5 Best Affordable Ways to Get Rid of Stretch Marks

Do you feel uncomfortable wearing shorts or taking off your clothes because your stretch marks are easily noticeable? Although these scars are not going to have any adverse effect on your health but they sure make you feel insecure and self-conscious. So, it is understandable that you want to get rid of stretch marks in the shortest possible time. Before getting rid of them, you should know why you have them in the first place.

Stretch marks can be a result of anything from pregnancy to weight gain and building muscle mass too fast. When the skin is stretched too much, the supporting structure in the dermis which consists of collagen and elastin breaks down. This will make your skin less elastic. Stretch marks usually are red or purple in color in the initial stage. They will gradually fade to white or silver streaks on the skin.

You can opt for surgical methods to reduce the appearance of stretch marks. But what if you can’t afford it? Fortunately, there are several ways to make those ugly threads less noticeable without spending too much money.

1. Reduce Stretch Marks With Aloe Vera Gel

Aloe vera is a powerful moisturizer and healer of any skin problems including stretch marks. Just apply it daily and watch it work. It’s a little sticky but if you let it dry and infuse into your skin you’ll see your skin problems disappear.

It has been used for many skin problems throughout the ages by every native person where aloe vera grows. And it grows in a lot of countries. It has the ability to strengthen the skin tissue and promote healing of scars, stretch marks, and other skin blemishes.

In a study by Dr. Ivan E. Danhof, the foremost authority on aloe vera, found aloe helps the cells heal faster than normal. The dermis layer, where stretch marks occur, is the layer of skin in charge of making collagen. Collagen is the skin’s protein and aloe speeds up building collagen. That’s what helps heal your stretch marks.

When you apply aloe to your stretch marks it not only builds more collagen but it also adds needed moisture. One of aloe vera properties is an anti-inflammatory so you can use it on other swollen skin to help them heal plus other scars you might have. Dr. Danhof study showed how aloe adds moisture to the epidermis (outer layer) as it is absorbed into the dermis where the stretch marks are. It helps to heal the damaged skin by rebuilding the cells.

Used once a day you can see results in 6 to 8 months. Remember that stretch marks are a scar that needs to be healed and that takes time. Adding vitamin E with the aloe will rebuild the tissue on older scars. Patience is needed to heal stretch marks with aloe vera.

2. Protect Collagen And Elastin With Grape Seed Oil

Grape seed oil contains powerful antioxidant and is used to improve healthy skin in skin care products. The antioxidants protect collagen and elastin from the damaging effects of free radicals.

Grape seed oil contains OPC, Oligo proanthocyanidins, which is more effective than vitamin E and more effective than vitamin C. It also has all the essential fatty acids you need for regenerating new skin cells, making your stretch marks less obvious.

3. Reduce Appearance Of Stretch Marks With Argan Oil

A native of Morocco, the Argen tree produces an oil extracted from the trees fruit. It has been used for many generations for cooking, medicines, and cosmetics. It has more vitamin E than olive oil and is rich in the essential fatty acids the body requires. The fatty acids include oleic, linoleic, palmitic, and stearic which the body uses to regenerate tissue or the damaged skin of the stretch mark.

The properties of Argan oil help the body restore and regenerate back to its normal state. It also contains saponins. They are what helps the body restore the lipid layer of the skin and regenerate the skin where the stretch marks are. It helps rebuild the damaged skin.

4. Treating Stretch Marks With Retin-A

The use of Retin-A with Tretinoin has been shown to reduce the appearance of stretch marks. A study done by dermatologist shows these creams work but you have to get them from your doctor with a prescription.

Tretinoin, or Retin-A removes dead cells and releases the outer layer of skin. It’s a derivative of vitamin A; Tretinoin works better than vitamin A in its natural state. It penetrates the dermis as it thins the out layer of skin, plus your collagen level increases as it pumps up the area where the stretch marks are and diminishes the look of the stretch marks.

There is a danger if you use too much, so take the advice of your doctor on the right amount of Tretinoin to use. It may cause swelling and redness and sensitivity to sunlight as well as sting a little when you put it on.

Another side effect is thickening of the skin as your collagen level increases. Tretinoin is better used when the appearance of stretch marks show up rather than on older stretch marks. You should not use it if you’re pregnant or nursing. Don’t take more vitamin A when taking Tretinoin, more is not necessarily better.

5. Repair Stretch Marks With Protein

Adding more protein to your diet will help your body to produce more collagen because what causes the stretch marks is the lack of collagen and elastin in the skin. Protein will help build up the tissue to repair the stretch marks with the use of collagen. Add more lean meats, soy, tofu, nuts, and other protein rich foods to your diet. It will help build the collagen to repair the under lying skin damaged by stretch marks.

Whichever treatment you choose to get rid of your stretch marks will help but be sure to use them long enough to work. Your stretch marks are not going to disappear in a week and maybe not even in a couple of months. The body takes a little while to heal scars because it has to grow new skin but they can be healed. Practice your patience and use the treatment everyday and you will see an improvement.