Cocoa butter not effective for stretch marks

Despite the age-old belief, applying cocoa butter lotion during pregnancy does not help women in preventing stretch marks. Stretch marks or striae gravidarum typically occur on the abdomen and breasts, but can also appear on the hips, thighs, and buttocks. The cause of the problem is unknown, but many women believe that rubbing cocoa butter on the skin can help prevent the marks. Although scientific evidence supporting the use of cocoa butter is lacking, many physicians and midwives continue to recommend it. To assess whether or not application of cocoa butter lotion reduces the development of striae gravidarum, researchers from Lebanon examined the stretch marks that arose in 210 pregnant women who were randomly assigned to apply cocoa butter or inactive placebo to their abdomen, breasts, and thighs once daily starting during the first trimester of pregnancy. Eight three percent of the participants completed the study. It was found that 45 percent of cocoa butter-treated women developed stretch marks compared with 49 percent of women given placebo lotion. Although the percentage is slightly lower in the cocoa butter group, the difference was not considered significant by the researchers. Moreover, there was also no difference between the groups in the severity of their stretch marks. The findings do not support the use of cocoa butter lotion for the prevention of striae gravidarum. Further studies are expected to evaluate the effectiveness of other commonly used products in preventing stretch marks.