20 Stretch Marks Treatments

Here are 20 stretch marks treatment methodologies, remedies and preventative measures to help you avoid and reduce stretch marks.

Cocoa Butter
Cocoa Butter hydrates and replenishes dry skin but there are many different qualities of cocoa butter creams. You will find them in most health stores, just pick a brand and try it. If you like it and it works, stick with it.

Usually it is sufficient to rub once a day all over your tummy where stretch marks may develop. This is especially important during pregnancy when you reach the middle and last trimesters.

Vitamin E
Vitamin E can be purchased as a gel or a cream from most health food or supplement stores. It rehydrates the skin and gives it added elasticity which in turn prevents future stretch marks from developing. Follow the directions on the package or use twice daily.

Moisturizers
General moisturizers are available in discount stores to luxury skin care chains. They range in price from under a dollar all the way up to thousands of dollars per ounce.

Do the ones that cost more work any better? Well, not necessarily. No matter what the quality, the cream contains vitamins and hydrating ingredients that will benefit any dry skin. Keeping the skin moisturized increases your chances of avoiding stretch marks.

Retin A Cream
Retin A cream is a specific type of moisturizer designed to prevent wrinkles and stretch marks. A protein in the cream is used to encourage collagen production in the skin. The belief is that adding this on top of your skin builds the collagen even further.

The more collagen you have, the more elasticity your skin has and the less wrinkles and stretch marks you have. It can be used both as a preventative measure as well as to combat any existing wrinkles and stretch marks.

Emu Oil
Using Emu Oil as a stretch marks treatment is a relatively new in skin care. It contains a group of fatty acids that have been found to help skin ailments as well as stretch marks. It is an all-natural product that can be purchased in liquid form to drink, pills to take daily and a cream you can apply.

Enriched Drinks
One product is called Calc Fluor 6X which you can purchase from health stores. It can be safely used during pregnancy and contains many vitamins and nutrients to hydrate your body. It is generally used three times a day every week in the early trimester then during the mid-trimester only on alternate weeks, or as directed on the package.

Drink lots of Water
It should never be forgotten that to keep you and your skin hydrated, there is no substitute for water. Drinking at least eight glasses of water a day will cleanse your system of toxins and help to keep your skin moisturized.

Sunscreens
Sunscreens are a preventative measure against stretch marks. Whenever you venture out into the sun you should cover your skin liberally with a high SPF sunscreen.

The sun dries out not only the top layers of skin, but also the underneath layers containing your natural collagen. This means the skin becomes more prone to damage and to stretch marks.

Keeping Skin Healthy
Clean your skin at least once a day to help open up pores and allow the skin to breathe. This is especially important before bedtime if you wear makeup.

The skin needs oxygen in order to keep growing and to create new cells. These new cells replace the surface cells and keep your skin soft, smooth and supple, thereby reducing the effect of wrinkles and stretch marks.

Minimizing the Effects of Puberty
Puberty produces dramatic changes in the body through the release of a complex cocktail of hormones. Many of these hormones can affect the skin by producing acne, and growth spurts can result in stretch marks.

The best solution is to eat a balanced and vitamin rich diet, drink plenty of water and do some exercise. Eating junk food will only make any acne and skin problems worse!

Birth Control Pills and Stretch Marks
Particular birth control pills contain a hormone that can increase your chances of getting stretch marks. The Depo Provera shot and Dianette (also known as Diane 35) can set up women's skin to be prone to stretch marks as well as weight gain.

If you are taking either of these you may want to consider switching to a different kind with reduced side-effects. However, don't skip your birth control, just control your diet, drink water and use moisturizers.

Soya products
Soya in its many forms has been shown to have positive effects on the body, not just the skin. It's used by millions of women as a natural aid during the menopause and has proven benefits in fighting certain diseases.

There are many ways to incorporate soya into your diet and many tasty recipes that use soya. You just have to experiment to find a recipe that suits your taste.

Copper
Copper is a natural mineral essential for firm skin and is often used as an ingredient in skincare products. Using copper fortified skin care products helps to build firm younger looking skin. It can be used on virtually all areas of the body as a treatment for stretch marks.

Avoid Active and Passive Smoking
You should avoid exposure to smoke either actively (smoking cigarettes) or passively (being in the presence of other people smoking). Over extended periods exposure by the skin to smoke damages the skins elasticity.

Wrinkles and stretch marks can appear on the face, around the lips, on the neck, arms and even the legs as a result of smoking. There is also medical evidence to show that the inhalation of smoke can cause the development of free radical cells that damage skin cells.

Avoid Rapid Weight Gain
Weight gain is important if you are pregnant, but how you gain weight is even more important. Adding one to two pounds per week is safest in the middle trimester with a slower weight gain toward the end.

During rapid weight gain stretch marks occur because the skin is being pulled tight too quickly. Moderating your diet and doing some gently exercise, will go a long way toward controlling the severity of any stretch marks.

Avoid Rapid Weight Loss
Drastically loosing pounds can remove the fat stored under the skin far too quickly, resulting in skin that sags. The effect of sags and folds in the skin can cause stretch marks.

In addition when losing weight too quickly through an accelerated form of dieting, there may be a lack of intake of essential vitamins, nutrients and water that result in damage to the skin.

Avoid Prednisone
Prednisone is a medicine used to treat various illnesses. If it is prescribed for your health, you must take it. However, a well established side effect is that it can create thin and fragile skin.

Avoid Steroids
One ingredient in certain steroids reacts with the skin to form stretch marks. These can occur almost anywhere on the body, but particularly in the legs, arms, abdomen and buttocks. Steroids used for body building and weightlifting make these stretch marks particularly common in men.

Cosmetic Surgery
Surgery to remove stretch marks can involve skin removal, liposuction and various lifts. Before committing yourself to surgery find a certified plastic surgeon and have several consultations until you feel comfortable that it's the right thing for you.

They should explain the procedures available to you, the risks, the side effects and answer any questions that you may have.

Laser Surgery
In a painless procedure a special laser is guided over the skin and reacts with the deep under tissues triggering the chemicals that build collagen. This gives a kick start to the natural growth of collagen and stretch marks are said to disappear after several repeat laser treatments.

See also Stretch Marks Treatment

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