Stretch marks are the cosmetic pregnancy symptom with the largest marketing industry attached to it and the least evidence that any of it works. They are also the reason a great many people search for "itching in pregnancy" — and that search leads somewhere far more important than a cream.
Call your maternity unit the same day if you have intense itching — especially on the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet, worse at night, with no rash to see. That is how intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy presents. It is a liver condition rather than a skin one, it is diagnosed with a blood test, and it is managed once identified. Do not wait to see whether a moisturiser helps.
The short answer: stretch marks appear in the second half of pregnancy on the abdomen, breasts, hips and thighs, starting red or purple and fading to silver over the months after birth. Whether you get them is mostly genetic. The evidence for prevention creams is weak and nothing removes them, but moisturising does help the itch. Itching of palms and soles with no rash is not stretch marks — that is a same-day call.
Why they happen
Skin stretches by remodelling its collagen and elastin. Stretch marks form where that remodelling cannot keep pace — the dermal structure tears microscopically, and what you see is the more vascular tissue beneath showing through, which is why they are red or purple at first and pale later as the vessels regress.
Two factors determine whether that happens: how fast the skin is stretched, and how your particular collagen behaves — which is inherited. That is why the strongest predictor is whether your mother had them, and why two people with identical bumps and identical skincare routines get entirely different results. It is not a measure of how well you looked after yourself.
What is normal
| Stretch marks and ordinary itch | Ring the same day | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the itch is | Over the bump, around new marks | Palms and soles, or all over the body |
| Rash | You can see the marks that itch | Nothing to see at all |
| Timing | Any time, mild | Much worse at night, disturbing sleep |
| Response | Eases with moisturiser | Moisturiser makes no difference |
| With it | Nothing | Dark urine, pale stools, yellowing of skin or eyes, feeling unwell |
What is worth doing
- Moisturise for the itch, not for prevention. Any unperfumed emollient. It works for comfort, and being honest about what it is for saves money.
- Gradual weight gain within the range advised for you reduces how fast the skin is loaded — see the weight gain guide.
- Support the bump with a well-fitting maternity band if it feels heavy; less mechanical drag is easier on the skin.
- Wait before treating. Marks fade substantially over six to twelve months, and post-birth treatments work better on mature marks anyway.
- Not during pregnancy or breastfeeding: retinoid creams, which are among the few things with any evidence for improving mature marks, are avoided.
Stretch marks in pregnancy — at a glance
Stretch marks form where dermal collagen and elastin cannot keep pace with how quickly the skin is being stretched, and what shows through is vascular tissue beneath — which is why they start red or purple and fade to silver as those vessels regress. They usually appear in the second half of pregnancy on the abdomen, breasts, hips, thighs and buttocks. Whether you get them is driven mainly by genetics and by the rate of stretch, not by how carefully you moisturised; the evidence for topical prevention is weak and nothing removes them once formed. Moisturising is still worth doing because it genuinely relieves the itching. Gradual weight gain, bump support and waiting six to twelve months before considering treatment are the practical points, and retinoid creams are avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding. The clinically important distinction is the itch itself: mild itching over the bump is ordinary, while intense itching of the palms and soles, worse at night, with no rash and unresponsive to moisturiser, is intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy — a liver condition diagnosed by blood test that needs a same-day call.
Inside Baby Novum: the daily check-in records itching alongside sleep, so the pattern that matters — where it is, and whether it is waking you — is written down rather than reconstructed. That is the detail the maternity unit will ask for first. Encrypted on the device, no account, no server copy.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do stretch marks appear in pregnancy?
Most commonly in the second half of pregnancy, often from around the sixth or seventh month, on the abdomen, breasts, hips, thighs and buttocks. They start as pink, red or purple lines — striae rubrae — which are raised and sometimes itchy, and mature over the months after birth into paler, flatter silvery marks.
Can stretch marks be prevented?
Largely not, and this is worth knowing before spending money. Whether you get them is driven mostly by genetics, along with how fast and how much the skin stretches. The evidence for topical products preventing them is weak, and there is nothing that removes them once formed. Moisturising is still worth doing — it genuinely helps the itching, which is the part that is actually bothering you.
Is itching normal in pregnancy?
Mild itching over a stretching bump, and around new stretch marks, is common and normal. What is not normal is intense itching — particularly on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, typically worse at night, with no rash to see. That is how intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy presents, and it needs a same-day call and a blood test.
Why does itchy skin in pregnancy matter?
Because obstetric cholestasis is a liver condition, not a skin one, and it is associated with risks to the pregnancy that are managed once it is identified. It is diagnosed by measuring bile acids and liver function, so a blood test settles it. One normal result does not always close the question if the itching continues — it can be repeated.
Do stretch marks go away after birth?
They fade rather than disappear. Over six to twelve months the redness settles and they become paler and less noticeable, though the texture change remains. Treatments after birth — some topical, some laser or microneedling — can improve appearance but do not remove them. Retinoid creams sometimes used for this are not suitable during pregnancy or breastfeeding.