There are many different cosmetic products for stretch marks. Some of these products include the following: cream, stretch mark lotion, balms, ointments and gels. If you are suffering from such skin condition and considering to buy a lotion, here are a few tips on how to select a good one.

Tip # 1: Natural Ingredients

Such lotion should be made with natural ingredients. It reduces the risk of you developing allergies from it.

Tip #2: Penetrates the skin

Look for a lotion with ingredients that can penetrate the skin. Since stretch marks are actually on the mid layer of the skin, it is logical that you should use products that can work its way to the problem area.

Tip #3: Safe

You have to make sure that the product you will buy is safe to use. If you are pregnant it is advisable to consult a doctor before using any kind of stretch mark lotion. It is also safer to go for products that are tested and endorsed by dermatologists.

Tip #4: Budget Friendly

Not because one lotion is more expensive compared to others, it is automatically more effective. Look for one that is not too heavy on your budget.

Tip #5: Money Back Guarantee

Companies that offer a money back guarantee for their product are very confident that their products work. Try looking for a stretch mark lotion that includes a money back guarantee policy upon purchase. You are assured of top a quality product and actually have nothing to lose if it doesn’t perform as claimed.

Anyone can easily develop stretch marks. They can appear suddenly during puberty and pregnancy. However, they can be very emotionally scarring to a point that they affect a person’s quality of life considerably. Surgery is an option. However, it is risky and not to mention expensive. Everyone should be able to treat stretch marks without the risk or pain.

The first advice to treat stretch marks without surgery is to find some ingredients in your own kitchen that can help treat stretch marks. Yes, kitchen ingredients do have properties that help keep the skin healthy and young again-how do you think people in the past treated scars and wounds? They used plant derivatives that are potent enough yet safe to apply on the body. Stretch marks are actually a form of scarring. Help your skin rejuvenate by rubbing in powdered coffee onto affected areas. Use olive oil as your base. You may also use egg whites, rose hip oil and shea butter for that soothing effect.

Everyone has different types of stretch marks. If you’ve had yours for quite some time now, you may want to use powerful stretch mark creams. These can be applied 3 to 5 times a day depending on the potency and safety of the product. Good products that are both powerful and safe contain natural plant properties like grape seed extracts and Aloe Vera (for soothing effect). Massage affected areas with the cream in circulating movements to also improve blood flow on the spot. This helps “melt away” stretch marks.

Get a massage more often! Massaging your entire body helps improve blood circulation. When you have good blood circulation, nutrients will be able to reach your skin more effectively. Essential oils can really help rejuvenate the senses and remove tensions or stiff areas from the body.

Finally, eat foods rich in protein, zinc, silica, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E. Consuming foods rich in essential fatty acids like fish oils help maintain supple skin and therefore prevent stretch marks.

One of the most common skin problems experienced by men and women today is the stretch mark. Stretch marks can make a person extremely self-conscious and may therefore prompt that person to avoid social activities. Because stretch marks are so stubborn and could stay for life, some people just give up and not even try to treat them, when in fact they can be easily treated with the right applications.

When skin expands too quickly they tend to crack, tear and eventually scar. The scar produced is what we know as a stretch mark. Because skin tends to go through these unwanted changes when dry, doctors often advise to moisturize and hydrate. This means simply drinking enough water each day (around 8 to 10 glasses each day). You can also eat foods that can effectively hydrate your body, such as fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, you can apply moisturizers on affected areas like on your belly if your are pregnant or on your biceps/arm if you are weight lifting. There are creams that do “double action”-these creams contain both hydrating and potent properties that can help skin produce elastin and collagen (for flexibility) as well as sooth the skin.

Next, don’t wait until you’ve already gotten stretch marks before you start treating. You can avoid stretch marks so easily by making a few changes in your eating habits. You don’t have to starve yourself. Just add more fruits and vegetables in your diet. The volume in fruits and health benefits in vegetables will keep you filled and energized throughout the day. Making it a habit to eat these foods will naturally reduce the amount of fatty (bad fats) or sugary foods you eat each day. Make your meals interesting. Blast a delicious fruit smoothy for breakfast and eat more heart-healthy essential fatty acids with salmon, tuna or mackerel.

If you treat your stretch marks now as opposed to waiting it out, your chances of getting rid of them successfully are much higher. Surgery is an option, however, this is more often painful, risky and very expensive. The most affordable and effective way of getting rid of stretch marks is naturally. Some of the best options include scrubs, creams, and wraps. The only think you need to add is perseverance.

If you have stretch marks with darker lines, retin-A is known to help. This can be used effectively if your stretch marks have been around for less than a year. You may also use microdermabrasion kits, however, this stings a little bit for some people because of the abrasive method. Microdermabrasion home kits are less expensive than going for something like laser surgery. You can try it once, and if you don’t like it, you can also stop buying it. On the other hand, with laser surgery, there’s no going back-no reversing the risks or refunds. Scrubs of all kinds work in similar ways. They gently and gradually scrub off the top layers of the skin so that it appears smoother and more evened out in color. Scrubs can be used for stretch marks that have become raised or bumpy.

