Secret Saviours: No More Stretch Marks?

Disclaimer: This post was not sponsored, but I was gifted the items contained in it. Every opinion given is entirely my own, and I wouldn't recommend it if I didn't believe in it.

Stretch marks are a widely accepted part of pregnancy, generally they are fairly common and can simply be an unfortunate result of child-bearing for nine months. Your growing a little person inside of you - it's fairly reasonable to assume that your skin will have to stretch to accommodate this. I personally had been really worried about getting stretch marks during my pregnancy, only because I had suffered them fairly badly in my early teens. After going on the contraceptive pill to try and combat my acne, my body responded with an unexpected pair of boobs in a very short space of time, and with them some stretch marks to keep them company. These did fade over time, but not without trying every cream and oil in the book, so with my skin being obviously prone to stretch marks, I was open to trying anything I could to prevent them during pregnancy.

Simply put, stretch marks are left by tearing just below the surface of the skin, and different factors can leave you more prone to them: being a young mum, family history, big babies or excessive weight gain to name but a few... Given the fact I'm young, my personal history, and how quickly I'd put on weight in the last trimester, it's safe to say I was prone.


Secret Saviours is a stretch mark reduction system, made up of three interworking products. The specially designed anti-stretch mark band, combined with a day gel and night cream containing active ingredients spread the stress and strain on the skin, which help head off the development of stretch marks. Using the gel and cream in addition, ensure skin is kept well moisturised, soft, smooth and supple and help keep damage to a minimum. Or at least, that's pretty much word for word what it says on the website.

I tried to read into the science behind the Secret Saviours system, I promise, I really did, after all, that's one of the selling points of it. It's clinically proven and is based on science, it's not just your regular moisturiser from Boots picked up for £3.99. Let's face it though, I'm extremely pregnant and if it works it works, wether I understand the mechanisms behind it or not. For me, I took everything that it was suggested to do with a pinch of salt but have used it religiously since getting it in the latter stages of my pregnancy.

The clinical trial done by Secret Saviours suggested that up to 70% of women using these creams were left free of stretch marks, and in another 20% it significantly reduced the appearance of the ones that did form. (If your in the other 10%, then I really do feel for you...). I for one, am in the 70%. Whilst using them, I've saw no stretch marks, and my skin has never felt as nice as it does now. I'll be the first to say I don't have a clue if this is down to using this system, but it is the only thing I've used on my bump, throughout my pregnancy, and my skin is normally prone to them, so I am just putting two and two together. I've also gained weight rapidly in the last month alone - I've gained roughly a stone and a half, so if there was anytime for stretch marks to be appearing, it would be now.

If I'm honest though, wether it worked for me or not, I'd probably still recommend purchasing, just as a general skincare product, as it's felt like such a treat during my final trimester. In a time when pampering isn't exactly number 1 on the to-do list, even having the simplest of skin-care regimes to follow, and feel like I'm still improving my skin in a time when everything else is getting a bit let go, I've loved using the cream and the gel. One of the best things about this though, has been the stretch-mark reduction band.

I've got to give a huge hand to the band - although it's not specifically used as an active support band and it's most likely the placebo effect at play, I've felt so much better supported since wearing the band, and my lower back seems to take a lot less strain. Again, most likely placebo, but at this point I'll take anything that works. It's also been brilliant for covering that less than appealing belly button... mines hasn't quite popped yet, and I don't think it will, but that doesn't mean it's not visible through clothes and no-one should have to see that. I plan on wearing the support band following birth as well, as I think it will help me immensely in the weeks following. In terms of the actual stretch-mark reducing properties of it, it has these tiny little pads on the inside, that hold your skin in place and prevent stretching, all the while keeping your comfortable and still allowing movement.

I will be the first to say though that there can be negatives to these products, depending on how you look at them. Nothing is full proof and clinical trials can often be warped. Do your own research into what will work for you - I did!

Pros

- Secret Saviours works.
For me it is at least. I've only been able to use it in my final trimester, but I've loved it. And for 90% of others if you believe in trials - if your curious, by all means, do your own research, I know I did when I first got it.

- It looks pretty.
The packaging is nice and I'm materialistic and I am sold on basic things like that - sue me. If your paying the extra for a high end product, then you want to be receiving a high end product. And the secret saviours system definitely looked the part.

- It's clinically tested and approved.
Again, if your paying for something on the higher price range, you want to know that what your getting is going to work, and having it approved clinically and knowing what your paying for is what your getting is a big plus for me.

Cons

- Secret Saviours isn't your £3.99 cream from boots.

  I think it goes without saying that the science and research that has gone into the product, and the luxury of it means that it was never going to be £4.99. It retails at £69.95, which may be high for someone who is not that bothered by the inference of stretch marks, but for someone like me who was determined not to get them, and who was most likely prone to them, it is completely worth the price.

- You can't smell it prior to buying.
This might be odd to someone else, but I like to smell things before I buy them if there going to be going on my skin regularly. For all I know they could have smelt like a dogs dinner and I'd have been stuck with it... FYI, they don't smell like a dogs dinner, in fact, they smell very nice, but that doesn't take the risk away when ordering online.

I hope I've managed to cover everything here - it is truly a product I would recommend to anyone, and would make a brilliant Baby Shower present - as anyone who's had a shower will know how nice it can be to receive something for mummy rather than baby sometimes. You can purchase the Secret Saviour set here, and you'll find a lot more information on the website if your interested at all rather than what I've managed to spout out here. Did you have any stretch mark holy grail products during pregnancy? I'd love to hear what got everyone else through!