I am 7 weeks pregnant. What are the chances of me getting stretch marks?


Stretch mark or striae is a distressing skin change that tends to occur in many pregnancies, in about 3 out of 5 pregnant women. They may appear as reddish, pinkish, purplish or brownish lines depending on your skin tone and the amount of blood flow to the injury (minor tears due to overstretching). Striae tend to affect women with delicate skin or more specifically those with less elasticity and collagen in their skin. Why does it happen is largely to do with our skin structure which undergoes changes during pregnancy - the deeper layers of the skin separates and tears and this in turn causes the underlying blood vessels and tissue to show through. Initially these lines will manifest as obvious marks owing to the red color of the blood vessels, but months post delivery they take on a silvery white hue and therefore appear less obvious. Stretch marks do not go away for good but fade with time because the red blood cells contract and in its place the fat will show through.