Pretty vs. Pregnant: the hard truth of stretch marks

Expectant beauty columnist Alice du Parcq discusses the slap-in-the-face reality lesson of stretch marks and pregnancy

I didn’t want to write a column about stretch mark creams without being completely honest about their efficacy.

I’ve been using something every morning (see below) because I have keloid skin that scars badly and I do genuinely believe these products can help it get as flexible, conditioned and strong as possible.

But, as for whether these products can fully prevent or erase scarring, sadly my research has been a bit of a slap-in-the-face lesson. I went to meet Dr Puneet Gupta, joint medical director and cosmetic expert at The Private Clinic in London’s Harley Street, who certainly didn’t beat around the bush.

“Think of your skin like cling film,” he said. “Once you’ve stretched it beyond its natural elasticity, it’s going to stay that way and absolutely nothing will get it back to its original state. Scars don’t just occur on the top layer of the skin, they reach much further down into the dermis so topical creams aren’t going to make the scar go away.”

Dr Gupta did agreed that, yes, using a cream or oil during pregnancy can indeed help to minimise scarring. “Making the skin as elastic and moisturised as possible can reduce some of the stretching trauma to the skin. Unfortunately some skins scar much worse than others (while some are naturally strong and may not scar much at all). That is down to genetics and you can’t change that with a bottle of oil.”

After the birth once your body has readjusted itself, stretch mark removal is best done via laser treatment. ‘There’s no point putting creams on,’ says Dr Gupta. ‘Once the scar is there, they won’t make a difference.’

Some harsh truths I’m afraid folks, but quite frankly I’d rather be given that over faffy beauty waffle. Personally, I will continue to massage in my lotions and potions until delivery-day because it gives my keloid skin a fighting chance.

There’s another reason too. For just a couple of quiet minutes every day, I get to do something completely unique and wonderful: I get to feel my growing bump and massage the strange new contours that my baby has created inside me, like I’m giving her a big hug filled with excitement and love and anticipation. As I glide over a nourishing oil or rich balm it’s my way of telling her that, as much as I can’t wait to meet her, she still has a few weeks left in there so let’s make her home as luxurious as possible. This silent conversation and indulgent moment of calm is so precious. Right now, her and I have a strange and magical internal unison where it’s just the two of us figuring it all out together. I never want to forget that, and if it means that memory is represented by a few red scars, I’ll happily take them.

Here’s what I’ve been using myself and testing on a weekly basis for the past fours months. There are a range of prices, and I’ve categorised this in terms of delivery systems depending on what you prefer to use (from convenient tubes to scoopable tubs and spa-style oils). All provide the same level of nourishing vitamins and moisturisers, and in all honesty there isn’t one that out-performs the other.

This article was first published here.