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How To Get Rid Of Stretch Marks

Moisturise To Prevent Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are the result of changes to your body that happen too quickly for your skin to be able to keep up with. They are also known as striae and often occur during rapid periods of grown such as adolescence, pregnancy and bodybuilding, although they can occur at any time and happen to both men and women.

If you are keen to get rid of your stretch marks, then you will need to nourish your skin both from the inside and outside. This will give it extra resilience, improve cells processes and ultimately improve its ability to heal. You will need to keep hydrated, ideally by drinking plenty of water. According to Mayo Clinic, this is at least 15.5 cups ( 3.7 liters) for men and 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) for women. You will also need to ensure you maintain a healthy diet which is rich in antioxidants, zinc, vitamins and minerals and fatty acids, and we’ll talk more about this later.

To nourish your skin from the outside, you can regularly massage in topical oils, creams or gels. To get the best results, choose products which contain ingredients which moisturize your skin and promote natural collagen production, cell turnover and healing, such as aloe vera or cocoa butter. You can alternatively go straight for the natural product, squeezing aloe vera gel straight from the plant!

Stretch marks due to weight gain are probably the hardest to predict as the gain doesn’t often happen intentionally. Therefore, it is often harder to prevent them. Stretch marks due to weight gain most commonly occur on the hips, bottom and thighs. They may even be one of the first signs that you have put on weight.

As soon as you start to see the purple appearance of a stretch mark you can begin to treat it. Massaging a stretch mark cream or oil into the mark will hydrate it and help to stimulate the healing process. Targeting the stretch marks as soon as they appear will have a greater results than if you wait until after they have turned into the white, silvery lines, but of course the silvery lines can be treated in exactly the same way.

We recommend the Body Merry Stretch Mark and Scar Cream. It smells amazing and is full of antioxidants and vitamins to give you great results at removing stretch marks:

Body Merry

Get Rid Of Stretch Marks From Working Out

You may not consider the possibility of getting stretch marks from working out, but they are a common issue, particularly on areas such as the insides edges of your arms. Of course, if you aren’t expecting them, you won’t have thought to try and prevent them. But if you notice those pink or silvery arms are appearing, you can still treat them successfully.

Products which contain vitamin A can successfully treat stretch marks caused by muscle growth. It hydrates the skin, encourages the healing processes in the tissues and is thought to be able to build collagen fibres. Bio Oil, which is one of the better-known stretch marks removal products on the marks contains Vitamin A (listed as retinyl palmitate). It is very effective and has won 126 awards since it was launched in 2002:

Bio Oil

How To Get Rid Of Stretch Marks On Breasts

Breasts, particularly female breasts, are extremely affected by weight changes, as they can change in size particularly quickly compared to other areas of the body. Puberty, pregnancy, weight gain and loss and even your monthly cycle can cause your breast to rapidly change in size, which can leave stretch marks which may be more obvious than those on other areas of the body.

Vitamin E-based products are very effective on stretch marks on the breasts, as is massaging shea butter to the affected area. This is best done in a firm, circular motions, working around the breast and you can do this twice a day. We love the Organic Vitamin E Oil from Health Priority, which is 100% natural, meaning it contains twice the vitamin strength to give you faster results:

Vitamine E Oil

Prevent Stretch Marks During Pregnancy

Up to 90% of women will develop stretch marks during pregnancy, particularly during the third trimester. This is not only because your body is rapidly growing at a rate your skin cannot keep up with, but because during pregnancy your skin is more susceptible to stretch marks because of the hormone changes. It is thought that hormonal changes cause the bonds between collagen fibres within the skin to relax by encouraging water in.

Pregnancy is a time when you are probably being more cautious and conscientious about what you are putting into your body. Luckily, many products have been specifically developed for removing stretch marks caused by pregnancy. For example, the Mama Mio Tummy Rub Butter is safe to use both during pregnancy and when you are breast feeling to not only prevent and remove stretch marks but also protect you from itchy skin! It is packed with organic shea butter and omega-rish coconut and avocado oils, and you can use it all over your body:

Mama Mio

Not all topical treatments for stretch marks should be used during pregnancy. Avoid products which contain ingredients called retinoids, such as Retin-A as this can be harmful to unborn babies. This is why we recommend only choosing a product specific for pregnant woman.

How To Get Rid of Stretch Marks Naturally

There are plenty of ways to enhance the health of your skin naturally. This can be both by consuming healthy foods or using them as a topical treatment or cleanser. By ensuring your skin’s health is maintained you can not only make it supple and more resilient but also aid it in processes such as skin repair.

