Skin Care

Removing stretch marks is not an easy feat. However, there are ways in which you can erase them without having to undergo costly surgery. Stretch marks are generally caused when the body goes through a period of rapid weight gain or weight loss such as pregnancy or puberty. Each of these events may seem worth every mark. However, you are not sentenced to a life with stretch marks. There are many methods for eliminating these unsightly marks..

First, you have to understand exactly what causes stretch marks and what can remove them. The skin is made of 80% collagen and 4% elastin. Elastin is the component of our skin that allows the skin to stretch when there is weight gain and return to its original position when that weight is lost.

Of course, there are limits to how much skin can be stretched. Elastin is damaged when it is stretched beyond it elasticity limit. In the process, there is microscopic bleeding and inflammation of the skin, which causes the discoloration. As the elastin heals, this is where the noticeable scars and marks are developed.

A recent scientific study also claims that hormonal changes contribute to the formation of stretch marks in our skin. Hormonal changes associated with rapid weight gain, rapid muscle development and pregnancy increase the level of cortisil, which has been concluded to help in the development of stretch marks.

As you may already know, lotions containing cocoa butter have been the most popular known to minimize the appearance of stretch marks. However, since stretch marks are not only caused by the damage in skin elasticity but also partly because of hormonal imbalance, cocoa butter lotion alone may not be able to get you the results you desire.

The number one treatment for removing stretch marks without having to have surgery is to use vitamin e mixed with cocoa butter.. Both components contain natural antioxidants and emollient properties, which have been proven to reduce the appearance of stretch marks.

Removing  stretch marks does not happen overnight. It is best that you apply the treatment at least three times a day. If you miss even one day of training, you may experience setbacks. Make sure that you do not apply too much of the lotion. This will clog the poors and just worsen the condition.. The best time to apply the treatment is after a bath when the skin is more absorbent.

You may also want to incorporate steroid creams to reduce the inflammation and Alpha-hydroxyl acids (AHA) to exfoliate the scaring. If you don’t want to invest too much money, you can make your own AHA recipe with lemons and milk. The steroids are available in most local drugstores. Be careful not to purchase steroid creams that have too much strength and can cause risky side effects..

With regular application of the lotions and the creams mentioned above removing stretch marks is not impossible. In fact, you may be able to see an improved condition of your skin in as early as 2 weeks. The deeper your scars are the longer it will take to eliminate. You can disappear your unsightly stretch marks without having to suffer through expensive and risky surgery..