I live in the frigid white north (AKA, Maine). A mile from the water, so we get all of those “warm” and “lovely” sea breezes. So winter time is particularly joyful. I know, you’re all reading this “from away” saying: But it’s so pretty!

Sure it is. But it gets really old after awhile. It does make you tougher. Weathers you. And after so many of them in a row, you become immune to it and think nothing of it.

However, it never stops messing with your skin. EVER.

If you don’t use or like lotions, potions, etc… You might as well face it, you’re going to be a scaly reptile for six or seven months out of the year. You have to put something on your skin. Especially if you want to age somewhat normally. Otherwise, you’re going to age pretty damn quickly. Or look like you have.

Who wants an 80 year old’s face when they’re 30? Certainly not me.

I’ve always been adamant in my skin care routine. Lather up with a good body butter right after my showers (best time to moisturize actually, you’re skin is more receptive of it). Then I slather on lotion a few times throughout the day.

Keeping your skin moisturized keeps it happy and healthy. Wrinkles come later because your skin can retain its elasticity better. And stretch marks, while there is no actually, sincerely proven way of preventing them, keeping your skin hydrated will help. Either fend them off for a bit, or at least they won’t be as bad as they could potentially could be.

Anyone can get them, but some people are in fact, more susceptible to getting them. A variety of factors play into whether you’ll get them or not. Genetics, age (surprisingly younger people are more susceptible than older), etc.

So far during my pregnancy, I’ve been lucky enough to have only gotten about a handful of them. Of course, I’ve gotten them in the oddest places on my belly. Not on the bottom, around the navel, on the sides, or on the top like most pregnant women who get them see. But hey, I figured, at my size pre-pregnancy, I wouldn’t get through “un-scathed”.

My goal from day one was: I know I’m going to get them, I just don’t want to FEEL myself getting them.

Feel? You can feel stretch marks?

When I started really packing on muscle size, and growing from pancake booty to cute, perky booty, I experienced my first adult stretch marks. Three dash marks on each side. That’s right. Three on the side of my right butt cheek and three on the side of my left.

Let me tell you this: I could feel it happening over time. It’s like a slow elastic break. It was rather disturbing to be honest.

Given these new stretch marks I’d gain during pregnancy were going to be on my belly? No. Way.

My skin care routine changed. The soaps I used in the shower all were moisturizing in property in one way or another. Post shower, I use BioOil (or in my cheapskate case, Skin Renew, the Rite Aid version – it’s like $20 cheaper and the same exact thing), and Aquaphor on my belly, sides, back and thighs. All places that I’m going to grow the most during this baby making process.

The rest of my body gets treated to the usual Skin Milk lotion that is seriously probably the only thing out there that keeps my skin hydrated this time of year.

In the mornings, before I dress (I shower in the evenings), I slather on another round of just the BioOil on my “trunk area” and lotion regularly the rest of me and I continuously lotion throughout the day as I need to.

My skin looks and feels great, despite the stretch marks I have gotten. I didn’t feel them, and they certainly don’t look as angry as my booty ones did when I got them (they’ve since faded to be the typical shade-lighter-than-skin-tone). So all in all, it seems to working wonders.

I’ve been asked a lot by expecting moms, moms trying to conceive and moms who have already had their bundle, what exactly I’ve been doing. I tell them that it’s not a magical cure when I give them my routine over the past eight months, I let them know right away it’s not the cure all, but I can tell them that their skin will most certainly love them for it.

Love your skin and it will love you right back. Treat it good, and it will be good to you.