Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Stretchmarks round 2 and the pregnancy "mask"

Remember when I wrote about stretchmarks in odd places?
If not look at the link above :)

Nobody was more shocked than me when I saw them popping up at such a rapid rate! 
I had heard this could happen but didn't think it would really happen to me. So the day I saw them starting I was like, "Aww really? Ugh. Great. Where's my lotion??....." 
My mom got off w/out a single mark! So I have somebody else in my bloodline to thank... I know this bc I had some from before (In another location) when I had a growth spurt from skinny thing with zero curves to a woman who had curves. I had those pretty clear and softened out nicely, but as we know they never fully go away and if they do it's a blessing!

(The most G rated version I could find with a rough example)


Well the stretching continued as my bust has continued to grow and grow and grow and hey... Grow some more!! My mom looked at me and was like "Holy cow Shannon! What size are you wearing?" I am in an XL soft cup bra from Target. Yes, that's right, an XL!! That puts me in the upper C to D cup family. My Aunt saw me several months back and was like, "You'll be a D cup!" and now that I think about it, bigger boobs do run in the family. Mom just hit the middle range as had I. Not to say I'm not wowed by this... Good Lord!


I've been using lotion as much as I can remember to and when my husband told me the other day it looked like they were fading I didn't believe him. Didn't want to get my hopes up. Until now! Shocked to say they've started to heal over even tho I continue to grow, what an odd thing to see so fast. I wouldn't put it past a few newer popping up but hey, they're healing! 

However.

There's another skin condition taking place on my bust...

Melasma (Chloasma) aka The Pregnancy Mask.



What are common cases for this you may ask?

Well, it's pretty simple to explain: 

A. Ladies with a more olive to brown skin tones are more likely to have this.

B. Ladies who are on BC pills or hormone replacement therapy.

C. Sun worshipers.

These are most common and will have you more likely to see this happen and it usually happens on the lower portion of the face but I never put it past happening on other areas of the body. (This is our skin we're talking about.)

The hormones Estrogen and Progesterone are what cause this and A-C up there are other factors that make it doubly possible. Mine would be the olive undertones from my Cherokee and Hebrew. Add the INTENSE physical reactions I've had to all these pregnancy hormones and it makes perfect sense. Thinking about it, it's really not that bad if it only happens on my bust. It may cover a fair amount of space but I'll take that over continued stretchmarks popping up. There's that chance it'll fade after baby comes and the body calms down in the melanin production department anyway.

**If it should stay esp for those who have it on their face you can always seek professional help from an Aesty or dermatologist. There are several options depending on how dark and how much it bothers you that we can offer. Chemical peels and various at home treatments are a few as lasers are a more intensive step and should be done with caution. Just remember SPF to help it from getting worse as you mature!!



Pregnancy is such a ride and for those who aren't informed it can be a scary time.
I keep seeing mom's who were never told about stuff and they're freaking out. :(
Not to say I haven't had my *gasp* moments in shock over something I never knew.
haha Not so. It's happened.

Anyway.
 It's time for me to dash!
 Hope this finds you well, I'm off to get more water and some food...

Shannon <3 



2 comments:

  1. The not joyful side of pregnancy :( Sad to hear more news like this from you lately, but again - you take it so gracefully. I too got stretch marks from a growth spurt, have them around my waist but since they are old they are quite faded. New ones are so painfully ugly though! Glad to hear they are healing quickly though. The melasma thing is something I knew about but didn't really remember. At least it's not on your face!

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  2. Yeah, there are a few things in pregnancy that truly aren't pretty and it's sometimes hard to not focus on them. The 3rd trimester not only seems to brings baby closer to your arms but it brings out some interesting things in your body. So glad the melasma is on the bust and not my face as well! Hello little blessings :)
    However, Kyle is such an amazing support!! I seriously would go mad without him and his daily affirmation over my pregnant body... I've only heard about men falling in love with their wife's body carrying their child and it's very true for my husband. <3

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