Wraps are another way of treating stretch marks without breaking the budget. You may use stretch mark patches or make one of your own at home. You can ground vitamin E capsules, mix the powder with Aloe Vera gel, olive oil or palm oil as the base and apply on the affected areas. Place plastic cling wrap over it to seal nutrients and make them work on the stretch marks.

If you can spend just a little bit more, buy natural stretch mark creams. They may cost a bit more than what you have in your kitchen, but they’re definitely the best products you can use to eliminate stretch marks. Good creams have a combination of ingredients that work in different ways. One ingredient may help skin produce more elastic and collagen to improve elasticity, and another may help soothe irritated skin.

Many of us have already heard about laser treatment for stretch marks. However, we may not be sure of how it actually works on our stretch marks. Therefore, we need to first get to know what stretch marks are and how they actually appear and stay in our skin. During pregnancy or puberty, our skin experiences a lot of pressure and stress applied to it because of rapid growth of the body (puberty) or belly (pregnancy). The skin tries to accommodate the rabidly growing areas of our body but unfortunately cannot always catch up. As a result, collagen tissue collapses and causes stretch marks. Stretch marks are actually forms of scarring. Since the skin is stretched over its limit, it is unable to properly repair parts of the skin that had been torn and broken down.

First, a dermatologist analyzes your skin’s condition and tells you if you can have the laser surgery. During a laser surgery, you’ll often be “numbed” so that the whole procedure will be painless. The laser used in the procedure will stimulate the production of depleted collage and remove a certain amount of skin tissue. Laser can “sculpt away” rough patches on the skin by “burning” them. Laser treatment therefore reduces the appearance of stretch marks rather than actually eliminate them entirely.

The next step is to have you revisit for another session. Laser treatment for the removal of stretch marks usually requires more than one session (sometimes up to 6 sessions) as the treatment cannot be done all at once. The laser works at gradually fading the stretch marks. Depending on how many stretch marks you have on your body, you may be asked to undergo more sessions.

Finally, you may be asked to apply ointments to help ease the side effects of laser treatment. Side effects include swelling, redness and blistering. You may feel a burning sensation, which is the reason why your dermatologist may prescribe certain medications.

The steps involved in laser removal of stretch marks are just few. However, laser treatment is generally risky. A much safer option are natural creams, because they are not as invasive and requires little time and money to invest.

Stretch marks make people extremely self-conscious and develop low self esteem. Not only that, stretch marks can also cause a lot of physical discomfort. Many people complain about itchiness that comes with stretch marks. But what exactly are the causes of itchy stretch marks?

Small raised red spots that develop on stretch marks and are itchy at the same time may be polymorphic eruption of pregnancy or PEP. PEP is basically a rash that could proliferate to other parts of the body like the breast, arms and thighs. It is known to be associated with the skin stretching, which usually occurs in women during pregnancy when there is rapid weight gain. The itchy sensation often goes away in about 7 days, however, it may not settle entirely until after childbirth. If the itchiness becomes almost unbearable, you may be prescribed with antihistamines or a steroid cream.

There are other causes of PEP (also known as PUPPP or pruritic urticarial papules and placques of pregnancy). PUPPP is also known to run in families, usually traced through the father’s side. Upon doctor’s go signal, you may use natural stretch mark creams to ease the severity of itchness and treat stretch marks at the same time. What’s great about natural stretch mark creams is that they contain both powerful and soothing properties like aloe vera.

A major cause of PUPPP aside from pregnancy is rapid weight gain. On average, people who have PUPP have more weight gain and babies that weigh more than usual. It is understandable that a rash can develop alongside stretch marks because stretch marks basically form over skin that has been overly stretched to its limits and become highly sensitive. The skin becomes stretched, dry, and inflexible, therefore becoming more prone to PUPPP. The results are itchy stretch marks with reddish bumps all over.

How do you reduce the chances of getting stretch marks naturally? Here are three kinds of food that work best with stretch mark prevention.

1. Fruits and Veggies
Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants. Free radicals naturally occur in the body, but more often than not, we have an excess of those. Free radicals can do cellular damage and make skin look bad and experience breakouts and scarring. Antioxidants fight against free radicals, and so help in effective skin repair.

2. Nuts, Grains, Fiber

Nuts and other grains like brown rice are rich in fiber. Fiber helps flush out toxins from the body. When you have a lot of toxins in the body, this results in clogged pores and generally bad skin. Stretch marks are actually types of scars. A scar forms as a result of skin trying to do some repair work but cannot do it properly.

