Stretch marks suck. They occur when the skin can’t keep up with the rapid growth of the body due to weight gain, hormones/puberty/growth spurts, or muscle building. They easily appear but they don’t naturally completely disappear. Try stretching a thick, old rubber band and you’ll see what essentially happens to the skin when it expands too quickly. Stretch marks affect a number of people, from pregnant women to male athletes. We can’t escape them, but we can do our best to avoid them. Here are some simple over-the-counter tips to keep the stretch marks to a minimum:
Prevention
Regularly moisturize any areas of the body that stretch with lotions or creams containing shea or cocoa butter as well as vitamin e. Natural serums and oils rich in vitamin e, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids such as 100% pure argan oil also work well at preventing stretch marks and scars by nourishing the skin and helping to increase the skin’s elasticity. Areas of the body that are susceptible to stretch marks include the upper arms, underarms, pectorals, thighs, hips, back, breasts, around the knees, belly (front and sides), and buttocks. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, try using pure shea or cocoa butter. While extremely viscous and nutty smelling, these butters help make the skin much more elastic and thus more adaptable to rapid expansion.
Body creams made with shea or cocoa butter aid in making the skin more elastic.
Over-the Counter Treatment
There is no true natural remedy for treating existing stretch marks. You can, however, help diminish the appearance of stretch marks by regularly applying scar gels such as Mederma and Derma E. Keep in mind that if you use scar gels, they should be applied five times daily in order for them to be somewhat effective. Don’t expect miracles. If you’re lucky, you may notice some slight improvement over a two month period of using scar gels.
Scar gels can help diminish the appearance of existing stretch marks.
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