Stretch marks are a major concern and cause of anxiety for women and men throughout the world. If you are someone who feels embarrassed about your stretch marks and can not wear the clothes you desire, then do something about it. NOW!
What are stretch marks?
They are a form of scarring that result from the skin stretching. They usually appear when your body has big fluctuations in weight and your skin is exposed to sudden rapid growth.The common causes of stretch marks are:
- pregnancy
- weigh gain / weight loss
- puberty
- growth spurts
- hormonal changes or imbalance
- lack of certain nutrients
- certain medications
- body building
It all happens in the dermis, which is the middle layer of the three layers of the skin. When this middle layer is stretched over time, the skin loses its elasticity and the connective fibers within it break and result in stretch marks. At first the stretch marks are red or pink in color and as they heal, they turn white and usually fade a little over time.
They are believed to be hereditary, meaning that if your mom has them, the chances are you will get them too. Many people find them unsightly and would dearly love to remove their stretch marks. Definitely, no woman wants to see her body striped with these ugly lines.
So what can we do to avoid them? Are there ways to prevent and minimize the appearance of stretch marks and restore healthy skin and your confidence? There are several ways to remove stretch marks depending on how much you want to spend and how much effort you want to put in.
How to get rid of Stretch marks
Tip #1 Prevention
As always the best cure is the prevention. What you put in your mouth has a big impact on your skin and its elasticity. So adjusting your diet will have a big impact on preventing stretch marks, as well as healing the ones you already have.
Provide your skin with all the essential nutrients that it needs to heal itself. To accomplish that, you must consume healthy, well balanced diet. And of course don't forget to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day to keep your skin well hydrated.
Tip #2 Skin Massage
That is the cheapest option. Massage your skin with lotions, like cocoa butter with Vitamin E mixture. The quicker you act the better. The new stretch marks that are still pink or red, respond better to any treatment. Once they heal and turn white, they're much harder to reduce.
Massage the affected areas for 10-15 minutes in circular motion, once or twice a day preferably after a shower, when skin is still damp. You will not see results overnight, but if you do it consistently and if you provide your skin with the necessary nutrition to repair itself, you will see the positive results you're looking for.
Tip #3 Stretch mark removal cream
A number of stretch removal cream are out in the market today. However, there are also risks in time, money and health. Be safe. Try those products that are respectable that can really remove stretch marks. There are top three stretch removal cream that provide satisfying result. These are: Revitol Stretch Mark Removal and Prevention Cream; TriLASTIN-SR; and Mama Mio. Under the test reviews done using these products include ease of use, effectiveness, ingredients and customer satisfaction.
Tip #4 Laser treatment
And if you want to invest some money, you can try laser therapy. Laser treatment is available to remove stretch marks; however this is very expensive and disruptive as you will have to go to hospital for the treatment. The results are good but you certainly pay for it. There is also the recovery time after such treatment to consider.
Laser therapy for stretch marks is still a very new procedure and the degree of its effectiveness is not widely known. Although there are some doctors that support this treatment, majority of the specialists such as plastic surgeons do not approve of the laser stretch marks removal. They claim that while the laser is able to remove and break down the tissue, it cannot not repair already damaged tissue. However there are patients who are satisfied with the results and report significant improvement in the appearance of their stretch marks.
Tip #4 Time they say time is a good healer.
You can wait and do nothing if you are not concerned about revealing your stretch marks. They will fade to some degree over a number of years. This has the advantage of zero cost, but as stated this is no quick remedy. Over this time you must ensure you stick to a balanced diet to ensure your skin has the necessary nutrients to facilitate the healing process.