Causes of Stretch Marks & 8 Constructive Natural Ways to Reduce Them.
Perfections & imperfections are part of your skin. They add distinctive essence to your being; the colour of the skin, the texture of the skin, the number & place of moles on the body, etc. In the same way, stretch marks, on appearance, also become part of your body & your skin. They are very common and not harmful at all but have appearance different than the rest of the skin on the body. Having stretch marks is not a health issue and neither does it mean presence of any underlying health disorder.
What causes stretch marks to appear?
- Skin contains 3 layers, namely, Epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous tissue and stretch marks appear in the middle layer, that is, the dermis.
- When your skin undergoes rapid changes due to changes in the body, such sudden change in dermis of skin can cause it to crack which leads to the formation of bands of parallel marks that is commonly called “stretch marks”.
- Skin stretches quickly & collagen level changes and skin’s elastic tissues are damaged.
- Usually, the appearance of stretch marks is seen when: –
- You hit puberty,
- There is sudden weight gain or weight loss,
- Pregnancy.
While having stretch marks is completely normal, many people are not particularly fond of them. Flawless skin is desirable by everyone as it makes you feel good about yourself. This attribute has people searching for ways to get rid of stretch marks. In addition to this, mostly natural or home remedies are preferred to lighten the appearance of stretch marks effectively.
8 ways to lighten or reduce stretch marks naturally at home
When stretch marks start, they usually start as red purple lines and chances of treating them at this stage are higher since they are still in the raw state. Once they turn white what can be done. is opting for remedies to fade them or to lighten their appearance. Here are 8 ways to do so:-
1) Coconut Oil + Almond Oil in 1:1 proportion:-
Combine the two oils- coconut oil and almond oil in equal proportion & massage this combination of oils, in an effective manner, over the stretch marks.
Benefits of this remedy:-
- Lightens the image of stretch marks.
- Fat in coconut oil is compatible with the fat of your skin layer.
- Brings evenness on your skin.
- Both coconut oil & almond oil are natural healers.
- In addition to this, these oils help in moisturizing the skin.
Perks of Sugar, coconut & lemon Scrub in healing stretch marks: –
Combine the three ingredients – Sugar, coconut oil and lemon juice. Scrub this fusion of three ingredients onto your stretch marks in circular motion, to lighten them. Exfoliate your skin well for ten minutes. Follow this home remedy twice a week to reduce stretch marks.
Benefits of this home remedy:-
- Coconut oil heals the skin well & hydrates it.
- The texture of skin becomes even & stretch marks disappear with time.
Valuable properties of Aromatherapy in treating stretch marks:-
Take essential oils like lavender oil, Argon oil and Frankincense oil. Mix any of these three oils with one carrier oil like Coconut Oil, jojoba oil and massage well to heal skin & get rid of stretch marks.
Benefits of this natural remedy: –
- It improves skin elasticity
- Boosts collagen level
- Healing characteristics of essential oils work efficiently over the stretch marks to lighten their occurrence.
Attributes of Coco/Shea butter with olive oil:-
Take ¼ cup of Coco butter or Shea butter and to this add two measured tablespoons of olive oil or almond oil. Pour 1 teaspoon of honey to this mixture. Then, add 5 Vitamin E capsules and Squeeze out few drops of lemon juice into this fusion. Mix it well.
Benefits of this home remedy includes:-
- Contains antioxidants
- Moisturizes skin.
- When your skin feels dry and itchy, this remedy works constructively on skin on rubbing.
Aloe Vera Remedy for Stretch marks:-
Massage this gel on the affected part of your body and don’t bother it for 15-20 minutes. Then, wipe off. This natural healer works best when this remedy is followed on daily basis.
How Aloe vera reduces stretch marks:-
- The benefits of aloe Vera are uncountable & when it comes to treating stretch marks, this natural resource repairs damaged cells.
- This product shows the attribute of evening out the skin and lightens the image of bands of stretch marks on it.
Bio-oil:-
- A skincare product that aids in getting rid of stretch marks. It contains plant extracts and vitamins in oil based formulation.
- In its ingredient list, the first ingredient is mineral oil that acts as a great moisturizing agent.
- This product is clinically proven and dermatologically recommended.
- It works effectively on scars and stretch marks to lighten them.
Potato Juice as a cure to stretch marks:
Potato, as a vegetable, contains good amount of starch and skin lightening enzymes. The skin lightening enzymes of potato are used for clearing the visuals of dark circles, spots and blemishes. Applying Potato juice on stretch marks bleaches the skin and decreases their visibility.
Physical act of massaging: –
Using Vaseline or coconut oil as moisturizing and massaging agent, massage the affected area every single day for up to 5 to 10 minutes. Physical act of massaging can promote new tissue growth as well as the collagen in the underlying tissue. Massage in a gentle manner and in circular motion. In few months, a huge difference is observed.
DIY home remedies by Amanda Green, the author of the book, ‘Pregnancy stretch marks’.
- Coconut oil with strong coffee:- Take Half a cup of coconut oil and 3 teaspoons of strong coffee. Mix it up and apply this daily on your skin.
- Take 2 tablespoons of Wheat germ oil which is well known for its high vitamin E content. Add ¼ cup of aloe vera gel and ¼ cup of olive oil and mix all of them together. Refrigerate it overnight and apply twice a day on stretch marks.
- These remedies work perfectly well if you are consistent with them.
Apart from these natural home remedies, certain dietary changes are necessary to ensure nutritious supply to the body for perfect healing of the stretch marks. These foods play major role in repairing the damaged dermis of skin and restore elasticity to it.
Dietary recommendations to clear out stretch marks:-
- Utility of Vitamin A
- Foods which contain Vitamin A- carrot, broccoli, eggs, cheese, milk etc.
- Retinol helps to rebuild collagen.
- Vitamin A rich foods improve skin elasticity and texture.
- It decreases the appearance of fresh stretch marks.
- Intake of Green Leafy vegetables like spinach
- Intake of food sources that have vitamin E as a major constituent, like almonds, bell pepper, peanuts, pumpkin etc.
- Consume eatables that are the natural originators of Omega-3s, like flax seeds, fish, walnut, soybean
- Some collagen boosting foods include- meat, fish, egg white, kidney beans, soy products and black beans.
- Vitamin C helps in synthesizing collagen and Zinc helps collagen production by acting as a cofactor. For this purpose, consume citrus fruits like lemon, orange etc., nuts and seeds.
5 crucial Tips to prevent the appearance of stretch marks:-
- To prevent stretch marks, it is important to maintain weight in the healthy range.
- Working out for more than 3 days a week is the finest habit to avoid stretch marks on skin.
- Yoga is yet another method to keep your body flawless inside out. It improves blood circulation and reduces the incidence of stretch marks on the body.
- Moisturize your skin daily and take care of it well. There should be no negligence of skincare.
- Eating healthy and not going on random diets is important to avoid stretch marks.
Lastly, embrace your stretch marks while working on reducing them if you don’t find them desirable. Almost everybody has got stretch marks on their body and there is nothing to be insecure about having them. As I mentioned in the beginning, perfections and imperfections add distinctive essence to your being. Own it.