If you ask mothers, which aspect of pregnancy and birth they despise, they will tell you it’s pregnancy stretch marks they hate the most. No matter how much they exercise to get back in shape, those ugly white scars remain on the body.
This problem is not exclusive to pregnant women, if you hit a sudden growth spurt or if you were obese and lost substantial weight, then these marks would appear as well.
What Are Stretch Marks?
These are visible lines that appear on the skin. Our skin consists of three layers, Epidermis the outer layer, Dermis the middle layer, and Hypodermic the deepest layer. These marks are created on the Dermis.
Our skin is elastic by nature and usually when it is stretched it gets back into its original position. But when due to pregnancy or growth spurt the skin is stretched rapidly, it fails to retain its original position and gets damaged.
This damage causes fine scars to appear just under the top layer of the skin. When these scars are new they are pink to red in color. But as time goes on they take a silvery color and become these marks.
They are mostly found around abdomen, thighs, hips, arms, buttocks, breasts and lower back generally.
It is not a disease nor do they affect you negatively in any way. But in simple terms, it makes you feel ugly, no matter how much tan you get, how much exercise you do to tone your body, those ugly marks will still remain perfectly clear and visible.
How To Remove Them?
Fear not as there are numerous treatments available for removing this condition. Some of them are tried and tested while some completely new; therefore, it is very difficult to decide which treatment is the best. Here are some popular stretch mark treatment methods and their risks and rewards.
Natural Oils
Nature has provided us the answer to all of our problems, all we have to do is find it. The following oils have been known to treat this problem.
- Castor Oil
Castor oil has been used in a number of treatments ranging from wrinkles to fine lines and pimples. Therefore it makes sense to use it as a treatment. But it is only effective on new marks which are still red in color.
- Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is a vital ingredient in most beauty creams. This is because aloe Vera is used in many skin problems. But again it is effective only on fresh marks.
- Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is naturally acidic in nature. Therefore, it is used to treat acne, pimples, scars and these marks. Apply it on skin in a circular motion for 10 minutes and rinse off with warm water.
Laser Treatment
With surgery becoming popular and more people turning to it for the slightest problem, it is no wonder laser surgery is available to treat this condition. This treatment seems overkill as stretch marks aren’t that dire a problem to need such an extreme treatment.
Laser treatment’s original purpose is to break up tissues, not help repair them. Therefore, to use laser for repairing skin is not an ideal solution.
Still this treatment is popular but what people don’t realize is that it has certain disadvantages.
- Laser Treatment is very costly and in majority of the cases not covered by your insurance.
- For medium to old scars, multiple treatments are required which can take as long as 5-6 months.
- Side effects are a serious possibility. Scarring and permanent discoloration are among the worst side effects.
- It can cause discomfort and temporary redness or blisters.
Creams
There are alternatives to laser treatment, which have a high chance of success, are fairly popular, and can give you quick results. Yes, we are talking about those removal creams you often saw on supermarket shelves but didn’t give much thought to them. When buying a cream for skin problems, many of us are just skeptic. And out skepticism is not without reason. How many times did you use a cream for something but it didn’t work? Probably countless times. But the reason why it didn’t work was because it wasn’t meant to work. If you research thoroughly and buy the best of creams, you will surely see results that will leave you spellbound. Yes, creams do work but not all.
But how do these creams work? First, because they have the right ingredients that are known and proven to work. Second, these ingredients are present in the right proportion to show quick and effective results. Third, these ingredients penetrate the skin layers and repair the damage, giving you a smooth and soft skin, free of any ugly marks.
The best thing about using creams is that these do not have any kind of side effects at all, that is, if you buy a good cream composed of only natural and safe ingredients. You have to use it topically only and there is no discomfort and no ugly side effects, which are associated with surgical treatments.
Another plus point about using a cream is that is preventative also. Since the appearance of these marks is actually foreseeable like after childbirth, you can start using it from the day your pregnancy test turns out positive. This way, you won’t get any ugly marks on your body.
If you are looking for the best removal cream, we recommend Celtrixa stretch mark cream, the best and the most affordable cream that is sure to work.
Conclusion
Creams offer the fastest solution at the least cost. While laser treatment is popular, it is quite costly and has chances of permanent side effects.