Belly Itching and Stretch Marks

The skin on my belly has stretched tremendously to what I can only describe as miraculous length.

Most pregnant women will develop pinky or reddish itching streaks on their skins sometime during pregnancy. As their name implies, stretch marks are caused by skin stretching, generally due to a large and/or rapid increase in weight. There are some gifted women though that are born (genetic plays an important role here) with super elastic skin tone that seldom have stretch marks during pregnancy. And as for me, I wouldn't take the chance and wait for the D-Day if I am one of those gifted or not.

Nowadays, there lots and lots of products in the market that can minimize, if not prevent, stretch marks. It keeps the skin moisturize and to prevents it from itching and dryness. There are a number products in the market available and I came across three interesting products: Palmer's Stretch Mark cream, Tummy Honey Butter and Oil Tonic.

Palmer's is usually the default cream, available anywhere and affordable. But I have discovered something about it that made me NOT want to use it. It contains mineral oil and petroleum- stuff linked to cancer.. and these ingredients that just sit on top of your skin, not even penetrating in your belly. Scary right?? My OB says that I should use products that do not contain mineral oil, parabens and petroleum.

Through constant research, I discovered Tummy Honey Butter by Bella B. Their products are mostly organic and free from parabens mineral oil and synthetic fragrances. It gained a lot of good reviews in Amazon. Some pregnant women claimed though that after using the product, their belly still itches. It might be that some of them are allergic to the ingredients. Take note that we all have different skin types, so each of our skin react differently. So to test it, I bought one set and I applied it last night. I woke up today with no maddening itching and true to what women say that it has a very mild scent (I love it!). It's not that greasy, so I feel comfortable wearing it the whole day and doesn't seem to leave a stain. My only concern with Tummy Honey is that one 113g can only last for a 3-4 weeks, so you would probably be consuming around 8-10 during the course of your pregnancy. This product is only available at Rustan's.

Clarin's Oil Tonic, so far the most expensive of the three. This is my FIRST choice actually, because it has an excellent review. Made from organic materials, Clarins is oil based unlike Tummy Honey that's sort of "balm" like. On the minus side, the scent is VERY strong (smells like ginger) and the instruction says you have to apply it twice a day, morning at night. Since I am still working, it's very uncomfortable smelling like ginger the whole day. I opted for Tummy Honey for now. After I consumed it and stop working, I'll start with . Again, only available at Rustan's.

So when you are pregnant you cant take any chances. I do agree that hereditary can play a part in getting stretch marks. However, they can be prevented by drinking plenty of water, not gaining weight rapidly, taking omega-3 oils (safe for moms-to-be) and applying a lotion/creme/butter that actually penetrates your skin. Many over the counter cheap stuff is filled with cheap ingredients.. it's worth the price to spend more because of the life growing inside you.... and you will not be pregnant forever so you want to preserve your beautiful skin!!!

Be careful, MOST over the counter products contain a chemical called Phthalates, which on the ingredient label companies list as 'FRAGRANCE'. This is so the scent will last longer on your skin. Phthalates, have been proven to go directly into your bloodstream and urine.. very dangerous for pregnant moms and their babies.