If you are keen to find the best way to get rid of stretch marks naturally, you must start by ensuring you have a healthy diet. Eating foods rich in fatty acids such as omega-3 (like fatty fish or walnuts), vitamins (fruits and veg, in particularly avocados and broccoli), zinc (like sunflower seeds), and anti-oxidants (like dark chocolate) can greatly improve your skin’s health. Here is a list of some other foods which contain these key ingredients:

Fatty Acids Reduce Stretch Marks

Fatty Acids

– Salmon and Tuna
– Cod Liver Oil
– Chia Seeds
– Hemp Seeds
– Egg Yolks
– Walnuts
– Mackerel/Herring

Vitamin C Reduces Stretch Marks

Vitamins

– Green Vegetables
– Citrus Fruits
– Bell Pepper
– Yeast Extract
– Dairy Products
– Fortified Cereals
– Wholegrains

Zinc Prevents Stretch Marks

Zinc

– Oysters
– Red Meat
– Spinach
– Nuts
– Dark Chocolate
– Pumpkin Seeds
– Chickpeas

Chocolate To Prevent Stretch Marks

Antioxidants

– Green Tea
– Dark Chocolate
– Red Fruits
– Garlic
– Broccoli
– Sweet Potato
– Avocado

As a bonus, by improving your skin’s health, you will also ward-off fine lines, wrinkles and acne! This healthy diet will also help improve your overall health.

In terms of topical natural remedies for stretch marks, there are a few you can try. Some people use a homeopathic microdermabrasion technique using 1-part softening agent (such as coconut oil) with 4 parts sugar and a bit of lemon juice as a scrub. Others apply aloe vera moisture fresh from the plant leaf after they have taken a shower. Alternatively, you can use virgin coconut oil as a natural moisturiser, massaging it into stretch marks or at-risk areas daily, as coconut oil is thought to have healing characteristics.

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera has healing properties and can be used straight from the plant. Simply break off a leaf and rub the broken end straight onto the skin after you have washed. You can rinse it off after a few minutes with lukewarm water. There are no known side effects of using aloe vera on the skin, so some people even leave it on overnight.

We recommend buying a plant which can be reused:

Aloe Vera

How To Get Rid Of Stretch Marks For Men

Men may be more surprised to develop stretch marks than women as men are obviously not affected by the major causes for sudden body changes such as pregnancy, or hormonal fluctuations, however they are also very common on men. Rapid weight gain or loss can affect men’s skin tone too, as well as a sudden growth due to working out. This often predominantly affects the upper arms, but there are ways you can reduce the appearance of stretch marks here

How To Get Rid Of Stretch Marks On Arms

Stretch Marks From Working Out

You may not consider the possibility of getting stretch marks on your arms until they happen, which unfortunately means you may not think of pre-empting their occurrence until it is too late.

Stretch marks on the arms are common in puberty and very common in body builders, whose lifestyle involving high protein diets and strict work out schedules mean they put on a lot of muscle weight quickly around their arms.

Often stretch marks on the arms occur on the inside edges where they are less noticeable, but this isn’t often the case.

If you are keen to prevent or reduce stretch marks to your arms, use a vitamin A cream. This will hydrate the skin, encourage the healing processes in the tissues and is thought to be able to build collagen fibres. Alternatively, you may prefer an oil-based balm, such as Bio Oil.

Preventing Stretch Marks

Preventing Stretch Marks

The best way to tackle stretch marks will always be to prevent them. Giving your skin the nourishment it needs, both inside and out will leave it better equipped to react to sudden growth

Once they have formed and have gone from the initial pink color to the white, silvery lines, they are much harder to treat, although it is still achievable.

It isn’t always possible to know when you are going to form stretch marks, however, for example, athletes and bodybuilders may not have considered the possibility stretch marks forming, and we don’t often intentionally gain weight suddenly. Even losing weight quickly can result in stretch marks which can also take people by surprise.

Therefore, we are going to discuss the different ways you can try to reduce and remove your stretch marks. Often the same products work to prevent and reduce the stretch marks, which makes things a lot simpler for you, as well as a lot more cost effective!

Prevent Stretch Marks Weight Gain

Conclusion

As you can see there are a number of different methods you can try to get rid of your unwanted stretch marks. The main point is that prevention is far easier than cure, and the sooner you begin to treat stretch marks as they develop, the more success you are likely to have, but you can have great success on reducing or even eliminating stretch marks completely.

If you are interested in buying a stretch mark removal cream, take a look at our reviews of the top 10 creams on the market, including a comprehensive buying guide.

2 Comments

  1. Lisa Hill

    Great tips! We feel helpless when facing such medical issues. Strech marks could lower down your confidence due to its unusual look. You have very valuable information regarding stretch marks removal. It will help everyone out there facing this condition. Thanks for sharing.

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