my sis had that problem too, she had mixed castor oil, olive,shea butter, coconut oil and vitamin E oil (or try looking for grapeseed oil) together and the stretchmarks were almost completely gone within 5 months, i hope this helps.

A friend of mine applied pure honey consistently to her stretch marks and they were virtually cleared. I don't know if its a 100% clearance but they were much better (after two kids)

I used Palmers stretch mark cream, and another palmer's oil based cream (cant remember the exact name), and then olive oil.
The itching was just unbearable. You need to experience it to know that sometimes you cant help it. Guess what, I still have nasty stretch marks on my belly, I still have not gotten over them after 2 years.

I think it is just genetic. My cousin that has 2 children does not have a single stretch mark on her.

Just keep an open mind about it. When the time comes do your best to prevent it, but if it does not work, dont kill yourself over it (like me).

Spermatozoa does the magic, ask ur husband to donate to u three times a week and rub it on ur tommy.

Wow! What an educative thread. When the time comes, I now know how to go about it. I guess ones genes count. My mum is 53, n after four kids her tummy is so smooth n firm. Not a single stretch mark on her.

you can use snake oil,works real good.it also wipes out scars from surgical operations.
make sure you get the original one.

Very educative thread.

Truly educative perspectives and comments.

Shear Butter - wonderful.
Vitamin E enriched creams - Superb
BioOil - Maybe not so encouraging

Thanks guys for your interesting insights. However, although genetics plays a significant role in skin tone, colour, texture etc., I would like to you to please comment on the place of fruits and exercise in all of this.

My fiancee will be needing all this information soon, Hopefully she'll ask me where I got all the information from and I'll just tell her "shugs, thank baby.me for posting this on nairaland", that's if she knows nairaland sha, ,lol

Rub original snake oil on your tummy throughout the pregnancy - from the first month.

After delivery start using shea butter for at least six months.

This is a fool proof way to not only avoid stretch marks, but also to retain very smooth and firm tummy.

That snake oil (ora ere) smells horrible and you will have to use it religiously to see any effect, and that means you'll be smelling like babalawo (herbalist) in the office or wherever you find yourself. It was once recommended to help melt/reduce the size of a post-surgical scar that I have but I was discouraged by the off-putting smell. Even the ori smells a lot better. I'd rather have them strech marks than cope with those smell. My tummy itched and I couldn't control scratching, I  simplied applied balm, and though I have a few marks but it's not so bad. SO I WON'T RECOMMEND SNAKE OIL TO ANYONE.

Lol!@ You will be smelling like a Babalawo .

Waoww! Such a great thread,i've learnt a whole lot from this thread now and will stick to d instructions when d time comes,thanks.

Nice thread.

I like this discussion, i used Ori coupled with Bio Oil. Let her used wrapper to tie her stomach so it can go down gradually. IT AS IF I SHD GET PREGGY AGAIN.LOL

what about men wt it what should they do?

The ugly stretch mark only showed up after my fourth baby, I think I will mix
all the things you guys mentioned above, olive oil + shea butter + coconut oil +
vitamin E + vaseline + honey . hmmm who knows how horrible the smell will be but I
dont care. I will spray a very powerful perfume.

Y'all are talkin about eliminating and preventing stretch-marks! What about the more uglier scenerio: Vericous Veins?

Varicose Veins  That one is indeed horrible!!!!!!!!! Seeing it makes my skin crawl , yak!!! But, does that come with pregnancy also?

Here's what you can do to reduce stretch marks:

Drink lots of water to increase skin's elasticity.
Avoid binging on starches, sweets, and salty snacks that can lead to extra weight gain and bloating.
Stock up on citrus fruits and foods high in vitamin C, which is an essential nutrient in collagen production.
Apply a topical oil like Bio Oil ($11 drugstores nationwide) in the first trimester, to maximize the skin's elasticity and keep it hydrated
Gud Luck

Are varicose veins and stretch marks different? Pardon my ignorance, i will need to research a bit.

pregnancy and stretchmarks go hand in hand though they do fade over time.  if you are so concerned about the way your body looks after pregnancy then you are not ready to be having children

blank:

Are varicose veins and stretch marks different? Pardon my ignorance, i will need to research a bit.

yes stretchmarks are scar tissue fom the expansion of the skin. varicose veins are ballooned veins in the legs

It is not possible to completely avoid stretch marks during pregnancy. But, there are some medicine which can be taken to make it disappear.
Pregnancy By Weeks

Stretch marks aren't absolutely due to stretchings. . .

I thought I'd definitely have them by now, I'm 38 weeks pregnant, had them from highschool, was sure I'd get them as all my sisters and my mum did. NONE YET! I'm trying a method that seems to be keeping them at bay.
I'm hosting an experiment if you'd like to try it, I'd love to hear your story! It's partly a home remedy; most people use the product every single day anyway, and it's more effective and affordable than heaps of the most widely available products on the market.
See this blog for more info!
http://soapofftherope..com/p/oil-of-gods.html

I was quite lucky! I didn't use anything at all and no SM. Though towards the last trimester I had the black hormone-induced line that runs from below the navel...but that too is gone.
I won't leave it to chance again anyways. Pls who has used Palmer's cocoa butter? does it work? I want to use it with SB.

Can you do anything to prevent skin discoloration during pregnancy or after pregnancy ? Skin pigmentation changes usually disappear on their own after delivery . You can remove your fade skin easy way .Use stria fade from that contain vitamin E and alpha hydroxy acids .Get instant solution in short time.

Dermalmd Stretch Mark Serum really does work! I Had a very flat stomach and after we got pregnant I was scared about stretch marks. I was devastated when I found out I got them 4 days before having our daughter BUT this stuff really helped fade it AFTER I got them. I am able to feel confident now even after getting stretch marks.

Used Dermelastic serum consistently throughout my entire pregnancy, and I didn't get a single stretch mark! I realize this could be due to genetics, but the serum certainly helped.

DeidraMonika:
Dermalmd Stretch Mark Serum really does work! I Had a very flat stomach and after we got pregnant I was scared about stretch marks. I was devastated when I found out I got them 4 days before having our daughter BUT this stuff really helped fade it AFTER I got them. I am able to feel confident now even after getting stretch marks.

where can I buy dermalmd serum in lagos