For the past four months I have been using the Secret Saviours anti-stretch mark band, day gel and night cream after being sent them to trial as a blog ambassador. As the weeks passed, I have been taking bump photos to show how my bump is growing and to see if any stretch marks have developed across my skin. If you want to see if Secret Saviours secretly saved me from stretch marks, then carry on reading!
WHAT IS SECRET SAVIOURS?
Secret Saviours is a revolutionary system containing a patented anti-stretch mark band which supports your growing bump and skin during pregnancy and helps to prevents stretch marks. To understand how it works, you need to understand how stretch marks are formed. Stretch marks are scars left by tearing which happens below the skin, and once they are formed they are there for life, though they can fade over time to become less noticeable. It is really common to get stretch marks during pregnancy because of the rapid growth, and they can also occur during teenage years and after sudden weight gain.
Dr Stephen Barker MB BS BSc MS FRCS is the inventor of the Secret Saviours. While there is little evidence that most lotions and oils will actually do anything to prevent stretch marks, Secret Saviours has been scientifically proven to help prevent or reduce the severity of stretch marks. A clinical trial showed that the system kept 70% of women free from stretch marks whilst reducing the severeity and number of stretch marks in a further another 20% of women.
My bump at 18 weeks when I first started using Secret Saviours
HOW DOES SECRET SAVIOURS WORK?
The Secret Saviours band works by supporting the skin; it is made with ethically sourced yarns and hand finished with a system of pads arranged at random across the band. This random pattern takes the stresses and strains off the skin and makes it harder for those internal tears to spread. The band also provides light support to the bump and back helping to ease aches during pregnancy.
As well as the band itself, there are two lotions in the Secret Saviours range. A day gel and a night cream. The day gel is applied in the morning before putting the band on and helps prepare the skin to "grip" the pads on the band. It contains a herb called centella which has been shown to boost the skin's collagen content as well as improving blood flow and cell regeneration, and it also contains vitamin B5 which helps the skin to heal.
The night cream also contains centella and vitamin B5 and is deeply moisturising and soothing. I loved applying this before bed each night as found it so calming on my bump, which was getting itchy as the pregnancy progressed and my skin was growing and stretching. Applying the cream each night has also been a lovely way to bond with my bump, as I can feel the baby rolling and moving in response to me massaging the cream into my skin. Both the day gel and the night cream smell beautiful, and I must admit I really indulged in using the night cream and applied lots of it each night!
My bump at 30 weeks
SO, DID SECRET SAVIOURS HELP?
I started using the Secret Saviours anti-stretch mark band, day gel and night cream at 18 weeks and have used it religiously until 36 weeks. I outgrew the my original band at this point, and whilst I could have got another one, with time ticking away I felt there probably isn't much point as I wouldn't get a lot of wear out of it. Still, that's a good 18 weeks of using the products and being almost at the end of the pregnancy it is a good indicator of how effectively it works. So, did it help? Well, here is my bare bump at 36 weeks.
My bump at 36 weeks
I think the photo speaks for itself; as you can see, not a single stretch mark has formed. What makes it even more impressive is that while it's impossible to predict who will get stretch marks, there are certain things that can make it more likely, such as multiple pregnancies, ethnicity, family history and carrying larger babies. This is my third pregnancy, I have a mixed heritage and this baby is measuring on the larger side of the scale, so I was fully prepared to get stretch marks this time. And yet, I have none!
It will be sod's law that I will now get some stretch marks in these final few weeks of pregnancy as I am no longer wearing the band, but if I do end up getting some I am positive that they won't be as bad as if I had never used Secret Saviours at all. I'm planning to use the band after the baby is born to support the skin as my belly reduces in size as well. Keep your fingers crossed that I don't get any stretch marks!
If you'd like to know more about Secret Saviours or buy the products you can find them here. You can get the band, gel and cream as a package costing £69.95 or you can buy the products separately. The band is available in black or pink and comes in four different sizes.
With thanks to Secret Saviours for sending me their products.
How do you know what size to buy? As the belly will keep growing over time. Did you buy multiple sizes?
ReplyDeleteOn the Secret Saviours website there is a shape and size guide to help you work out what size will be best. They are really stretchy though so I wore the same one from 18 weeks until I outgrew it at 36 weeks.
ReplyDelete