Do I need to control stretch marks?

On the seventh day of the year, I was invited by Beijing People’s Radio “Baby Project” and arranged by the hospital to talk about “the management of melasma during pregnancy”. I am neither a gynecologist nor a dermatologist, my main focus is on critical illnesses in TCM internal medicine, which is a shame. Maybe because I am a mother of a 4-year-old baby, I have paid a lot of attention to maintenance before and after delivery, and my face is radiant; I have read a lot of books on Chinese and Western medicine, and I have experience as well as medical experts’ perspectives, so I presume to talk about scattered opinions. I hope it will be helpful for mothers who are preparing for pregnancy, during pregnancy, and after delivery. Stretch mark is actually a term for chloasma that appears during pregnancy and after delivery. The direct cause of chloasma is the change of estrogen level, oral contraceptives, menstrual disorders, ovarian dysfunction, menopause, etc., which will produce chloasma. — Therefore, the prevention and control of chloasma is actually throughout the life of adult women. Chloasma is called “sallow”, “liver spot” and “dust on the face” in the classical Chinese medicine. However, it is rarely discussed in the chapters on pregnancy management and diseases. Even in modern medicine, Western medicine does not recommend treating facial spots during pregnancy and lactation. (Medicine has two major and its cautious relatively more contraindicated areas: infants and children and pregnant women). Doctors do not consider melasma during pregnancy as a disease. However, if the discoloration is too extensive or even accompanied by a deepening of the skin color all over the body, it may not be melasma, and it is necessary to be alert to hypoadrenocorticism, thyroid disease, etc. In the case of hormonal level changes, UV rays, emotions, sleep rhythm, and tyrosine-rich food are all triggering and aggravating factors for melasma. In TCM theory, the production of melasma is related to the function of the liver and kidneys, the function of the two chakras, and the operation and abundance of qi and blood. Before pregnancy, it is necessary to nourish the body, especially for women after 35 years old, to make the liver and kidneys, the Qi and blood balance and fullness, in order to prevent or reduce the production of pigmentation. For women during pregnancy and postpartum, they should avoid direct sunlight (in the shade, with sunglasses, etc.) and reduce the radiation from computer screens; be emotionally stable, especially not angry and sad; get enough sleep at night, especially pay attention to the son’s sleep; eat potatoes, celery, chocolate and other foods rich in light-sensitive substances at night; silver fungus, dates, wolfberries, scutellaria, ginger, lemon, bird’s nest and milk are all Convenient and safe whitening products. Mask and skin care products are recommended to be cautious, mainly moisturizing. It is recommended to use the residual part of barley and silver ear porridge on the face for safe whitening. Finally, it is recommended that friends with severe melasma can take Chinese and Western cosmetic treatment measures under the guidance of the dermatological and cosmetic specialists in hospitals after breastfeeding period.