How To Get Rid Of Stretch Marks

Most of the people and even the teenagers have stretch marks. Up to 70 percent of the pregnant women get stretch marks. They are small depressed streaks in the skin that can affect both men and women. Stretch marks are weaknesses in the supporting structure of the skin causing layers of the skin to separate, leaving the skin discolored and grooved. Other names of stretch marks are striae distense, striae atrophicans, striae ruba, striae alba.
The stretch marks or striae as they are also called happen when the tissue under the skin is pulled by rapid growth or stretching. They are a form of scarring on the skin with a white hue that form in the dermis. Usually the stretch marks start off as raised red lines that slowly fade into silvery, white streaks.
Stretch marks are caused by changes in the elastic supportive tissue that lies just beneath the skin. They develop when the skin is excessively stretched during pregnancy, weight gain, growth spurts. When the skin is stretched over a short period of time dermal tearing occurs which creates scars in the skin / dermis/. Fortunately, in the most of the cases the marks become considerably less noticeable about 6 to 14 months after childbirth.
Depending on the color of your skin the stretch marks may look pink, reddish, brown or white.
What causes stretch marks?
-pregnancy
-weight loss
-weight gain
-growth spurt

-puberty
-obesity

• Excessive weight gain or weight loss is the main reason stretch marks develop.
• Losing collagen and elastin in the skin causes stretch marks
• Stretch marks are generally associated with pregnancy and obesity. More than 60 percent of the pregnant women get stretch marks.
• Stretch marks may result from nutritional deficiency.
• Stretch marks may also occur as a result of abnormal collagen function.
• Stretch marks may be found on children who have become quickly obese.
• Some people are genetically prone to stretch marks.
• Sometimes stretch marks can be a symptom of Cushing’s syndrome – a condition in which the adrenal glands produce too much steroid hormone and the purple stretch marks appear on the abdomen.

Women and men can get stretch marks on several areas of their bodies. Stretch marks are most common during puberty and pregnancy – times when the body undergoes rapid changes and that’s why many women get them during pregnancy. They can appear anywhere on the body – where the skin has been stretched over a short period of time. The most common parts are – hips, buttocks, thighs, arms, breast and abdomen. Pregnant women start to develop stretch marks on the abdomen during the second half of pregnancy as the skin stretches to accommodate the growing baby.
Stretch marks can affect everyone but some people are more susceptible to forming stretch marks than others. Some people have weaker collagen than others so they are more likely to get stretch marks. Even the athletes who exercise regularly can get stretch marks and even if you are slim and eat healthy food can get them.

Useful Beauty Tips:

• Massage and exfoliate your skin regularly to increase blood circulation.
• Always keep your skin hydrated and moisturized.
• Eating healthy is essential in order to prevent formation of stretch marks.
• Avoid yo-yo dieting
• If you have to lose weight lose it slowly.
• Apply products designed for stretch marks everyday into the abdomen during pregnancy.
• Drink plenty of water -water keeps your skin hydrated and healthy looking and less likely to develop stretch marks.
• Eat foods high in vitamins D, A, C
• Eat zinc-rich food /nuts, fish/
• Avoid sudden weight gain
• It can take up to a year for a stretch mark to face from red to white
• Keep your weight under control
• If your mother or sister got stretch marks during pregnancy you are more likely to get them too
• Stretch marks pose absolutely no health risk and don’t compromise the body’s ability to function healthy.
• Stretch marks usually become less visible as they heal in time, but they will never disappear completely.
• African-American women are less likely to get stretch marks.
• Dry skin is more prone to stretch marks due to loss of elasticity
• Creams containing vitamin E and Cocoa Butter work best for preventing stretch marks
• Regular exercise is essential to prevent stretch marks as it keep skin taut.
• To camouflage stretch marks use a self-tanner or apply a little bit of a foundation.
• Use products with AHAs and Retin A because they slough off dead skin cells and help fade redness in a stretch mark.

To learn more see also the articles:

How To Exfoliate The Body

How To Detox Your Skin

How To Detox And Cleanse Your Body

Amazing Legs During The Summer

Recommended Products:

Mustela Special Maternity Lotion, Stretch Marks Double Action ($36) – Helps prevent and minimize new and recent stretch marks due to maternity, in all vulnerable body areas (abdomen, breasts, hips, upper thighs).

Lierac Paris Body lift 10 Ventre, Lipo-Sculpting Concentrate ($45) – ideal body-contouring treatment to help put your orange-peel skin ‘on a diet, help diminish the appearance of orange-peel skin and visibly reduce the signs of cellulite and stretch marks.

Belli Strech Mark Minimizing Cream ($52) – decrease the appearance of a stretchmark’s length and irregular surface area by over fifty percent.

Avon Super Shape Anti-Cellulite And Stretch Mark Cream ($10) – Dual-action cream to target and visibly diminish the appearance of cellulite and stretch marks.

Vichy Anti Stretch-Mark Massage Cream ($23) – Visibly reduces the appearance of existing stretch marks and helps to prevent new ones from appearing.

Clarins Stretch Mark Control ($35.50) – helps prevent and reduce the appearance of stretch marks during pregnancy puberty or anytime the body experiencing rapid weight change.