Stretch marks have an unkind reputation. They get named for the body's failures — failure to bounce back, failure to be smooth, failure to look like someone who hasn't lived a life. We'd like to push back on that, gently. Stretch marks aren't a flaw in the skin's design. They are the design.
01 · What stretch marks are, exactly.
A stretch mark — clinically, striae distensae — is a scar. Specifically, it's a tear in the middle layer of skin (the dermis), where collagen and elastin fibres have been pulled apart faster than they could regenerate. The top layer of skin remains intact. That's why a stretch mark feels smooth to the touch even though it looks like a groove.
New marks are pink, red, or purplish — that's the blood vessels of the dermis showing through. Older marks are silvery or pearl-white — that's the absence of pigment in the scarred tissue. Both kinds can fade and soften, but the new ones respond far more readily than the old.
The skin is not failing during pregnancy. The skin is making more skin — at a rate it has never had to before.
02 · Why they happen during pregnancy.
Three things conspire. One: physical growth. From the second trimester onward, the skin around your belly, hips, breasts and thighs is asked to expand by 30 to 50 percent. Two: hormones. Cortisol and relaxin loosen connective tissues to make room for the baby — but those same tissues are what hold your dermis together. Three: genetics. If your mother got them, your odds are higher. About 80% of Indian mothers will develop at least one mark; about 50% will develop many.
None of this means you did anything wrong. It also doesn't mean nothing can be done. The dermis needs three things during this period: hydration from the top, elasticity support, and circulation to deliver repair materials. The right oil, used with intention, addresses all three.
03 · What helps (and what doesn't).
What helps: daily massage with a cold-pressed oil rich in essential fatty acids and natural vitamin E. The massage itself matters as much as the oil — it brings blood to the dermal layer where repair happens. Hydration from within (water, lots of it) and slow weight gain in the safest range your gynaecologist recommends.
What doesn't help, despite the claims: creams with retinol or retinoic acid (unsafe in pregnancy). "Stretch mark erasers" that promise removal in 14 days. Hot oil massages (the heat damages the very fibres you're trying to protect). Cocoa butter on its own — it sits on the surface and doesn't reach the dermis.
04 · A simple daily routine.
Two minutes, twice a day. After your morning shower and before bed. Skin still warm and slightly damp. Five to seven drops of oil into your palm. Rub it between your hands for ten seconds — this warms the oil and lets you breathe it in. Then massage slowly, in upward circles, over the belly, hips, thighs, and breasts.
Don't rush. The purpose of these two minutes is not just oil application; it is also the act of paying attention to the body that is doing the most extraordinary work of its life.
In the studio
Curabela Intensive Stretch Mark Oil
Coconut and avocado, rich in vitamins and essential fatty acids. Made in small batches for Indian skin and climate. From ₹800.
Shop the Oil →05 · A note on patience.
Visible change takes time. New marks usually begin to fade within 6 to 8 weeks of consistent care. Older marks take longer — sometimes six months, sometimes a year, sometimes never quite to invisibility. That isn't a failure of the oil. It is the nature of scars. They are records, and records, by their nature, leave a trace.
The aim, then, is not erasure. It is care. And the body that has done what yours has done deserves, at minimum, the smallest daily ceremony of being looked at, oiled, and quietly thanked.
— Aanya
