Most of us got stretch marks during puberty, rapid weight loss/gain, or pregnancy. And though everyone has them, we still find them quite embarrassing and unsightly on ourselves.
I’ll be honest, I have stretch marks on my stomach since my teens, and got more during pregnancy. Though I think other people’s stretch marks are cute, I absolutely HATE mine!
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Most stretch marks heal and fade to the point where they are barely detectable. However, there are always those pesky ones in obvious places that we are just too insecure to show.
I’ve come across a few things that have helped me reduce the look of my marks. They’re still there, but the wrinkliness is gone and probably not that noticeable to other people. (I just make a big deal out of them!)
Exfoliate the stretch marks
What exfoliation is, is basically scrubbing away dead skin to reveal new skin. This is crucial because this will optimize the effect of any treatments that you apply on the skin afterwards. You will also notice that after exfoliation, your skin will have a smoother texture, which also helps in masking the stretch marks.
Dry Brushing
A beneficial way to exfoliate is dry brushing. It not only helps with improving skin texture and tone, but it stimulates blood circulation and helps eliminate toxins from your organs!
Keep your skin moisturized
Dry skin can make all imperfections look even worse. The skin is more prone to looking crepey, and it brings out all of the bumps and grooves in skin. Keeping the stretch marked area well moisturized with something like cocoa butter will help the skin maintain a healthy and plump look. There are natural stretch mark oils that not only help moisturize your skin, but also have ingredients that help with reducing the look of your marks.
Lemons!
Lemons are known for their exfoliating properties. All you have to do is take a slice of lemon, and rub it in the desired area. ACTUALLY, a better idea is to follow my microdermabrasion recipe and rub it onto your desired areas. Rinse off after 15-20 minsutes. Make sure to apply a moisturizing cream after.
Drink lots of water
If your body is dehydrated, your skin will definitely take a hit for it. Drinking enough water helps keep your skin more elastic and less prone to more stretch marks, and we just can’t risk getting new stretch marks if we are trying to get rid of your old ones!
Use products that stimulate collagen production
Like I already mentioned, it is important to get rid of the dead skin, and to reveal the fresh, new skin that is hiding underneath. As we age, collagen production slows down, and causes our skin to wrinkle and give it that “aged” look. Luckily, there are products that help stimulate collagen production and/or add collagen into our system. We can do this topically, or internally with supplements.
By stimulating collagen production in the areas with stretch marks, you can reduce the look of them by smoothing out their appearance.
Now, I don’t think there’s anything that guarantees that it’ll get rid of your stretch marks completely, except for maybe surgery, but these tips should help.
And remember, the stretch marks probably don’t bother anyone else as much as they do to ourselves 🙂