Ciara Reveals Her Unusual Post-Baby Beauty Treatments

Ciara with her husband, NFL player Russell Wilson; she is treating her postpregnancy stretch marks. (Photo: Getty Images)
Ciara with her husband, NFL player Russell Wilson; she is treating her postpregnancy stretch marks. (Photo: Getty Images)

Ciara is taking a unique approach to bouncing back after pregnancy — and it doesn’t include exercise.

The singer, who in April gave birth to her second child — a daughter named Sienna Princess Wilson — with her NFL player husband, Russell Wilson, shared a honest Instagram post on Tuesday: a photo of her feet on a scale that revealed her weight.

“No Movement Week,” she wrote to her 16.6 million followers. “Started my stretch mark removal process this week, and the doc told me I couldn’t work out…so I ate healthy & added a few [cookies] in the mix! This week’s goal 3 lbs.”

The declaration was met mostly with enthusiasm — from people begging to know which treatment Ciara is pursuing and those praising her for her transparency — along with a few questions about her desire to look more fit so quickly after giving birth.

Ciara also disclosed in early June that she had gained 60 pounds during her pregnancy and lost 20 pounds only four weeks after giving birth. And in 2015, she told Shape magazine that after the birth of her 3-year-old son, Future Zahir Wilburn, she gained 60 pounds because she was unable to exercise. With the help of clean eating and thrice-daily workout sessions — in part with celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson — she lost the weight in four months.

While stretch mark removal treatments aren’t exactly a weight-loss technique, they can make the skin appear smoother and tighter. In Ciara’s case, she’s likely undergoing laser treatments — what Ava Shamban, a Beverly Hills-based dermatologist and founder of SkinxFive, calls a “champagne issue,” being treated with pricey cosmetic procedures that are not covered by medical insurance.

“Stretch marks are collagen and elastin that’s been torn or shredded, usually by elevated levels of estrogen during pregnancy or adolescence,” Shamban tells Yahoo Beauty. “Whether or not stretch marks can be removed completely depends on the dedication of the patient, how their skin responds to hormonal changes, and how fresh the marks are (making them more easily treated), but they can usually be improved significantly.”

Although Ciara’s lifestyle isn’t necessarily attainable for the average mom, her honesty is refreshing.

The singer once explained her motivation to People: “After delivering my son — a 9-pound, 10-ounce baby, and gaining 60 pounds, I was committed to [returning] to how I felt before I had him. Four months after having him, I was back to my original shape. There’s something very empowering about that. Something about that gave me an extra pep in my step and motivated me even more to go harder.”

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