How to eliminate stretchmarks? This is a question commonly asked by women all over the world, but at the moment, there is no 100% definite cure yet. Before you think about undergoing a surgical procedure, there are things that you could do to fade or to improve the marks. Don’t despair!! In this blog, I will share how I combat my marks, you could try them all, as most of them are home remedies that you could do by yourself. Some of them sound ridiculous, but it’s worth a try, i tell ya.
1) Creams
A lot of people claim Cocoa butter work, but for me, creams usually do not penetrate deep into the dermis (the middle layer of the skin where stretchmarks occur). Some creams though are specially formulated to repair collagen and elastin growth in your skin. Creams like Trilastin, Retin A, Copper Peptide creams aim to rebuild the structure and rejuvenate your skin layers. Whether they’re effective, I personally have not tried it yet. I currently use a Green tea Cream with Ginseng, I use it to keep my skin moisturised and hopefully prevent new stretchmarks from forming.
2) Oils
If you do your research, you’ll realise that there’re a lot of recommendations out there to use oils to help improve the marks. Some of the oils suggested are Rosehip Oil, Flaxseed Oil, Vitamin E Oil, BIO-Oil and Emu Oil. I’ve try some of them, and I would highly recommend Emu Oil. It is a little bit expensive, but you only need a little at one time. It smells a little bit funny, but research shows that emu oil can reach deep into the skin layers and I found that by using a little bit of emu oil in my routine, it helps promote elasticity in my skin.
3) Exfoliation
Constant exfoliating helps to rejuvenate your skin. Use a dry brush where you can get from most chemists, or an exfoliating massaging tool. Alternatively, the cheapest way is to get a pair of exfoliating gloves, the bodyshop is great value.
4) Acids
Acids help remove the upper layers of the skin, i.e the epidermis. This, combined with some of the above methods may help, but using acid is dangerous and one should always ensure that this procedure done at home is safe by keeping within the limits of the recommended strengths. One type of acid is Glycolic Acid, which many have claimed have helped improve their stretchmarks. You should always start with a lower strength,and gradually move up to a higher concentration. Do plenty of research on acids, it is important to know if they’re buffered or unbuffered before you purchase them, always do a patch-test. The effectiveness depends on how your skin react, and also whether it is a good quality acid.
TCA on the other hand is NOT recommended for use at home. Some have suffered hyperpigmentation problems, and others develop rash and burns.
5) Surgery
There are a lot of surgical procedures that could definitely improve stretchmarks. Some people say Fraxel or a tummy tuck could help remove stretchmarks. In my opinion, you should definitely try the acids, oil, exfo methods before you consider investing that huge sum of money into a surgical procedure that is not guaranteed.
The point is : Dont’ despair. Work hard, Commit to a routine, the important thing is to be consistent. I’ve committed myself to a routine for over 9 months now, and it has worked wonders for me. Some of them are gone, while others are fading gradually. Any questions, do email me!!