Mark's on stomach of mother's

 Your pregnancy alone is to blame for numerous physical changes to your skin, both pleasant and unpleasant. Stretch marks are the most common skin change that pregnant women experience. Stretch marks are separations of the outer layers of skin caused by the overstretching of underlying layers. Beside pregnant women, stretch marks are found on children who are obese, adolescents who have a sudden growth spurt during puberty and athletes and body builders who do constant exercises. The most commonly affected areas by stretch marks are hips, abdomen, breasts, thighs and buttocks. Stretch marks are itchy reddish marks. When a woman is pregnant, hereditary factors play a significant role in determining whether or not she will develop stretch marks. Unless you were born with skin that is stretchy, you will probably get them if your mother did. There is no sure shot remedy for stretch marks as mostly they fade after delivery. The only way to avoid stretch marks is to prevent them. We recommend the following – Massage vitamin E or olive oil on the abdomen areas from the start of your pregnancy. Massage it liberally over the marks after a shower. If you don't take a shower, first wipe the area down with a damp cloth before applying the oil. – Regular exercise helps to tone your muscles and keep your skin firm. – Maintain healthy diet and drink plenty of water. Include plenty of foods high in vitamin C and E and proteins in your diet. Increase your intake of minerals such as zinc and silica to maintain healthy skin. – One ounce of sweet almond or jojoba oil with 7-8 drops of lavender and chamomile oils is a good homemade recipe. – Avoid excessive weight gain in a short time span. – Cocoa butter reduces stretch marks and helps to keep the skin supple. – Wear a glove and massage your skin to increase circulation. – Use coconut and almond oil while massaging your body with body oil. Daily massage with Olive oil, flaxseed oil, cod liver oil or vitamin E oil after shower or before sleeping is an excellent home remedy for either preventing or treating stretch marks. – To avoid stretch marks around breasts, wear a supportive maternity bra. – To make stretch mark cream, mix 1/2 cup cocoa butter, 1 tsp wheat germ oil, 1 tsp apricot kernel oil, vitamin E oil and 2 tsp grated beeswax. Heat the mixture until cocoa butter and beeswax melt, stir well and store in air tight conditioner. Stretch marks. Striae Gravidarum. The marks of pregnancy. Call them what you will. But they are the one thing that all women dread will occur as soon as they get pregnant. But what are stretch marks anyway? And why do they take place? Well, the reason lies in the anatomy of the skin. The skin has two layers a thin upper layer called the epidermis, and a thicker, lower layer called the dermis. Scattered in the dermis are fine protein filaments called elastin that, like a piece of rubber band, are capable of stretching on being pulled. But just as a rubber band can stretch only so far and no further, these elastin fibres can also be stretched only to a certain extent. They break if stretched any further. The increasing bulk of the uterus during pregnancy causes the skin to stretch to a great extent and the elastin fibres are torn. The torn elastin produces scars on the skin called Stria Gravidarum or stretch marks. They occur on the lower abdomen of all pregnant women, right? Right and wrong, then. They appear in most pregnant women, but not in all and not just on the lower abdomen. Stretch marks occur when the skin is stretched in a very short period of time, as in pregnancy or in obesity. They occur: In the lower abdomen in pregnancy. Along the sides of the breasts either in pregnancy or in obesity. Upper thighs. Occasionally even on the inner sides of the upper arms. But can stretch marks be prevented? Fortunately, the answer is, to some extent, yes. Although some women are genetically prone to develop stretch marks, it has been noted that athletes and women accustomed to heavy, physical labour get very few or no stretch marks. This is regardless of whether their female relatives have stretch marks or not. This is because these women have extremely developed and robust abdominal muscles. These muscles can easily take the weight of the growing uterus and prevent it from pressing forwards on the skin rather like wearing a strong muscular belt under the skin. The skin is thus stretched less, less elastin fibres are damaged, and there are fewer stretch marks. Again a supple, healthy, well moisturized skin is capable of stretching more without any lasting damage. Therefore, a woman's risk of developing stretch marks is reduced if she is able to build up her abdominal muscles and keep her skin supple and healthy. But how? How do I develop my muscles and keep my skin moisturized? Gentle exercises for the abdominal muscles can be started as soon as pregnancy has been confirmed or even as pregnancy is being planned. Exercise 1 : Standing erect, raise both arms above the head. Bend forward slowly to touch your toes. Keep the position for a hundredth of a second. Then slowly straighten up. Do this exercise at least once daily. Exercise 2: Clasp your hands and raise both arms above your head while standing erect. Now slowly bend to your left as far as you can comfortably go. Hold for a count of 10. Straighten up slowly and then bend to your right. Keep the count at 10. Get in line. Inhale as you straighten up and exhale as you bend. This makes one set. Do at least 3 sets once daily. Exercise 3 : Stand straight with feet about 12 inches apart. Place hands on your back at the waist. Slowly sway back to the most comfortable position. Keep the count at 10. Get in line. Now bend forward slowly, hold the position to a count of 10. Then sit up straight. Inhale as you straighten up and exhale as you bend. This completes a set. Perform at least three sets each day. The abdominal and back muscles will be strengthened and the skin will be gently stretched during these three exercises. They also improve the posture during pregnancy. Caring for the skin : Keep the skin moisturized by applying oil olive oil, coconut oil, almond oil or any good baby oil thoroughly over the skin of the abdomen, hips and thighs. Massage it in with sweeping upward strokes. You can do this before you exercise so that the oil is properly absorbed as the skin is stretched during exercise. The skin will become supple, healthy, and capable of stretching without causing damage to the elastin fibers as a result of this. A Healthy Diet: Eat a healthy diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and water. And do not forget your daily vitamins. This will ensure a healthy and supple skin. But what happens if the stretch marks have already occured? How do I get rid of them? The fact that stretch marks go away over time is a good thing. When they are first formed, they are reddish or purplish, but later they become thin silvery lines that may not be visible at first glance. The bad thing about stretch marks is that they can be removed permanently only by surgery. The elastin and collagen growth can be stimulated to some extent by cocoa butter, Vitamin E, wheat germ oil and lanolin. But to remove the marks completely, laser surgery, blue light therapy and other surgical treatments are the only options. Many creams and lotions available on the market also claim to be able to remove stretch marks but have yet to be medically proved.