

The rapid stretching of the skin is primarily the reason why stretch mark appears. When you’re pregnant, there’s no doubt that your tummy and other parts of your body would grow quickly in the span of 9 months. Therefore, stretch marks would occur whether you like it or not.

However, luckily there are different things that you can do to prevent or lessen the mark’s visibility. One of those things that you can do is by using the best anti-stretch mark cream that you can find in the market. Here are several creams that you can use that are safe for pregnant women:

Glow Organics Belly Butter

If you’re pregnant and only want to use products that are safe for your baby, you should opt for an organic cream to make sure it’s safe for your unborn child. Slathering your belly, or any parts of your body with the non-organic product might have the potential to have an effect on your baby. Therefore, if the cream is non-organic or not dermatologist certified, you should avoid using that product.

This cream from Glow Organics is 100% made with organic ingredients, so you can safely put this on your skin without worrying about how it could affect your baby. This belly butter cream is also cruelty-free and vegan which makes it perfect for all kinds of lifestyles. It is also free from parabens, phthalates, synthetic ingredients, artificial fragrances, and sulfates.

For those who are struggling with morning sickness, worry not as this cream is unscented.

TriLASTIN Maternity Anti-Stretch Mark Cream

If you don’t have stretch marks but wants to prevent their development while you’re pregnant, it’s important that you use a cream TriLASTIN or lotion to effectively hydrate your skin. It’s also important to remember that if you’re going to use a skin care product, make sure that its ingredients are free from harmful ingredients such as retinol which could harm your baby.

This cream is not only designed to help reduce and prevent pregnancy stretch marks, but it is also designed to be safely used on pregnant mothers. It has the ability to keep your skin healthy, even when it’s stretched to the max with its 15 botanical oils and extracts. This is also considered as a hypoallergenic cream which makes it safe for those who have sensitive skin.

Burt’s Bees Belly Butter

This belly butter was formulated with pregnant mothers in mind, which means all the ingredients that are used in this product are safe and does not have a bad effect on the baby. In fact, this anti-stretch mark butter is made with 99% natural ingredients. So, it’s basically made with all-natural ingredients.

This cream is made with shea butter to help moisturize your skin while it stretches during pregnancy, along with some Vitamin E to help lighten the stretch marks you have today. Aside from stretch marks, it can also help treat irritation, pain, and itching that usually occurs on extreme skin stretching. Therefore, not only can it keep your stretch marks at bay, but it also keeps you stay comfortable.

Mederma Stretch Marks Therapy

When you’re already in your second trimester, you should make time every day in stopping the stretch marks before they start developing. Massaging this cream daily on your skin until it’s completely absorbed would be worth the effort when you can wear a bikini after giving birth.

You can even use this cream while you are breastfeeding as it is free from any harmful ingredients. One of its main ingredients is the Cepalin, which is a proprietary onion extract. Aside from reducing and preventing your stretch marks, this cream can also naturally reduce inflammation and swelling which is convenient in case you have one of those.

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Cream for Stretch Marks

This anti-stretch mark cream will not only provide you with effective treatment, but it’s also worth the purchase as with the price of one, you get two packs of cream. This way, you can prevent the development of stretch marks longer before you need to order for more products.

This cream product contains Vitamin E, which is a widely used ingredient that not only keeps your skin healthy but to also help fight off stretch marks. It also contains lutein to help support the stretching of your skin and Argan oil to help condition the skin. Its moisturization property is long-lasting as it provides hydration of up to 48 hours. For those who have sensitive skin, this cream is considered as hypoallergenic to avoid irritation and allergies.

Basq Intensive Treatment Stretch Mark Butter

If you’re having problems with your stretch marks, this stretch mark cream can help stave off the annoying marks if you continuously apply it throughout your pregnancy. You don’t have to worry about its ingredients as this product is toxicologist approved, which is safe to be used by pregnant and nursing mothers.

This product is made from shea butter, which is deeply absorbed to the skin to restore elasticity and hydration. These damages are usually where the stretch marks occur on the body. Aside from keeping your skin well-hydrated, it also helps relieves skin from irritation which is associated as the skin stretches as well as prevent and reduce visible scarring.

Earth Mama Belly Butter

If you prefer using a lotion-like cream for treating your stretch marks, this pregnancy-friendly lotion might just be the product for you as your baby grows. It is 100% free from harmful ingredients that could affect you and your baby’s health, so you can freely spread this throughout your belly, thighs, and other parts of your body where stretch marks could occur.

The great thing about this skin care product is that it is free from parabens, which mimics the estrogen. Therefore, you should avoid using products that contain parabens to avoid interference in your hormones.

Botanic Tree Stretch Mark Cream Remover

As one of the best high-end creams, this product has dual effectiveness for preventing the stretch mark’s development and reduces the mark’s visibility once it appears. This product is considered safe to be used during pregnancy, therefore you can use this product while your tummy grows to help prevent the development of stretch marks.

This cream is made from 100% of organic ingredients, which makes one of the safest anti-stretch mark creams for pregnant women. It also contains cocoa and shea butter, which is a perfect combination in moisturizing the skin, along with added conditioners such as avocado, olive oil, Centella Asiatica, and Vitamin B5 which has been proven in reducing the development of stretch marks.

Mommy Knows Best Stretch Mark Cream

Unlike most cream products in the list above, this cream isn’t appropriate to be used during pregnancy because of its retinol ingredient. However, you might want to keep this stretch mark cream on hand to use it against stretch marks after you deliver.

According to the product’s clinical studies, it shows that about 100 participants of the study reported that their stretch marks have reduced in visibility. In addition, not only does it target the stretch marks on your body, but it also softens them as well. It delivers intense hydration on your skin without leaving a greasy feeling. Most of its ingredients are natural, while some are even organic which makes it safe to be used after pregnancy.

Body Boost Stretch Mark Butter

If you’re looking for a collagen cream that you can use to treat your stretch marks, this elastin and collagen containing cream would be the best product that you can choose from. It also has a gotu kola, which is a type of plant that helps strengthen the connective tissues to have tighter skin.

The cream’s formula also contains jojoba, grapeseed, borage, and rosehip oils which makes it a safe anti-stretch mark cream for pregnant mothers. in addition, thanks to its shea butter base, the cream comes in a silky texture that effectively hydrates and prevents the skin from stretch marks.

Conclusion

And there you have the best list of stretch mark prevention creams during pregnancy. As for our top pick, we choose the Glow Organics Butter as it doesn’t contain any ingredients that could harm you and your baby. It’s also vegan, cruelty-free, and organic which is why we’ve chosen this as our top pick. We hope that this article has helped you out in choosing the best cream that would suit your needs.