Table 3 Themes and categories illustrating women’s views in response to questions relating to preventing stretch marks and choice of anti-stretch mark product

Preventing stretch marks and choice of anti-stretch mark product

Better to try prevent than do nothing

I’m hopeful it will [work] but I suppose I’m thinking I’m probably in a better position by using it than not doing anything. […] I’d rather be trying to prevent them than just doing nothing. (Participant 1)

I just know it’s important to moisturize. (Participant 3)

… so I think it would be great to just hydrate it and keep the skin a little bit more hydrated. (Participant 4)

I am probably 70 % confident that it will help me but I don’t know if anything can prevent them you know. (Participant 6)

...I think that it if you are going to get stretch marks you are probably just going to get them anyway but I think that maybe it just might help to decrease them. (Participant 8)

… definitely I would feel like you are better off using a rich moisturising cream than using anything at all […] I would prefer to definitely do something on myself because I feel like a little bit of technique and creams or whatever it may be you know even if it is actually [product name] that would be better than nothing. (Participant 10)

...I frankly don’t want stretch marks...(Participant 12)

...I suffer from stretch marks through puberty […] I will try and prevent it now if possible and so I gave I mean I would give it a go by applying cream. (Participant 13)

...I had picked a product it was like reasonably cheap and I suppose I have stretch marks already on my legs and stuff so I would be prone to them anyway but it was kind of one of my reasons just like if I don’t want to get them […] if you can prevent them I suppose if you don’t want something for like even though they have fade down they are still you are still scared like do you know. (Participant 14)

… I am just not a risk taker so I would want to use a product no matter what. (Participant 16)

Knowing or not knowing what product I will use

I had already started using a cream by the time I met you [researcher] in the hospital. […] it’s a spur of the moment […] so I threw it in the basket, there was no, you know, intention beforehand or anything […] it was literally only that day that I saw the cream and just thought oh sure I’ll throw this in the basket. (Participant 1)

I had planned on using a product myself […] I had my own kind of idea of what I wanted to do already at that stage […] what I’m using at the moment is just the [product name] on myself but I’m going to use [product name] … (Participant 2)

… I actually haven’t even thought about it until you [researcher] spoke to me that day... (Participant 5)

I am about the fourteen weeks and I haven’t any stretch marks yet I thought it is too soon but I am already beginning to apply cream just in case. (Participant 6)

...I have kind of had it in my head to use that [product name]. (Participant 8)

Right now it’s not a priority for me I am not even thinking about stretch marks and I don’t think it would be I probably won’t use anything. I am certainly not planning using anything from or at this stage … (Participant 9)

...I have chosen to use [product name] […] I didn’t have to go out and buy it, it was something that I had before I became pregnant so it was easy access in that I already had the product. (Participant 11)

...I am currently applying [product name] to try and prevent stretch marks. (Participant 13)

...I would use [product name] for moisturizer […] Well I had extremely dry skin there for a while and I just thought that that would be good for dry skin so it wasn’t really for the stretch marks but means I have the bottle now I may as well use it. (Participant 14)

...I actually decided I came to the conclusion that I will be going for [product name] … (Participant 15)

Prior knowledge

...I’ve used the same face cream probably for the last fifteen years I’d probably look to that range first as well to see do they have a product available for body moisturising especially for stretch marks […] if I had heard it had good reviews about it I certainly would try it. (Participant 3)

… like clinical trials and attempts that were done in this university. They wrote articles and I followed that for a good while you see that is 2015, 2016 really I wasn’t pregnant but I was doing an awful lot of reading about it. (Participant 10).

… I would have looked at ingredients in each of the products … (Participant 13)

..none of them are proven they don’t state that they are going to eliminate it forever you know so I would always go for a cheaper option. But I still like a brand name like I like the branding and I like the good quality [product name]. (Participant 14)

...I did a bit of research myself but at the same time my main priority was to use a natural product as natural as possible. (Participant 15)

Keep it natural

...I’d like something a little bit more organic, rather than, I got the [product name] […] But I found it very kind of chemical smell off it. I wasn’t that into it. So my other sister was saying about some sort of cream from the health shop that was more organic. (Participant 4)

...I love anything that is natural I am a vegetarian I am very much against any animal testing or animal cruelty. So those factors would be hugely important to me. (Participant 6)

