Pregnancy is a joyous time for women, however, there are a few downsides that can put a damper on this life-changing experience. For example, stretch marks are one of the worst consequences of pregnancy.

During pregnancy, your skin will begin to stretch due to weight gain and liquid retention. You may notice that stretch marks appear around the breasts, hips and abdomen. Depending on how much weight you gain, you may also develop stretch marks on your thighs and upper arms.

Here are a few tips on how you can prevent and treat stretch marks during and after pregnancy. Also keep in mind that these tips can help you treat stretch marks due to puberty, weight fluctuations, and exercise.

Prevent Stretch Marks Before and During Pregnancy

Your doctor can prescribe a series of different products that will help your skin accommodate itself to the stretching that occurs during pregnancy. These products, which are usually creams for stretch marks, help keep your skin taut and flexible. If used correctly they will help your skin stretch beyond its limits without breaking.

These creams should be accompanied by a steady weight gain. Too much weight gain in a short period of time will increase your probabilities of developing stretch marks not to mention make it harder to lose the baby weight.

Keep in mind that a healthy diet can do wonders for controlling your weight gain. Pregnancy is every woman's dieting scapegoat, however, if you really think about it there is no excuse for overeating while pregnant, especially when you know that you should only be eating 300 extra calories a day.

Stay away from junk food and overly processed foods. Both of these types of food are high in sodium and empty calories. They will make you gain extra pounds quickly.

How to Eliminate Pregnancy Stretch Marks

The best option for treating loose skin and stretch marks is plastic surgery. Plastic surgery will remove the excess skin as well as the unwanted stretch marks and leave you with nothing more than a scar that is hidden in the skin's natural folds.

When a person undergoes surgery to remove stretch marks the treatment is usually done on the abdomen and nowhere else. Stretch marks creams can help you remove stretch marks found in other areas. These creams are helpful whether you need to treat extensive areas or smaller ones.

If you decide to use a stretch mark cream then you should know that it will take a longer period to show results than if you were to undergo surgery, however if you want a truly effective stretch mark cream you should look for products that contain rose hip oil, snail serum or emu oil. Each one of these ingredients is known to help fight stretch marks without causing side-effects.