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Having a baby may be your biggest accomplishment yet, but that doesn’t mean you’ll want a physical reminder of the experience! During pregnancy, the skin on your belly is stretched and pulled to accommodate your growing baby. Skin does not bounce back if it's been stretched by rapid growth due to pregnancy, weight gain, or extreme weight loss.   But there are other factors that affect the integrity of the skin, like:  genetics, nutrition, overall health, and whether or not you are a smoker.Instead, it can become decorated by a form of scarring called stretch marks, or striae. Stretch marks often start off as reddish or purplish in color, and then fade to glossy skin that appears streaked in silver or white.Research has shown that the formation of stretch marks begins with a breakdown and stretching of collagen located beneath the top layer of skin. When a person experiences the skin being stretched over a short period of time, the natural order of collagen fibers is disrupted.  The fibers are stretched, and we see what we know as stretch marks--small, depressed streaks on the skin, which affect more than 50% of pregnant women. While most women notice them on their stomachs, you may also see stretch marks on your buttocks, hips, thighs, or breasts. Although the marks initially appear pink, reddish or dark brown, they WILL start to fade within 6 to 12 months of your baby’s birth. Unfortunately though, stretch marks never COMPLETELY disappear, which may be why so many women seek to prevent them in the first place. While there is no proven way to do so, it can help to not gain excessive weight during your pregnancy, and to make sure to drink a lot of fluids and to exercise regularly. Some women also swear by over-the-counter stretch mark prevention lotions, like Reviva, while  other women rave about cocoa butter and Vitamin E oil!   Please remember though, that there is no conclusive scientific proof that any of these creams work.  Still, rubbing lotion into your belly each night WILL prevent itching, and may improve elasticity! Several factors play into the development of stretch marks.  So even your best attempts to prevent them, after you have already become pregnant, may minimize, but not completely avoid this issue. Luckily, you may be able to reduce the appearance of the scars by applying a topical ointment, like Retin-A, post-pregnancy.   But be sure to discuss this with your doctor if you’re breastfeeding.And if your stretch marks REALLY bother you, you might consider laser treatments to help restore skin’s elasticity and alter the color of the marks to better match your skin. But because these costly treatments are considered to be cosmetic, they are rarely covered by insurance. That’s why most women choose to let time do its effective fading work on their stretch marks.