… it’s [product name] a nice smelling kind of oil and also just that it actually says on the [product] that it does prevent stretch marks or minimises the appearance of them. (Participant 8)

...I can’t remember the exact name of it but it’s basically the option that you had for stretch marks that natural skin care company[…] Basically they are all natural because I don’t use anything that has got preservatives in it so I also have sensitive skin. (Participant 10)

...I would use [product name] for moisturiser […] I find it very nice and a nice smell and it’s kind of leaves the skin very soft. (Participant 14)

… it’s a pure essence basically an orange oil that actually helps with stretch marks. And it is anti-oxidant as well so it’s good for everything … (Participant 15)

Will it work?

...I’m hopeful it will [work] … (Participant 1)

...I honestly don’t know how it’s going to work … (Participant 2)

I’m not too sure if it’s (pauses) a particular product or a particular (pauses) oil versus cream, I just know you should moisturize. (Participant 3)

… not 100%, (laughing) hmm (pauses) I don’t know, I won’t know. […]

...I do think it is hereditary as well. Both of them [sisters] no one in my family seems to, touch wood, to get stretch marks. (Participant 4)

...I suppose my belief I don’t have any proven findings of fact. I mean a lot of these are research and you know it may work for some women it may not but I would hope that it would work for me. (Participant 10).

...I don’t know how confident I am that it will work … (Participant 11)

...I am probably not very confident I am probably aware of the fact that I am predisposed to getting them anyway it might it might help [pauses] I suppose maybe heal them faster by going from you know from the red you know the initial ones that they are red or purple and move to silver. I suppose maybe that is what I am trying to do to get give me make my skin as prepared as possible. (Participant 13)

...I suppose I wouldn’t be that confident because I suppose I just think that you are going to get them you will probably get the stretch marks I don’t know can you fully prevent them. (Participant 14)

But I am not obviously a hundred per cent sure that it will work just it was just recommended this one from this people that helped me to make my choice and to trust that product. (Participant 15)

… maybe you are going to get stretch marks no matter what you use […] other people saying it doesn’t matter what products you use you know stretch marks are genetic so you are going to get them if you are going to get them you are going to get them no matter what. (Participant 16)

Cost

I think it was about five or six euro like to me that didn’t seem that expensive it’s a big enough bottle. (Participant 1)

… if I was getting the stretch marks I don’t think it [cost] would be huge, a huge factor in it [choice of product]. (Participant 2)

I mean it [cost] would certainly play a part … (Participant 3)

But I wouldn’t go spending like 50 euro on one bottle of cream now. But hmm (pauses) yeah, it wouldn’t influence me too, I wouldn’t go too high a price bracket but yeah, there’s no point in getting something really cheap just for the sake of it either. (Participant 4)

… I wouldn’t be spending a huge amount of money on anything like that. (Participant 5)

I would be a middle of the range price person […] I wouldn’t buy anything maybe fifty euro or more. (Participant 6)

… like I think if you feel something is going to work it doesn’t really matter how expensive it is I mean I well actually [product name] isn’t that expensive hmm you know I don’t know I suppose you wouldn’t want to be spending too much either. I mean yes it has to be kind of a reasonable price … (Participant 8

...I would be within a reasonable price point I am not going to go up to eighteen or even sixteen euro on something that may or may not work you know something that is going to be a natural product is not going to cost the earth anyway because it wouldn’t be made by a huge big brand. (Participant 10)

… cost wouldn’t have influenced my decision in picking a product over the other. (Participant 11)

… it was very expensive for a small bottle I think it was twenty something euro but like I just like I suppose it will probably last a good while and if it stops the stretch marks I don’t really mind how much it’s going to cost. (Participant 12)

… yes I wouldn’t want to be spending a fortune on something that I am not a hundred per cent will work anyway. (Participant 13)

… I would always go for a cheaper version … (Participant 14)

So I actually didn’t even look into the prices just about the recommendations and then the price […] I would not look into [price] I would pay what I would need to pay for it. (Participant 15)

… the price is important. Like I mean if this bottle of [product name] is two euro at Ever Green that is nice but I would spend more than that on a product that I think is going to be high quality but not too much. (Participant 16)