Health Network News

When your skin is stretched past its limits, such as during pregnancy or periods of excessive weight loss or gain, it gets damaged and develops scars called stretch marks. The damage occurs in the intermediate layer of skin, called the dermis. But the results show up on the uppermost layer of the skin, which makes the stretch marks very noticeable. When you spot those unattractive scars on your body, your self confidence and body image can take a big hit. If they show up, you’ll want to understand as much as possible about their development and how to reduce stretch marks.

One of the easiest approaches to reducing stretch marks is to use a cream or lotion specially designed to treat the situation. These creams incorporate ingredients like vitamin E, lanolin or cocoa butter, or an assortment of natural oils such as olive or lavender. AHA and Vitamin A are common ingredients in the more advanced products.

These products help to enhance your skin’s flexibility along with regenerating skin cells. All of these products, particularly creams that contain cocoa butter, are recommended as they are very good at minimizing the marks.

Quite a few of these products are quite expensive; yet that doesn’t always mean that they’re any better than what you will find inexpensively at the pharmacy. On the other hand, there are a number of trusted companies that have put a substantial amount of clinical investigation into producing a good product. It’s important that you read some customer evaluations before you opt for a product. As well, look for a product which features a money back guarantee to minimize your risk.

You may also want to check out techniques such as laser treatment, dermabrasion and cosmetic surgery to reduce the appearance of those ugly stretch marks. Laser and dermabrasion can be carried out at a range of spas, dermatologists and estheticians, and there are few adverse reactions or disruptions to your life to worry about. Plastic surgery needs to be performed by a trained medical professional and will require a period of recuperation. It may seem rather drastic to undergo a surgical procedure just to reduce the appearance of stretch marks, but in fact it’s one of the most effective ways to handle the situation.