Stretch Marks

When a person gains weight suddenly, the skin expands to accommodate for the increase in body weight and the change in shape. It is true that the skin is elastic and can be stretched to a certain limit.

Stretch marks 

~This occur in the dermis, which is the middle layer of the skin. This layer is elastic and hence allows the skin to retain its shape. When repeatedly stretched, the dermis breaks, causing stretch marks.

~Most commonly, men and women have stretch marks on their thighs, abdomen, hips, breasts, and upper arms.

~Once stretch marks appear they are practically permanent, or at least difficult to get rid of. Products that claim that their use can either prevent or remove stretch marks are misleading. The only thing possible is to reduce their visibility, which is also hard.

* Using Lotions: Lotions for the treatment of stretch marks contain alpha hydoxy acid. This substance removes the skin cells on top, allowing healthier skin cells to grow. These lotions work very gradually and must be regularly used, so if use is discontinued the results will be lost. Formulations with vitamin A, C and E help in diminishing the appearance of visible stretch marks.

* Surgical Treatment: Probably the most effective is chemical peeling or lasers. These treatments can guarantee a removal of stretch mark scars. They can be used only to a certain depth, which allows skin to be removed without causing scaring; results will vary depending on age and skin color.
This treatment is not used on people with dark skin. This is the only sure shot way of getting rid of visible stretch marks at the moment.
     
* Nutrition and Diet: If you want trying, diet you should eat foods rich in zinc (nuts and fish), foods with a high content of vitamin A, C, and D (citrus fruits, dairy products and carrots), and protein-rich food (eggs). This can improve the overall quality of your skin and prevent stretch marks. It is recommended to drink plenty of water, at least 8-10 glasses per day. Adequate water intake will make your skin soft and supple, thus preventing it from tearing. At the same time you should reduce the intake of tea, coffee, and carbonated drinks.

There are some tips that might help you reduce the appearance of stretch marks. Surgery is always a last resort, so following these tips, you might avoid it. However, you should know it does take time to get visible results. Also remember that secrets of success are found in your daily routine. If you try some of these tips, you could improve the appearance of your stretch marks over time.
* Massage cocoa butter into the stretch marks, or a cream such as Barmon Stretchmark Cream, which has Cocoa butter as one of the ingredients.
* Exfoliate your skin with a loofah or skin brush when you shower to stimulate circulation, because doing this removes the dull skin and the dead cells in the scars that show as stretch marks.
* Massage Vitamin E oil or cream on your stretch marks; rub it into your skin after a shower.
* Tretinoin is a valuable ingredient, so you might speak to your doctor about prescribing this cream to you. Tretinoin is used to treat acne, aged, and sun-damaged skin, as well as stretch marks. In some studies, Tretinoin significantly improves the appearance of early stretch marks. Tretinoin works best on stretch marks that are new or enlarging.
* Eat foods high in vitamins A, E, C, which might help form collagen, the supporting fibers in the skin.
* Zinc is also valuable, so eat foods high in this as well, or use a supplement.
* Essential Fatty Acids help make cell walls, and those can be found in many vegetables, vegetable oils and fish oils.
* Drink lots of water, and make sure that you keep your skin hydrated.
* Laser surgery has shown to be useful in reducing the appearance of stretch marks, and they seem to work best on stretch marks that are still fairly new, red or purple in color.

How long does it take for the cream to work?

The healing process for each individual’s skin is different. That is why it is hard to provide a specific time frame regarding the length of time it will take for you to see results. However, it is generally found that people begin to see results after about 3 weeks of constant use of stretch mark cream. The level of results differs from person to person. This depends on the severity of a person’s stretch marks and health habits. Beside those, the effectiveness of the cream can be influenced if you smoke, drink alcohol, or sunbathe. These factors are very harmful to your skin and can slow down the healing process and scar appearance improvement.
People always wonder if they need to use the cream forever once the stretch marks are gone. Stretch mark cream helps the skin to heal, so once the stretch marks are gone, they are gone forever. However, if you are planning pregnancy you could use it again to prevent this problem from occur a second time.

Does it matter how old the stretch marks are?

This is a common question; it is not important how old the stretch marks are. There are many women who developed stretch marks 15 years ago or even further before. They had results comparable to other people.
Not only women use stretch mark creams, because over the years there were many male customers, especially body builders and weight lifters. Men experience the same results as women. Also, it works the same way for all skin types. Skin is skin, and stretch marks do not seem to differ from one type to another.