Bio Oil

J2D2

As I'm sure your all aware stretch marks are part and parcel of pregnancy but my OH was recently recommended(by a good friend) bio-oil as a way of reducing stretch marks and helping to speed the recovery process after birth, I'm not totally sold on this though, looking at the site http://www.bio-oil.com It does include vitamin A and other bits and pieces that concern me, now they claim it's safe because it's applied to the skin and thereby not absorbed very well by the skin and not dangerous for the baby.

Has anyone here ever used this before, kinda just wondering if anyone has experience with this product or whether you might have any advice for limiting stretch marks. (I just want her to be as comfortable as possible through all this )

Thanks for any advice or help on this

VeryBerry

I find Bio Oil great. I put a few drops in the bath every night, and I've no major stretch marks so far (I'm 6 months gone), but we'll see how it works for the last stretch!

I had used is previously for a scar from back surgery, and I found it really helped to fade the scar quickly.

Bendy85

I used to put a few drops in bath every night and didnt get any stretch marks...:)

J2D2

Thanks for the advice both of you We bought some so we'll give it a whirl, all clear so far

MrsA

I am almost 39 weeks pregnant with my third child and I do not have any stretch marks.

It seems to be a genetic thing. I think you will either get them or not and all the Bio Oil in the world won't prevent them if you are prone to them.

However, it is a nice thing to do to rub the oil into the bump every day, especially when you have the time like you do on your first.

I have a 14 month old, so I barely have the time to get dressed, not to mention massaging the bump.

M

Joey the lips

Your going to hate me but i am being honest

We used bio oil every night on the belly and the side and the chest.

My child was huge 9lb 11oz. My o/h has real bad stretch marks

Sorry

On the plus side I massaged it in every night. It was a way of getting close without sex.

It is absorbed very quickly and was rec by the doctor

I wondered about something else not cause I am worried but cause of the price(No I am not a tight git- We just use a lot)

It smells nice as well

VeryBerry

Joey the lips wrote: »

I wondered about something else not cause I am worried but cause of the price(No I am not a tight git- We just use a lot)

I think I read in one of the baby books that olive oil (or some similar type of oil) works just as well?

I've hit the 7month mark now, and I've still no stretch marks. I use the bio-oil in the bath fairly regularly - so it seems to be working for me! Fingers crossed it keeps up like that

Joey the lips

I heard many different oils but I am afraid incase it does damage. The o/h was thinking of asking when she goes back to the hospital but again its always in the back of your mind that your tight.

I could not find anything on baby oil. Any body know if this is any good?

beth-lou

I didn't use any on my first pregnancy and had very few stretch marks. I was 27.

I used Bio Oil on my second pregnancy, but I got loads of stretch marks, but baby was very big, 11 lbs 2 oz's. I was 33.

Am 35 now and on final pregnancy, and I'm not bothering with it at all. I do think it is genetic and age has a lot to do with it and the size of your bump. But mostly genetics. But it is nice if you can get someone to rub the oil in for you, and it's nice to pamper yourself. I just don't have the time with two kids and work. Oh how I'd love a bath every night, must be so nice.

ohanloj3

I used bio oil for scars and found it good. I'm a nurse and the plastic surgeon I work with even suggests it for facial scars, he never recommends anything else and he says he has seen some good results from it. Although my sister is using palmers cocca butter cream for stretch marks and she is 37 weeks and huge and has not one mark (and its cheaper than bio oil)

ioc

.hey guys i have scrapes on face and they left red marks..does bio oil help get rid of these...or should i see Dermatologist??...i need to know if bio oil is good..i have marks for 3 weeks about..there nail marks..to make long story short i had argument..but there not deep or anything..just a red mark and i just want the best oil/cream to make it go..so can you please help?..thanks alot:):)

Cat Melodeon

I used bio oil religiously when I was pregnant and still got stretch marks. A doctor friend of mine said it doesn't matter what you use - if you're going to get them you're going to get them. It depends on your skin type and bump size, not on any magic potions. Sorry!

crazy cat lady

I used Palmers Cocoa Butter as a moisturiser for years but when I got pregnant the smell of it made me yak! So I turned to the wonderful bio-oil and... My tummy is COVERED in stretch marks! It really is a genetic thing. My mum got really bad stretch marks so I obviously inherited her skin type.

I've been using cocoa butter since having my little lady and I believe it has helped to improve them, but I'm sure they would improve over time even without lotions and potions!

