# Does anything actually prevent stretch marks? (In pregnancy.) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 28, 2014, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454 "2014-05-28T10:51:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Miss\_Violaceous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Miss\_Violaceous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Violaceous)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/1 "2014-05-28T10:51:03Z")
Whether it’s actually shown to work with studies, or just recommendations of a favorite product with which to rub oneself down. Is there anything that actually prevents stretch marks in pregnancy? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/2 "2014-05-28T10:53:42Z")
I think it’s all in the genes if I’m not mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/3 "2014-05-28T17:19:45Z")
If you come up with a product that is proven to prevent stretch marks, you could be a billionaire. But there sure is a lot of bullshit out there. Lots of people (and cosmetics companies) speculate that creams containing vitamin E or cocoa butter help minimize the appearance of stretch marks or reduce the likelihood of getting any. But in my experience, almost everyone gets them at some point or another (not just due to pregnancy or weight gain, but teens during growth spurts too). Whether it’s genetics or environmental, anyone who doesn’t have stretch marks is lucky as shit. But a little cocoa butter smells good and feels good and certainly won’t hurt you, if you want to give it a try. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/4 "2014-05-28T17:59:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Does anything actually prevent stretch marks? (In pregnancy.) Very small babies? ---
**Author:** ![Butterscotch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dc4da7/32.png) [@Butterscotch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Butterscotch)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/5 "2014-05-28T18:37:51Z")
Doctors in Italy recommend daily slathering with Almond oil. Two babies and no stretch marks later I can’t say if that did the trick or not, but it smells good and leaves your skin feeling fabulous… ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/6 "2014-05-28T18:48:41Z")
Early term c-section and incubator. Other than that, it’s the luck of having the kind of skin that does not scar easily, and carrying in a certain way so that there’s not extra stress on certain parts of your skin. If any scar removal cremes work, they may work on stretch marks, but I’m skeptical as to whether any of those actually work. I have been told that sunscreen lotion is as effective in lessening scarring as actual scar removal cremes, if you use them during the actual healing process, so maybe that applies to stretch marks as well. That would mean you need to start applying them right after delivery, and continue until your body returns to “pre-pregnancy” state. Laser treatment can alter the pigment, so it can make stretch marks less obvious, by evening out your skin tone, but if your skin is an uneven texture, I’m not sure that laser treatment can help. That’s a question for a dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon. However, fixing uneven pigment can make them less obvious from a distance, and that may satisfy most women. Costs money, though, and probably isn’t comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2014, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/7 "2014-05-28T21:31:46Z")
How could a person ever prove a negative anyway? No one’s ever done it for real. You either get them or you don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/8 "2014-05-29T00:06:31Z")
Since vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy and that is collagen deficiency ( as in its not made ), avoid vitamin C deficiency. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/9 "2014-05-29T02:11:55Z")
Like **Shakes** stated, I also think that it’s mostly in the genes. I gave birth to two kids in my 30s and did not get any. A couple of years after my second pregnancy, however, I reached my maximum density - 163lbs :eek:. When I finally got serious about getting back in shape, I lost over 40lbs over a year period, and still didn’t get any. My skin wasn’t as tight, but no stretchmarks to speak of. I consider myself lucky, and I do think it’s in the genes. Just as where you gain weight can be. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/10 "2014-05-29T02:35:03Z")
I have olive skin,and tan easily, but don’t scar much. I had stretch marks that were barely visible right after I was pregnant. After seven years, they’ve mostly faded. I know where they are, but people who have met me only recently say they can’t see them. Just for comparison, I was in a car accident 17 years ago, and had a nasty gash on my forehead stitched up with seven stitches. I had a scar for about two years, but it’s gone now, and it was never as bad as by rights it should have been, considering how bad the cut was. I still have a pencil line scar from my c-section, but you’d never guess it was an incision someone pulled a baby through. It doesn’t even look like a surgery scar. Some other women in my family who have skin a little lighter have more obvious stretch marks, but have also experienced fading. You can’t see my mother’s anymore, but I remember when I was a child, she had them. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/11 "2014-05-29T02:49:53Z")
i’ve never been a pregnant woman, but I think I once heard that frequent, liberal applications of cocoa butter help immensely. Sorry if I’m out of my element here. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/12 "2014-05-29T03:01:02Z")
Frequent, liberal applications of anything make you feel like you’re doing something, but if you have the kind of skin that gets stretch marks, you’ll get stretch marks. The best thing you can do is try to limit the amount of excess weight you gain, but you still have to gain enough to grow a healthy baby. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/13 "2014-05-29T13:29:57Z")
What I heard is that massaging the area with just about anything can help a little, because it stretches the skin in more than one direction, which is why cocoanut oil, vitamin E, etc, all give the appearance of doing a little good, but it’s the massage. Really all genetics-- how much you tend to scar, what your natural skin tone is, et al. Some people won’t be helped no matter home much they massage. Like I said earlier, in most people, they fade over time. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/14 "2014-05-29T13:36:27Z")
A partner with selective vision. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/15 "2014-05-29T15:05:56Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > A partner with selective vision. If the guy whose baby gave you stretch marks has the chutzpah to say anything, dope slap him. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/16 "2014-05-29T15:08:14Z")
Having a long torso helps. My wife has a very short torso. There was nowhere for the baby to go but out. This stretches the skin around the tummy more. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/17 "2014-05-29T15:13:20Z")
I’ll let you know in 9 months. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/18 "2014-05-29T21:11:34Z")
I had a tiny friend that had two large babies (and had stretch marks on her breasts from puberty) swear by fascial massage (her hubby is both a firefighter and an RMT). YMMV and she said it was uncomfortable. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/19 "2014-05-29T21:39:39Z")
For those saying i or my friend did this or that and it helped or prevented them… You would have no way to know that because what if you or your friend would not have them even if they did nothing. I can rub baby oil on my forehead and claim I didn’t grow a horn there last night. Does that mean baby oil prevents horns? No. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anything-actually-prevent-stretch-marks-in-pregnancy/689454/20 "2014-05-29T22:25:05Z")
> [@PurpleClogs](#): > > For those saying i or my friend did this or that and it helped or prevented them… You would have no way to know that because what if you or your friend would not have them even if they did nothing. > > I can rub baby oil on my forehead and claim I didn’t grow a horn there last night. Does that mean baby oil prevents horns? No. If you had a reasonable expectation of growing a horn, and didn’t, then it would be the basis for further study. We all know you have no expectation of growing a horn. On the other hand, pregnant women have reasonable expectations of developing stretch marks, and we are discussing whether there is any actual evidence that any of the proposed solutions actually work (the OP asked about controlled studies, and so far, no one has mentioned one, but that doesn’t mean someone won’t come to the thread who knows of one). Most of the discussion has affirmed the idea that women do or don’t develop them because of genetic and other physical factors, and what some of those might be has been tossed around. This is IMHO, not General Questions. People are free to proffer opinions.