Ways to reduce stretch marks

What is Stretch marks?

Stretch marks are scarring on the skin which are caused by the tearing of the dermis layer of the skin. It is often the result of rapid stretching of the skin associated with rapid growth, weight gain or weight loss over a short period of time. During this stage, the skin is unable to cope with the changes between the epidermis and dermis, thus resulting to the scarring effect on the epidermis layer.  It may be also influenced by hormonal changes.

Stretch marks can form anywhere on the body especially at places where a large amount of fats are stored, e.g. abdomen, breasts, upper arms, underarms, back, tights, hips and buttocks.

Ways to prevent stretch marks.

1. Drink plenty of water. Proper blood circulation is important to prevent stretch marks, By drinking the recommended eight glasses of water daily, not only will it remove toxin from the dermis, it also improve the skin condition.
2. Massage. Another way to improve circulation is massaging. Together with a body lotion, gently massage the stretch marks prone areas will keep the skin hydrated and reduce the chances of stretch marks appearance.
3. Exercising. By constantly keeping to an exercise regime, it reduce the deposit of fats, thus preventing the appearance of stretch marks. However, if you are overweight, please ensure that the weight reduction is gradual. Rapid weight loss will result in dreadful stretch marks appearance.

There is no 100% way remove stretch marks once it appears, however, one can choose to go through treatments like lasing and derm-abrasion to reduce the appearance of the stretch marks.

Common home remedies

1. Collagen Intake. Collagen is a protein that supports our body. Collagen also forms up 75% of our healthy skin. Thus, if our collagen fibers are damaged or drop in production, it will result in pre-matured aging of skin as well as stretch marks. In order to mitigate the reduction of collagen, we can intake Vitamin C (Esther-C) which is a key ingredient for Collagen production, or consuming Collagen drink.
2. Stretch mark creams. Stretch mark creams usually contains Vitamin E, Cocoa Butter, Aloe Vera, which provide moisturizing and hydrating effects to make the skin more subtle, elastic and firm, mitigating the possibilities of dermis fibers tearing.