One thing I will say is that stretch marks were the one thing I was absolutely dreading about pregnancy, but now babs is here and so are the stretch marks, I don't really care! The husband doesn't care either and he's the only one who needs to see.

They're just (one of the) scars obtained through bringing the most precious thing in the world into our lives

Grawns

ioc wrote: »

.hey guys i have scrapes on face and they left red marks..does bio oil help get rid of these...or should i see Dermatologist??...i need to know if bio oil is good..i have marks for 3 weeks about..there nail marks..to make long story short i had argument..but there not deep or anything..just a red mark and i just want the best oil/cream to make it go..so can you please help?..thanks alot:):)

Talk to a pharmacist, vitamin E cream or oil is probably what they will recommend.

ioc

...thank you very much Grawns..i did that and they recomanded vitamin E cream and bio oil..they said there is vitamin E in bio oil and i read good things about that stuff...im just worried if this is taking too long to go...if i did use bio oil which i did buy in the end.. and have been using now for 2 days so far!..when would the redness go away so normal coular of skin can come back?...i have somthing important for september..i just hope it will be gone by then:)

xzanti

I've been slathering on the Vitamin E oil every night, tummy, boobs and thighs.. I'm only 5 months but I haven't noticed any stretch marks yet.. touch wood.. It's not cheap either, €7.50 for a tiny little bottle in the health shops.. considering I go through about 2 bottles a week.. Although Holland & Barrett have a special on at the minute, last time I was in they were only €5.20 each so I stocked up

At least if I do get them, I'll know I tried my best to prevent them.. I think the Bio Oil is more a healer than a preventative no?

Grawns

ioc wrote: »

...thank you very much Grawns..i did that and they recomanded vitamin E cream and bio oil..they said there is vitamin E in bio oil and i read good things about that stuff...im just worried if this is taking too long to go...if i did use bio oil which i did buy in the end.. and have been using now for 2 days so far!..when would the redness go away so normal coular of skin can come back?...i have somthing important for september..i just hope it will be gone by then:)

You can get moisturisers that tone down redness. For instance this one
by boots http://www.boots.com/en/No7-Calm-Skin-Redness-Relief-Gel-30ml_21943/ . Best of luck and stay away from sharp claws in future

ioc

...cheers thanks so much..as long as i get back to normal skin i aint goin to let claws get me again...ps would it be fine using on or after the bio oil?..it wont interfere right...thank you:)

Grawns

I'd put the bio oil on at night ( to promote healing) and the cream during the day ( camoflage) You see - the bio oil would act as a barrier to the cream otherwise.

ioc

cheers i am goin to do that..hopefully things will be better:)

Grawns

FYI - you would probably have found even better information on the Fashion and Appearance board. Anyways give the treatment a few weeks to work and seek advice there if it doesn't. Again.. Best of Luck

ioc

cool i may even post as topic or maybe i could fit somwhere there:)..thanks alot and i will too...i wish for full recovery im confident i can..but thanks for being really nice grawns:)..cheers have a great weekend:)

pikku

Just wanted to add my experience to the thread.
I am speaking as someone who is definately 'genetically predisposed' to stretch marks as i suffered from really bad ones all around my hips as a teenager when i had a big growth spurt. You can still to this day see some slight shiney grey marks, almost totally gone, but they used to be an ugly vivid red colour (against very pale skin - lovely NOT!)...So you can imagine i was terrified about getting horrible stretch marks all over my tummy when i got pregnant. The ones around my hips were not too bad to hide with jeans and big 50's style bikini bottoms etc...

Anyway, the day i found out i was pregnant (first day of missed period, so very early on) i went off and bought a big bottle of Bio-Oil. I've massaged it in liberally every morning and every evening (easy for me as is my first!) - and i am now full term (due tomorrow in fact!) and there is not a single stretch mark in sight. I am completely AMAZED at this myself to be honest, as everyone i talked to and all the forums i looked at said the same thing 'it's genetic and doesnt matter what you do' - but i was so scarred emotionally from the earlier lot of marks as a teenager i was desperate to avoid them on my tum, and wanted to try everything i could to try and avoid them. All i can say is that Bio-Oil worked for me.

