Secret Saviours – Stretch Mark Prevention Product Review
I’m body conscious. I can’t deny it, I wish I wasn’t but I am. Of course when I became pregnant, I was over joyed but the reality of the changes my body was about to go through was pretty scary! Of course I`m anxious about weight gain but I`m also worried, like a lot of women, about stretch marks!! The pressure from media (social and mainstream) to snap back to your pre-baby body is massive and many companies are cashing in on our insecurities. Many products have promised to prevent or reduce the appearance of stretch marks and one of the newest to come to market is the secret saviours. As I am prone to stretch marks (I have many from growing up and my regular weight fluctuations) I felt anything that could prevent them as my tummy grows was worth a try. Here is what I think to the Secret Saviours (so far!!).
What you get
Secret Saviours – Stretch Mark Prevention Product Review
All parts of the Secret Saviours kit can be bought individually, but the full set includes a bump band, a night cream and a day gel. To prevent stretch marks, the website recommends that all 3 are used together.
The kit arrived in a nice presentation box; the bump band was wrapped in tissue paper and each cream had its own outer box decorated with a pattern that mimics the shape of the non slip pads on the bump band. I thought this pattern looked rather odd on the box, a bit like rabbit droppings – with the exception of the single little heart! But otherwise it all looked very attractive and professional. The instructions say to apply the day gel in the morning, wear the bump band all day and apply the night cream before bed.
The bump band
The band is a simple, continuous, elasticated garment (imagine a boob tube) that has a soft, thin, curved area at the front for your bump and a thicker more robust band that goes around your back and offers support. On the inside of the bump area are small non slip pads, a lot like the pads you get on non slip socks.
It comes in two colours (pink and black) and four sizes:
Small; usually dress size 6 – 10
Medium; usually dress size 10 – 14
Large; usually dress size 14 – 18
Extra large; usually dress size 18 +
Secret Saviours Day gel
The gel is dispensed from a pump action bottle and is greenish in colour. The smell is absolutely fabulous! It smells like the essential oils used in health spas and I can pick out the patchouli they used. I find a single pump is plenty to cover my bump; it glides on smoothly and leaves a slight residue with a grippy sort of effect. This is exactly what the gel is meant to do; allowing the non slip pads to grip well to the skin. By the end of the day I literally peel the band way as it is still stuck to my skin!! I do feel a bit sticky and sweaty after I’ve removed it, and although its not a problem for me, I wonder what this would be like in a hot country, or if your pregnancy hormones are just making you feel hot all the time!!
Secret Saviours Night cream
At the end of the day when you take the band off you apply the night cream. This is in the same type of bottle but is more like a moisturiser, supposedly to keep the skin supple. Again the smell is heavenly and its nice to go to bed with such a relaxing soothing scent! Even my husband commented on how nice the smell is! It soaks in fantastically and doesn’t leave any residue at all. I also like the routine of rubbing it in when I`m in bed, it gives me a few moments to bond with my little one, and if I catch him in the right mood my husband will rub the cream in for me!
Price
I like to buy value – I don’t mind paying more for something if it is worth the extra money. When it comes to lotions and potions, I don’t tend to splash out so the £70 price tag was a lot for me. Keep an eye out for regular discounts, you get 10% if you register with the website, and I`ve seen 20% discounts advertised around Valentines Day and Mothers Day; so I expect there will be others. On top of this, the ‘clinical trial’ suggests “at least one size change of the support band, two to three bottles of the day gel and one to two bottles of the night cream are required for the duration of the pregnancy” and suddenly the price is escalating even more but ignore the price, threat yourself!!
So does Secret Saviours work?
What is the science behind it?
Stretch marks form when the existing skin is required to expand faster than new skin is able to grow. For example when your baby is growing inside you, your tummy grows and the skin around it has to grow to cover the bump. But because the changes are so fast, your skin cant keep up, stresses form and the lower layers tear and appear as pink/red rip effects in the deeper layers of skin. Some people get stretch marks, some people don’t, there is still a lot that isn’t known about how and why people get/don’t get stretch marks, but there is thought to be a genetic cause.
The idea with the secret saviours is that when used in conjunction with the gel, the pads hold your skin together and prevent the tears from forming. Now I’m not a dermatologist or a physicist but I struggle to see the logic. Your bump is going to grow to the size your bump is going to grow, the band won’t affect that. So all it can do is hold the skin in place until you remove the band which either gives your skin the time it needs to grow (unlikely in the 12 or so hours your wear it) or it changes the place that the stretch marks occur. I was hoping the website would enlighten me, but unfortunately the website doesn’t really go into any more detail. The website and the makers make a very big issue of the research that has gone in to prove the band works and I would take this with a pinch of salt. The scientists have not (yet at least) printed their research in a Scientific Journal. This is really important as it would mean that other, independent scientists have reviewed the work and agreed that it does what it says it does. From the information available about the study, it does look like the kit reduced the occurrence and severity of the stretch marks, but it’s a bit of a stretch (couldn’t resist) to say there is any scientific evidence that this works.
My experience with Secret Saviours
I`m usually a dress size 14, so I chose the 14 – 18 size in black (rather than pink as I thought it wouldn’t show the dirt as much)! I was about 10 weeks pregnant when I bought the set. At 10 weeks I had a modest bump and found the bump area of the band to be too baggy although the general fit was very good and I liked the feeling of support and warmth it offered around my bump and back. I know others have found it itchy, I don’t have sensitive skin so it wasn’t itchy, but the fact that something is stuck to you is quite an unusual sensation. However after a few wears, I didn’t even notice it.
Generally I really like the band, and the cream is lovely, but I do have a niggle bout the band. The lower part (that goes under the bump) is an extension of the thicker elastic that goes around your back and doesn’t have any non slip pads. Perhaps it is because of my shape (I have a squidgy tummy) that this part of the band rolls up and becomes tight and a bit uncomfortable. I much prefer to wear it upside down then I don`t have the problem! Otherwise I like how it feels. I like that my bump is covered in case of any wardrobe malfunctions and my bump and back feel warm, snug and supported, especially now at 20 weeks my bump is getting bigger!!
After 10 weeks of use (not daily) I have found that some of the pads have deteriorated and cracked which is disappointing. The band is hand wash only although I haven’t washed it, but I don’t think it will affect the intended use.
My overall opinion on Secret Saviours
Overall I really like the product, I use it daily now (22 weeks), but the question is – is it effective? Well so far so good is all I can say. I should say I have been using bio oil regularly since I found out I was pregnant (although I would never use any other product before wearing the band as it may damage the pads) and I have taken daily pregnancy multivitamins. However, I don’t think my bump has grown past the size my tummy has been from previous weight gain. So I don’t think it has actually stretched yet. But I can feel my skin getting tighter so I will continue to use it and keep you updated! I hope you enjoyed my Secret Saviours – Stretch Mark Prevention Product Review. I have also added some quick links to these great products below.
Products you can purchase from Secret Saviours
What has your experience of the Secret Saviours been? Any questions add them to the comments.
