Striae gravidarum or Stretch marks are purplish red streaky scars, which appear when the skin is overstretched. They appear during pregnancy over the abdomen where the skin is supple, usually in the third trimester or the later months when the skin is highly stretched to accommodate the growing fetus. They may also appear over the breast, more so during the period of breast-feeding when the breasts swell up and increase much in size. Apart from these areas, striae are also seen on the hips, buttock and inner and outer thigh.
About 70-90% of pregnant women develop stretch marks over the abdomen. Up to 90% of women develop stretch marks over some part of their body due to the excess weight gain of pregnancy. Most light skinned women have pinkish colored striae and the dark skinned have striae that are lighter than the surrounding area. Most women start to worry about striae or stretch marks after they have their baby.
A little attention to the rate of weight gain and skin stretch during the pregnancy period can definitely go a long way in reducing them. The more weight gained during pregnancy, the more likely are you to develop them. In some women, changes in weight are drastic and happen very rapidly causing a sudden stretch of the skin and the dermal protein tissues tears. This initially appears pinkish and later fades to a white silvery scar, which remains as a stretch mark. Women who have big babies or women with a twin or multiple pregnancy have more chances of having striae as their skin is stretched more due to the bulk of space needed to accommodate more than one fetus.
The likelihood of having striae increases if you had them during the pubertal period or in a previous pregnancy, if you gain weight more than what is recommended, or if your body is in a general malnourishment status. Women who have a lot of striae should report this to their doctor as they might be prone to having more vaginal lacerations and tears during a normal vaginal delivery. This is due to dermal matrix with a weak protein framework as is suggested by the large number of striae or deeper indented striae on the abdomen.
Skin over the abdomen is supple and has an underneath fat deposition. Sudden loss of weight after the baby is born makes the skin loose and striae appear prominent at that time, which is when most women start worrying about them. Normally after pregnancy, these stretch marks fade away slowly as the body comes back to normalcy and is repairing all the tissues. Usually after12 months post partum these marks do fade away and are much lighter than before.
Steps to take for Prevention