Some women call stretch marks “badges of honor.” But when I first noticed bright reddish purple streaks on my hips towards the end of my first pregnancy, I can’t say I felt particularly honored. A healthy baby is enough commemoration for me, thank you very much!

Time helped fade my once-bright marks to thin, silvery grooves, but I still wanted a little help airbrushing their existence—and preventing more of them from cropping up when I was pregnant again (and again) with my first badge of honor’s younger siblings.

After much trial and error, here’s what worked for me:

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