Stretch Marks Are the Scourge of Western Civilization

Adrienne Martini — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:00:00 GMT

Eight months into my first pregnancy, I marveled at the fact that I didn't have any stretch marks. What I didn't know is that they were all lurking under that big belly full of baby, in the spots that I couldn't see and that the spouse was too polite to point out. Of all of the many (many) indignities of pregnancy, this is the one that really chaps my behind, mostly because there isn't a darn thing you can do about them. Or is there?

The New York Times takes on stretch marks in their Style section, which seems to be the home of all of the news that isn't actually news to anyone with a pulse. My last favorite Style story was about kids destroying your interior design. To which we all say: Duh.

Still, as it turns out, various creams and potions that promise to reduce stretch marks might work, unless they don't. The only sure cure is to have laser treatments or use Retin-A, which is more than I'm willing to go, given that I don't make my living modeling bathing suits or underpants.

You, however, may feel differently. Or be an underpant model.

Photo credit: www.aafp.org

Bad Advice in the News? Is Using Retin-A For Stretch Marks Risky During Pregnancy?

Kelly Mills — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:31:00 GMT

I saw this article from Fox News on preventing stretch marks, and paused for a second. Tip number one is, "Using Retin A Cream (vitamin A) at the inception of pregnancy, a weight-building program or a growth spurt is essential to keep the skin hydrated and moisturized." Now, I sort of remembered that Retin-A was not supposed to be used during pregnancy because of a risk of birth defects. So I went to the internet and poked around for reliable information. (Here's my love-hate with the internet. I adore having easy access to so much information, but sometimes you find everyone quoting some study and it turns out it was done on stuffed animals by a guy named Hal in his basement.)

So did the report just advocate pregnant women use something that causes birth defects? Accutane, also in the retinoid family, is absolutely linked to birth defects, but when you use topical Retin-A, only 10 percent passes into the bloodstream. Most of what I found says Retin-A is not associated with a higher risk of birth defects, though many people seem to still advise against using it in pregnancy--and actually Fox News advised against it last year. I did find this from a 2004 fact sheet from the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists: "There have been four reports of babies born with birth defects after their mothers used tretinoin during pregnancy. Usually, a few reports do not cause health professionals to worry, but the birth defects reported in these four cases are like the defects seen in babies whose mothers took isotretinoin during pregnancy." It goes on to say this is a very low risk, but that it might be a good idea not to use it. I also found this, which has scariness but in animal studies. So I guess you have to decide if your stretch marks are worth the risk, and if you consider this to even be a risk.

If anyone has seen any reliable studies on this, send 'em along!

Strollerderby : retin-a

Stretch Marks Are the Scourge of Western Civilization

Bad Advice in the News? Is Using Retin-A For Stretch Marks Risky During Pregnancy?