How long does it take for stretch marks to appear during pregnancy?

Many pregnant women are troubled by stretch marks, because stretch marks are a physiological phenomenon that most pregnant women will experience, which greatly affects the beauty of the pregnant woman's belly. Stretch marks are mainly caused by the fact that as the fetus grows, the belly gradually expands, causing the skin to lose elasticity. Because stretch marks will accompany women throughout their lives after giving birth, pregnant women will also be concerned about how long it will take for stretch marks to appear during pregnancy.

When do stretch marks appear?

When do stretch marks appear? This question is a concern for most pregnant mothers. Stretch marks usually begin to appear in the second trimester and become more obvious one month before delivery.

Under normal circumstances, the elastic fibers of the skin and the rectus abdominis muscle maintain a certain elasticity, so they can contract freely within a certain limit, and therefore wrinkles are not easily formed. When a woman is pregnant for more than three months, the enlarged uterus protrudes from the pelvic cavity and develops into the abdominal cavity. As the fetus continues to grow, the abdomen continues to expand, the elastic fibers in the skin and the abdominal muscles begin to overstretch, and as the gestational age increases, many of the collagen fibers under the skin are eventually "pulled apart." After 6 months of pregnancy, the abdomen bulges rapidly, the elastic fibers in the skin gradually break, and stretch marks become more obvious.

In fact, the growth of stretch marks varies from person to person. Depending on the physical condition of the pregnant woman, the time when stretch marks begin to grow will also be different. But generally speaking, pregnant women will start to see stretch marks when they are 5 to 6 months pregnant, usually appearing on the thighs and belly. Because pregnant women have different skin elasticity, some pregnant women will develop stretch marks in the late pregnancy or even a month before delivery, while some pregnant women may not develop stretch marks throughout the entire pregnancy. This is all normal.

Why do stretch marks appear?

It is a common phenomenon for pregnant mothers to develop stretch marks. The following three reasons will tell you why stretch marks occur.

1. Caused by hormonal changes during pregnancy

After a woman becomes pregnant, the hormones in her body will change. Due to the endocrine changes during pregnancy, the elasticity (fibers) in the skin weakens and becomes more brittle, and the subcutaneous capillaries and venous walls become thinner and dilated, affecting the elastic fibers and collagen fibers in the skin and causing them to be damaged. This leads to thinning of the skin in the abdomen, legs and other areas, rupture of elastic fibers, and the color of the subcutaneous blood vessels showing through, forming stretch marks.

2. Rapid weight gain

Some pregnant women's stretch marks are not obvious, while others are very conspicuous. This is related to the weight gain of the pregnant women during pregnancy. If a pregnant mother gains weight too quickly, causing her abdomen to enlarge rapidly, it can easily damage her skin tissue and cause severe skin stretching, thereby increasing the chance of stretch marks.

3. Dry and aging skin

Generally speaking, older pregnant women are more likely to develop stretch marks than younger pregnant women. This is because their skin begins to age and is not as elastic as young skin. The appearance of stretch marks is caused by the rupture of skin elastic fibers, so pregnant women with dry and inelastic skin are more likely to develop stretch marks.