3. Lean Protein

Lean protein can help us maintain a healthy weight. How so? Lean protein encourages a fuller feeling and therefore stops us from binging and gaining weight fast. Rapid weight gain is one of the main causes of stretch marks, so you can see here how lean protein can help us a lot. Good sources of lean protein include turkey, skinless chicken, egg whites and many types of fish.

All these kinds of food can help prevent stretch marks from developing or worsening. To get results faster, try to use a natural stretch mark cream. Good creams come with ingredients that come from nature as well: Aloe Vera, Grape Seed Extract, and Squalene Oil.

Stretch marks have been a huge problem for many people of different age groups and gender. There is a new treatment that has surfaced, which is laser treatment for stretch marks. This type of treatment aims at restoring the collagen in the skin so that it goes back to its natural appearance. However, there are lots of disadvantages to stretch mark laser treatment.

Downside 1: No Proof That It Works

First of all, there really is no clear evidence that laser treatment for stretch marks really works. Lasers are usually used to vaporize, take out or collapse tissues. As you can see, lasers cannot repair tissues, which stretch marks need. Stretch marks are obviously part of the skin. They are actually the skin trying to do proper repair work but failing at it. Therefore, stretch marks need to be repaired and not simply “taken out.”

Downside 2: Expensive

One laser treatment alone can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars. Laser for stretch marks requires more than one session. And if you experience side effects, you’ll have to spend even more just going for another doctor’s visit and buying medication to ease those side effects.

Downside 3: Takes A Lot Of Time

Not only is laser treatment expensive, it also takes a lot of your time. A single session can run for an hour. Since you’ll need more than one session, you’ll be spending hours in the clinic all in all.

Downside 4: Risky

Harsh side effects can easily happen because the procedure is naturally invasive. It is actually normal for skin to have a burning sensation, swell up and turn pinkish in color after each session. In worse case scenarios (which aren’t rare), there may be a permanent, brown discoloration.

In short, laser for stretch marks is risky, timely and costly. A safer route is to use natural stretch mark creams. These may not show immediate results, but can guarantee effectiveness and safety in the long run compared to laser treatment.

Stretch marks, although not a medical or health condition, are considered a major problem to many of us. These can be dark in color and very obvious. They may resemble crepe paper. No matter what anyone would say, these marks will never be a trend. Everything else will change, but good skin will always be in season. Of course, we all want to know how to lose those them, and how to lose them in as less time as possible.

There is no miracle cure for stretch marks. If a product claims to treat it overnight, then that is probably too good to be true. Even our skin needs a bit of time to repair itself when it is damaged. Stretch marks are actually scars on the skin. Scars are formed when the skin isn’t able to heal damaged areas properly. You can’t expect any treatment to get rid of stretch marks overnight. However, if you do use an effective method, you can expect results to show considerably in 4 weeks or less.

To lose it in 4 weeks or less you need to combine different methods. Doing so makes all methods work together to become more effective. First, apply a topical treatment designed for the purpose. If you haven’t tried using stretch mark creams, now is the right time. These creams are there to help heal, sooth and prevent stretch marks while you are doing other things to treat them. Creams are used in this manner because they are easy to apply and very convenient for everyday applications. Good creams are the natural ones with powerful and safe ingredients such as squalene oil and aloe vera.

As you’re applying cream everyday, do other methods to hasten results. Start eating more fruits, vegetables and grains to wash away toxins and introduce a pack of nutrients into your skin. Exercise consistently with a gradual increase in intensity to maintain a healthy weight and prevent rapid weight gain, which is one cause of stretch marks. Combine all these methods and you’ll see results in about 4 weeks!

So what can we do if we have stretch marks? Do we just lose hope altogether? Fortunately, there are now thousands of ways to cover up stretch marks. But which of those are both practical and effective? Many of us are just so busy. We’re busy working, studying, caring for the kids as well as busy worrying over our stretch marks. Believe it when you hear you can hide stretch marks on a day-to-day basis, because it is possible.

First, invest in a concealer or make-up product that is specifically designed to cover stretch marks and similar skin discolorations and conditions. Take note of the color of your stretch marks as well as your skin tone. If your marks are reddish or purplish, opt for a darker concealer while keeping in mind your skin tone. The key is to blend the marks with the rest of your skin. Dab a bit of concealer on affected areas in spots, then blend with your finger in patting motions. Pat and lightly sweep across the skin until the product is smoothened over. Apply in thin layers for the prefect blend. This could take just about a minute of your time!

Another option is by using a self-tanning spray. Self-tanners are great for evening out the color of stretch marks along with the rest of your skin. A fast way of using self-tanners is by taking a cotton wipe and spraying it with self-tanner. Apply immediately on the skin in circular motions. Spray the wipe again if it is losing its dampness. Apply in layers-if you want the tan darker, wait for the first layer to dry (in about 2 minutes), then apply again. Once you get used to this, the application can take just 5 minutes.

Smart ones will use a natural stretch mark cream at the same time to target the root problem, so that in the long run, you won’t have to try and hide your stretch marks ever again!