Caused by varying conditions of sudden gain or loss of weight, hormonal changes, puberty, pregnancy and attempt at muscle building; stretch marks as suggested by its name involve stretching, pulling and tearing of the skin’s middle layer or ‘dermis’. On account of the above mentioned factors different kinds and textures of marks appear on skin. Absence of ‘collagen’ fiber also aids the formation of stretch marks. Generally affecting areas with susceptibility to store excess fat, stretch marks which initially manifest in reddish or purple hues, gradually fade out with time. Thus such marks tend to affect regions around abdomen, breasts, thighs, and upper arms.
Basically posing no hazards to health and its overall vigor; stretch marks are self repairing in themselves gradually withering with time. However, from the point of view of physical beauty and grooming they may turn out to be embarrassingly disgraceful. So in order to prevent social embarrassment one has wide ranging options of home remedies to choose from.
Natural Treatment for Stretch Marks
- Mostly occurring during pregnancy and puberty, one must be proactive about treating them as soon as they occur.
- Almond oil is quite effective in treating stretch marks. Apart from its high Vitamin E content, Almond oil serves to moisturize the affected areas. Moreover it can be a safe option to be exercised during pregnancy. Vitamin E adds to the development of elastin and collagen content of the skin; thereby serving to ease the stretch marks.
- Regular massaging of the affected areas with other herbal alternatives such as oil extracts from wheat germ and that of olive are helpful in easing stretch marks caused by pregnancy or during lactation.
- Lavender oil and cocoa butter are also effective for a speedy easing out of stretch marks. Fat extracted from beans of cacao beans helps to moisturize the skin. By way of moisturizing it helps to reduce stretch marks.
- Amalgam made out of lavender and chamomile oil with seven drops of each being mixed with one another is similarly effective.
- Folic acid recommended by most gynecologists during pregnancy and lactation also contributes significantly towards healing stretch marks.
- Regular moisturizing of areas prone to the development of stretch marks will be a good option to keep stretch marks at bay.
- Keeping your system well hydrated with plenty of water also aids in battling stretch marks. Minimum eight to ten glasses of water will keep your skin naturally moisturized.
- Gentle scrubbing of the parts affected with apricot scrub also helps in healing stretch marks.
- Natural scrub made with the help of oats also serves to reduce stretch marks.
- Application of anti stretch masks produced from naturally available herbal extracts also serve to reduce stress.
- Herb encapsulating the essential goodness of nature-the one and only ‘aloe vera’ also plays its vital bit in getting rid of stretch marks. The amalgam of aloe and olive oil works wonders in reducing the skin of stretch marks. Aloe with its salicylic acid helps in the removal of stretch marks.
- An herbal concoction produced by blending aloe and jojoba can also be applied on areas wrought by stretch marks to achieve the desired results.
- Food rich in zinc, Vitamin C and protein serve to repair stretch marks. Thus citrus fruits, nuts, fish, milk, large helpings of green salad should be consumed abundantly to help ease stretch marks.
- Physical exercises focusing on crunches of abdomen also serve to tone muscle thereby contributing indirectly to reducing stretch marks because excess gain or loss of weight contributes to the formation of stretch marks.
- Even yoga with its focus on exercise and relaxation helps to ease stretch marks.
- It is advisable that women in their pregnancy do not opt for chemically prepared solutions and creams so as to remove the ugly formation of stretch marks. Even for others the chemical contents of the marketed formula may react with skin to produce damaging rashes.
- Stretch marks can appear to be itchy at times, but enough care should be taken not to scratch the parts affected.
- In order to get over itchiness, you can go for a warm shower followed by gentle oil massage.
- Besides using oil and herbal remedies, supplements in Vitamin E and K can also be equally helpful in reducing stretch marks. But they should be taken only after consultation with physician.
- Care should be taken that there is neither substantial gain nor loss of weight.
- As a last resort to curing the ugly linear formation on skin; plastic surgery may be thought of. But considering the expense and certain risks involved in the procedure, it is always better to fall back upon natural home remedies because they are relatively cost effective and free from side effects.
