Stretch marks are the striations that appear on many women's breasts, thighs, hips and abdomen during pregnancy. These reddish marks, which are caused by hormonal changes and stretching skin, may become more noticeable after deliveryor stretch marks are probably the most discussed and feared of the changes to the body during pregnancy.

These marks appear in 50 - 90% of all pregnant women, usually showing up in the later half of pregnancy as bright red lines, sometimes even purplish. While the majority will be on the lower abdomen they can also be found on the thighs, hips, buttocks, breasts and arms of women.

They tend to be pinkish in light skinned women, and in dark skinned women they will be lighter than the surrounding skin after pregnancy. They reflect the separation of collagen of the skin.

While not painful, the stretching of the skin may cause a tingling or itchy sensation. A good lotion can help with the increased dryness or itchiness of the skin, but will not prevent stretch marks no matter how diligent you are or how much you spend on the cream.

While many people will swear by certain creams or lotions, the truth is there is not much you can do about stretch marks, you'll either get them or you won't.

• Family (If your mom or sister has them, guess what?)
• If you had them in a previous pregnancy you may get them again, although usually just a darkened (temporarily) of the old ones and a light extension sometimes.
• Weight Gain (Rapid or excessive will make this worse.)
• Nutritional Status (Well hydrated and healthy skin stretches better.)
• Ethnicity (African American women get them less.)