Creams for preventing stretch marks in pregnancy

Young G, Jewell D

Published Online:

February 17, 2010

Stretch marks may be prevented in some women by daily massage but it is unclear if any particular ingredients bring special benefit.

Stretch marks are common by the end of pregnancy, occurring in most women. Though they later shrink and fade somewhat, they do not go away. Therefore, any treatment which prevented them would be welcomed by many women. The two papers reviewed may show that any cream massaged onto the abdomen, thighs and breasts (areas most affected by stretch marks) may help a little. There may be additional benefit from certain ingredients in the cream and the ointment described but it is unknown which constituent(s) is beneficial. Neither preparation is widely available.

Abstract (click to read)

Background:

Striae gravidarum (stretch marks developing during pregnancy) occur in over 50% of women. There is no evidence that any treatment removes striae once they have appeared. Some women are upset about the change in the appearance of their skin.

Objectives:

To assess the effects of topical treatments in preventing the development of stretch marks.

Search strategy:

We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (April 2004). We updated this search on 1 October 2009 and added the results to the awaiting classification section.

Selection criteria:

Randomised trials comparing active creams with either no treatment or placebo for the treatment of stretch marks in pregnant women.

Data collection and analysis:

Two review authors assessed trial quality and extracted data independently.

Main results:

Two studies, involving 130 women in total, were included.

One study, involving 80 women, indicated that, compared to placebo, massage with a cream (Trofolastin) containing Centella asiatica extract, alpha tocopherol and collagen-elastin hydrolysates was associated with less women developing stretch marks (odds ratio (OR) 0.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.17 to 0.99). A second study of 50 women compared massage using an ointment (Verum) containing tocopherol, panthenol, hyaluronic acid, elastin and menthol with no treatment. Massage with the ointment was associated with less women developing stretch marks (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.84)

Authors' conclusions:

Trofolastin cream appears to help prevent the development of stretch marks in pregnancy in some women. Verum ointment may be helpful but the trial had no placebo and may show the benefit of massage alone.

[Note: The three citations in the awaiting classification section of the review may alter the conclusions of the review once assessed.]

This record should be cited as:

Young G, Jewell D. Creams for preventing stretch marks in pregnancy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 1996, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD000066. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000066

Assessed as up to date:

April 30, 2004

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Primary Review Group:

Pregnancy and Childbirth Group

Health topics:

Pregnancy & childbirth > Symptoms during pregnancy

Cochrane Summaries^beta

Independent high-quality evidence for health care decision making

Creams for preventing stretch marks in pregnancy

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