I spent a good few minutes massaging the skin - and as i started it soooooooo early, part of me is wondering is it perhaps the MASSAGING and slight strethcing of the skin like that every day that made the difference, not the product itself?
Having said that though, Bio-Oil does smell lovely. Also, i've used it on my face and found that my skin looks and feels .lovely the next day. I wont be without it in my box of tricks in the future!!

pikku

Just wanted to add my experience to the thread.
I am speaking as someone who is definately 'genetically predisposed' to stretch marks as i suffered from really bad ones all around my hips as a teenager when i had a big growth spurt. You can still to this day see some slight shiney grey marks, almost totally gone, but they used to be an ugly vivid red colour (against very pale skin - lovely NOT!)...So you can imagine i was terrified about getting horrible stretch marks all over my tummy when i got pregnant. The ones around my hips were not too bad to hide with jeans and big 50's style bikini bottoms etc...

Anyway, the day i found out i was pregnant (first day of missed period, so very early on) i went off and bought a big bottle of Bio-Oil. I've massaged it in liberally every morning and every evening (easy for me as is my first!) - and i am now full term (due tomorrow in fact!) and there is not a single stretch mark in sight. I am completely AMAZED at this myself to be honest, as everyone i talked to and all the forums i looked at said the same thing 'it's genetic and doesnt matter what you do' - but i was so scarred emotionally from the earlier lot of marks as a teenager i was desperate to avoid them on my tum, and wanted to try everything i could to try and avoid them. All i can say is that Bio-Oil worked for me.

I spent a good few minutes massaging the skin - and as i started it soooooooo early, part of me is wondering is it perhaps the MASSAGING and slight strethcing of the skin like that every day that made the difference, not the product itself?
Having said that though, Bio-Oil does smell lovely. Also, i've used it on my face and found that my skin looks and feels lovely the next day. I wont be without it in my box of tricks in the future!!

Spinach

That's interesting, Pikku. I have very very similar residual stretch marks on the top of my legs/hips since my teenage years, which used to be purplish in colour and are now that sort of shiny grey just as you say. And I thought exactly the same as you when I got pregnant, that I'd be predisposed to get them on my belly too.

Anyway I used Weleda belly oil but I was never religious or even anyway regular at all about applying it, it would have been less than weekly on average over the whole pregnancy that I ended up using it, in the end. And I'm now also full term (40+4... come on already!) and not a mark in sight! So I think it's just not predictable at all who will get stretch marks, even with previous history. In my case the oil and massage can't have contributed all that much to keeping them away, just luck.

So basically I wouldn't discourage anyone from enjoying a nice massage, even daily if you like, but I would say there's no need at all to spend a fortune on these products...

xzanti

At what stage, generally, would a woman start to develope them, are we talking 6/7/8 months?? or what?

crazy cat lady

Think i started getting them around 5/6 months

Embojitsu

I wonder if anyone can help with my question - is Bio Oil any good for laughter lines and crow's feet? I've been thinking about buying it but just wanted to ask around first. Thanks in advance.

Casey_81

pikku wrote: »

Just wanted to add my experience to the thread.
I am speaking as someone who is definately 'genetically predisposed' to stretch marks as i suffered from really bad ones all around my hips as a teenager when i had a big growth spurt. You can still to this day see some slight shiney grey marks, almost totally gone, but they used to be an ugly vivid red colour (against very pale skin - lovely NOT!)..

Having said that though, Bio-Oil does smell lovely. Also, i've used it on my face and found that my skin looks and feels lovely the next day. I wont be without it in my box of tricks in the future!!

Thanks for that pikku, I too have those horrible stretch marks from teenage years and had resigned myself to getting more now that I am pregnant.. I am going to get some Bio-Oil at the weekend and see if it helps.

mrsberries

As the others say its genetics not products that will stop the. Ive religiously oiled up twice a day since day one with different products - Mama Mio, Burts Bees, Weleda, vit e oil and unfortunately in the 7th month they appeared. Was gutted as was really investing time and money into preventing them but my sister and mam has them so i guess it was going to happen. Only have them under the bump but I have gotten really big (im now 38 weeks!). But if anything it will prevent itchy belly and my skin has felt great with the regime

KittyeeTrix

i never used any Bio oil and after having 4 children even though I would always have been a smallish 7.5st I've only got 2 stretch marks. This was even though my last child was 9lbs 1oz. The stretch marks appeared at the site of my appendix scare where the skin was weakened.

I do think it all depends on the genetics as my 2 sisters also never used the oil and neither of them have any stretch marks either after having big 9lbs+ babies for petite girls:)

Edit: Just noticed now how old the thread is!!! haha