Fade Stretch Marks Away – Unraveling the Myths About Stretch Marks
When a mirror breaks, nothing can be done to bring it back to its original perfect form. Luckily for us, this kind of permanency is not true when it comes to more important stuff – stretch marks, for instance. Of course, many people believe that nothing can be done about stretch marks. “Once you’ve got them, you’ll have to live with them.” Thankfully, science has made such statements totally untrue!
You have probably all wondered why we get these wretched marks in the first place. When the skin is stretched past its limit, it causes stretch marks. This normally happens when your body’s size increases at too fast a pace, such as at the time of puberty or when a person gains weight suddenly. Stretch marks also occur fairly commonly during pregnancy. The human skin has three layers: the outermost is the epidermis, the middle is the dermis and the innermost layer is called the subcutaneous layer. Stretch marks occur due to less than required collagen content in the dermis. In reality, stretch marks pose no risk to your health. They are merely a cosmetic imperfection, but an imperfection nonetheless, according to some people.
Most stretch marks fade with age, becoming lighter as time passes. For people who do not want therapy, one option is to cover stretch marks with make-up that is made especially for this use. For perfectionists who want to do better than just covering them up, laser therapy is a good option. The type of laser used depends on the kind of stretch marks. The ones lighter than the skin color, need a laser that stimulates melanin production and those stretch marks that are darker than the skin tone require a laser that reduces their color. Besides this, there are other kinds of laser treatments that use a different method to help you get rid of those embarrassing stretch marks. One laser stimulates the production of collagen in the skin cells, thereby, restoring their elasticity and curing the very cause of stretching of skin.
Another treatment for stretch marks is blue light therapy, which involves the use of a combination of gel and light to remove stretch marks. This particular treatment is also useful for reduction of acne.
Topical treatments and applying creams may also help moisturize skin, repair collagen and enhance elastin growth and in that way reduce the stretch marks on your skin. Usual ingredients for these creams are cocoa butter, wheat germ oil, lanolin and vitamin E. However, most of these creams are effective if applied while the skin is being stretched and may be almost useless if applied after the marks have already been formed. They reduce occurrence of stretch marks by keeping the skin soft and supple and by making it more elastic and less prone to these marks.
Who is most susceptible to stretch marks? People who are genetically prone to them (they usually have their parent’s weak collagen) and people with lighter skin should be more careful and should try to avoid rapid fluctuations in their weight.
Of course, there is no single guaranteed-to-work cure. Rather, a combination of some of the above mentioned treatments can help drastically reduce or in some lucky people, totally eliminate signs of stretch marks.
Tags:Try natural home remedies to fade away those ugly strech marks forever.