Stretch Marks and Scars

• Of the women surveyed, ages 18 to 34, seventy-eight percent have stretch marks.
• Eighty-one percent feel self-conscious about stretch marks.
• Seventy-four percent of women are picking swimsuits and clothes that cover their stretch marks. Think that is extreme? Nearly a third (29 percent) would rather have cellulite than stretch marks when hitting the sand.
• Almost three in five women feel like they just have to live with stretch marks.
• Sayonara Stretch Marks – 69 percent of women with stretch marks are eager to get rid of them, although some stretch marks are more troubling than others.
• The place women are most worried about the appearance of stretch marks is their stomach (41 percent), followed by thighs (28 percent).
• Stretch shame has put a damper on the love lives of some ladies. One in five (20 percent) have avoided sex with the lights on because of the appearance of scars and stretch marks.
• Seventy-four percent of women feel self-conscious about their scars and 47 percent of women think they cannot improve the appearance of scars over time.

Real Women Weigh in on Pregnancy Skin Concerns

• 5,400,000 pregnant women experience stretch marks.¹
• You may not get away mark-free after pregnancy – 90 percent of pregnant women or women who recently had a baby report having stretch marks.
• Most women reported noticing stretch marks in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy (60 percent).
• Three in four pregnant women are trying to prevent their stretch marks.
• Almost two in five (39 percent) women worry about stretch marks after finding out they are pregnant.The marks of a burgeoning belly are even more anxiety-inducing than breast feeding (21 percent).
• Nearly two in five (39 percent) women incorrectly thought stretch marks were inevitable and did not see a point in trying to get rid of them.
• Would women trade nausea for nice skin? It appears so. Fifty-eight percent of recently pregnant women say they would rather have morning sickness than visible stretch marks.
• While many of the worries of pregnancy pass with time, stretch shame lingers. Embarrassment (44 percent), helplessness (34 percent) and dread (22 percent) are all feelings associated with stretch marks after pregnancy.

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¹ According to the American Pregnancy Association. Approx. 6,000,000pregnancies per year x .90 = 5,400,000.