Itchy stretch marks

zsvendsen

I've been "growing" stretch marks over the past few weeks. I had a tiny mark around 17 or 18 weeks, but not much else, and now I've got about a million under my belly button - all from the past 3 weeks or so. Oh god, the itching. They feel so itchy, and when I scratch them, they feel great for about a second, then they itch ten times worse AND hurt - and I tear up the stretched-out skin, which then itches more.

I've been using either Palmers or Aveeno (my regular lotion) on them morning and night. Question: is it possible that they're too moisturized and the "dampness" is making them itchier? Second question: anyone who went through this too (everyone?) what did you do / can be done to alleviate the itchiness? It's manageable during the day (just about) but when I lay down to sleep it just about drives me to distraction. As if sleeping weren't hard enough!

Thanks in advance!

zsvendsen

I just ordered the Body Shop cocoa butter stick that was recommended a few pages back for someone who felt like their skin was going to tear. I don't feel that way, but I'll take any relief I can get!

schoolsoutbride

Any red bumps in the stretch marks?

Does it look like this?

zsvendsen

If I scratch it, I get one or two spots on my belly that do look like the photo of the belly stretch marks. But ordinarily, no raised areas. I have red spots from scratching the skin away, but nothing that's developing on their own.

This is interesting, though - I never would have thought it could be PUPPPS. I'm looking into it now. Thank you for the lead!

xxyankeegrl823xx

my stretch marks were so itchy there were times I scratched until I started bleeding. I did find that baby powder actually helped a little more then lotion. Also I would sometimes put a cool wet rag on my stomache and that sometimes helped. Good luck! I hope you find something that works for you!

zsvendsen

Thanks!

I didn't think about trying baby powder. I also called the office and the nurse said to take Benedryl as directed on the bottle, and if I don't see improvement by Friday to call back (my next appointment isn't until next week). So I'm going to try the Benedryl, some cooling washcloths (that sounds amazing right now), some oatmeal baths (also sounds amazing) and top it all off with a touch of baby powder and see how I do!