Stretch marks are skin scars that result due to the rapid stretching of the skin. Stretch marks may appear as red, pink or purple streaks and appear indented. They usually occur around the stomach, hips, upper arms, shoulders and breasts. They may be caused due to rapid weight gain, pregnancy, cortisone medications, hormonal imbalance or certain diseases like Cushing’s syndrome.
Can stretch marks go away naturally – by themselves?
Stretch marks usually start out as red or brown striations and appear glossy. They have a distinct texture differing from normal skin and are usually caused as a natural side effect of puberty, pregnancy and even weight lifting. These marks are not infectious like acne and are completely painless and harmless. Over time, stretch marks fade to whitish colored scar and become less noticeable with time. The condition is only skin deep and hence easily reversible. According to University of Maryland medical center, they may disappear completely when the cause of skin stretching goes away.
Natural ways to make them fade and go away faster
Though these benign marks mean no harm they are not usually considered to be beauty marks and people spend a lot of time and money to make them fade away. So if you really want to help your skin go back to a smooth scar free texture faster, you can try out some natural ways to reduce stretch marks. Some of those natural ways are listed down.
- Drink plenty of water. Keeping your skin hydrated is the best way to fight the loosing elasticity of your skin.
- Several natural oils have been proved effective against skin scars. Lavender oil, rose oil, olive oil, myrrh oil, chamomile oil are some of those magic oils to name.
- Egg whites are a great way to supply protein to the affected area. Rub egg whites thrice a day to get visible results.
- Juices: Potato juice, lemon juices also seem to work wonders on your scarred skin.
- Shea butter and cocoa butter moisturize your sin and help in erasing the lines on your skin.
- Aloe Vera gel is also effective in clearing stretch marks besides treating sun burns.
Creams and lotions
Moisturizing lotions are the most commonly used cosmetics that produce significant improvement in skin elasticity and appearance. Using lotions greatly reduces and prevents the appearance of new stretch marks. The winning ingredients of moisturizers usually include germ oil, Aloe Vera and olive oil. The market is abundant with numerous creams and lotions claiming to remove stretch marks permanently. But most of these creams turn out to be unsafe during pregnancy and are not very effective on old marks. Some of the commonly used creams are listed down
- Retinoic acid creams are quite effective in smoothing out new marks but have not been proved to be safe during pregnancy.
- Lextrin contains essential oils and vitamin E that reduce the appearance of stretch mark. Thuja Occidentalis one of its active ingredients is not considered safe for pregnant ladies.
- Glycolic acid improves collagen production and is safe for use during pregnancy. Exposure of the sun may have side effects on the treatment
- Gels having hyaluronic acid and onion extracts also help in treating new stretch marks.
Prevention or Cure?
There is no magic cure for treating stretch marks overnight and all the treatments available focus on fading the marks over time and that takes time. Prevention is the best option available as it is much easier than treatment. Balanced diet, controlled weight gain, exercise, healthy habits and lifestyle along with sound sleeping are some common preventive measures that you can easily undertake for a scar free beautiful skin.
Conclusion:
Well.. NO We cant just wish them away and atleast not in the time frame we want. So taking precautions especially from the start of pregnancy (most common cuase) may help, but cannot completely prevent. There are various ways and creams to reduce them. You can find some here but I would like to know from your experience. What do you think? How did you get rid of them or are planning to do so.
I’ve used Dermalmd Stretch mark serum since my 12th week. I’m a first-time mom so I didn’t want to chance any stretch marks. I am now in my 29th week and still have not seen one. I put this serum on generously twice a day or after I get out of the shower. Works like a charm. I thought I’d see a stretch mark by now, but not one! Unbelievable
I have use Shea butter but is not going
I really don’t think so that stretch marks can ever go away but the appearance can have different stages as they can be very red and clearly visible in the start and the skin tone and color of the affected area lighten with time. But if you think that they will go away that is not going to happen.
I don’t think so that stretch marks can go away naturally, They might lighten up in appearance. However you can prevent them by eating good quality foods and using some prevention techniques before you even get them. But we all must accept them as they are a part of us and we all have them at some point in our lives.
Stretch Marks actually fade away with time and don’t look that bad, But in some cases they can stay of the same reddish color, I have seen that My pregnancy stretchmarks lightened with time but they never went away, There is no possible way to make them just go away, But you can take precautions for preventing them to be there at the first place.
I have used Dermalmd Stretch Mark Serum for a year now and I absolutely love the product, I noticed that its a gradual process meaning for me after 3 months I really saw the difference and my stretch marks started to disappear, I personally feel this is one of the best products on the market for scars from pregnancy and stretchmarks.
Stretchmarks never go naturally. You have to work for it! It clearly depends on the diet you intake and type of exercises you perform daily. You really have to work hard to remove them. And the most important thing is body hydration. Your skin also needs to be hydrated for optimal skin elasticity. It is recommended that you get 8-12 glasses of water each day.
Indeed, Over time,stretch marks fade to a less-noticeable, whitish-colored scar. But they never get vanished from the skin. It is also confirmed that no topical product can prevent stretch marks. It is not an embarrassment, it is natural. They will occur for sure if the conditions are there. Yes, you can reduce the effects by taking precautions well in time.
stretch marks are a sad reality for us women, i dont even have kids but i have them, at least my boyfriend doesnt mind 🙂
I’ve had some light stretch marks on my hips and did use Retinoic acid cream but It didn’t live upto my expectations.
Though pregnancy is the major reason for stretch marks in women but still many of us who are not pregnant also get stretch marks. So I dont know how will the reasons behind stretch marks will go away which will finally remove the marks.