Review: Secret Saviours Stretchmark Prevention System

Apart from the obvious (giving birth, need I say it!) the thing most women dread about pregnancy is getting stretchmarks.

A quick glance on any search engine will show scores of questions about how to prevent them, effective treatments to make them fade, and women worried about feeling themselves again when they’re criss crossed with little tramlines that weren’t there before.

Well what if I told you there is a scientifically proven way to prevent them forming? You’d want to know more, right? Well, read on…

What are stretch marks?

‘Stretch marks’ is a rather charmless term for red, angry streaks and lines that can pop up on your skin during periods of rapid growth.

They’re usually an angry red or purple, fading over the years to a light silvery grey.

I have them on the side of my knees from when I must have undergone a growth spurt as a teenager. 

They’re caused by the top layers of skin stretching and breaking apart, allowing the deeper layers to show through. 

Whether you get them or not seems to be partly genetic – I guess its to do with your collagen levels and things. 

But did you know over 70% of women report getting them during pregnancy? I don’t like those odds! 

Once they’re there, nothing really shifts them short of expensive laser treatments, so prevention is key.

How can I prevent stretchmarks?

Gravity is a huge factor at play here. The pressure of carrying a growing baby can be extreme – I know there have been times when I’ve literally felt stretched from the inside out!

If you think that you’re ending up carrying something roughly the size of a watermelon in your previously flat (ish!) tummy, then it’s little wonder. 

It’s a bit like a sheet of tissue paper, when you think about it. You can pull it sideways without much happening. But when a small tear is put in the top of the sheet, this pulling forms a sudden rip downwards  – and voila – that tear becomes visible. 

So we need a miracle, ladies…

How to save your skin

Some women, of course, say stretchmarks are beautiful, and a sort of ‘badge of honour’ for having had your baby, all power to them but most of us seem to think that you can keep that particular badge of honour, thanks very much! 

So, how do you stop stretchmarks forming? 

There’s a lot of old wives tales out there on what works to keep them at bay and what various celebrities have used to prevent them. How do you know what works? 

Well, I’ve been testing out a new product that promises to stop them forming.

Secret Saviours are a suite of innovative products that care for your bump and stop those ugly marks forming.

The system is made up of a special support band, and two separate creams for day and night.

Together they keep skin supple, soft and firm. That’s not just beauty marketing talk. These products were invented by a surgeon and a tissue engineering professor –they are the real deal.

As regular readers will know, I like my skincare with a hefty dose of science, so this appealed to me. Let’s take a look at the products in the kit…

Support Band

This is the genius behind the whole thing.

It’s a special supportive sling that you wear across your bump, and it has these rather odd looking silicone pads on the side that touches your skin. 

These help to hold the skin’s structure in place and even out the stresses placed on the tummy wall – stretch marks are harder to form then, as the little ‘rips’ mentioned do not have the chance to expand downwards with no resistance. 

You wear the band during the day, although you can take it off at bedtime when gravity isn’t doing its work!

The band comes in different sizes to fit your expanding bump. I was recommended to the small size, which covers bumps up to 36 inches, but they do go all the way to XL, so you can size up as the baby grows.

Each band is hand-finished and can be washed (to a maximum of 40 degrees) but let it dry naturally or the sticky pads may lose their magic.

I loved the way this felt on. It supports your bump and your lower back, and it really helped to allieviate the aching I get there after a day at work – so that’s a massive added bonus.

I like the feeling of being supported, and as someone used (pre-pregnancy!) to wearing a waist trainer, I really like the feeling of my midsection being held in place a bit!

Day Gel and Night Cream

In addition to the support band, skin is cared for by a combination of creams.

The Day Gel is popped on under the support band. It preps skin to grip the support pads more effectively and helps to keep it in place. It feels faintly tingly and quite sticky when applied. 

The Night Cream is very moisturing. You apply after removing the support band at night. 

Both products are scented beautifully and smell like the expensive aromatherapy skin care used in a day spa, so I really liked that.

They contain Vitamin B5 - this speeds up wound healing by increasing the cell turnover and promoting the skin to repair itself, Vitamin E - an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory that wards off tissue damage and helps maintain cell structure and Centella Asiatica – a healing plant extract that boosts collgen and improves regeneration and blood flow. 

Recent scientific studies have proved that combining these ingredients is clinically proven to help prevent stretch marks – music to our ears!

The Verdict

I’ve been testing out the Secret Saviours support system for three weeks now, and I’m really enjoying it. 

Excuse the dodgy pic, but I thought you might want to see what it looks like on.

I’m at 22 weeks (5 months) and so far – not a single stretch mark to be seen. 

I’m liking the band itself because it helps cut down on the aches and pains in my back and bump, which is a great bonus all on its own. 

The rituals of applying the day and night  cream are also very soothing – and its so nice for my husband to be able to give me a little bump massage at night, very bonding.

I’m going to continue using the system and report back as part of my weekly update posts on Seriously Mummy. Stay tuned…

If you want to test out the system for yourself, you can pick up your kit here.