How To Get Rid Of Stretch Marks

Pregnant women often have to deal with stretch marks which are on account of their abdomen swelling up from the pregnancy. Often these stretch marks start out as red or pink streaks which fade away in time or turn into white scared tissue. But if handled correctly, women need not any longer put up with permanent stretch marks but take care to ensure that they fade away completely.

How are stretch marks caused?

Stretch marks are caused by the abdomen and the rest of your body expanding with an increase in cortisone production, as you head into your first, second and third trimesters. As your body expands to accommodate your baby, you start developing stretch marks all over your body, from the soles of your feet to your arms, abdomen, and legs to your buttocks.

Stretch marks, when do they appear

Stretch marks usually appear after three months or the first trimester – at times, they can appear earlier and often appear as a rash or a line on the skin. This is mainly on account of your genetic makeup, as some women are prone to develop stretch marks a lot earlier during the course of their pregnancy.

How to prevent stretch marks?

It is not possible to prevent stretch marks since they are your body’s natural way of adjusting to increased hormones, with your body gaining nearly thirty to thirty-five pounds, during the course of your pregnancy. But there are a few things you can do to keep the stretch marks to a minimum and ensure that they fade away post-pregnancy.

Eat nutrient-rich food

Eat nutrient-rich food especially one that’s rich in antioxidants, Vitamin A and Omega 3. The diet apart from nourishing your skin happens to be just what your baby needs, so try eating a well-balanced diet, with avocados, strawberries, spinach, broccoli, Potatoes, Walnuts, Fish, etc. The diet should help increase the elasticity of your skin, thus keeping the stretch marks to a minimum.

Drink Plenty of Water

Apart from a nutrient-packed diet, you need to ensure that you stay well hydrated at all times. With increased hydration, your skin would stay supple and it should rebound from any additional stress caused by additional weight gain, during the course of your pregnancy.

Kegel exercises

Try working out during the course of your pregnancy with Kegels, stretches, and yoga. The workout should help in keeping your body supple while preventing you from gaining too much weight during the course of your pregnancy. As a would-be mother, the Kegels and other workouts should help you adjust to your growing body and keep those stretch marks to a minimum.

              Remedies For  How To Remove stretch marks

Here’re a few known remedies for causing those stretch marks to disappear or fade away. Tretinoin cream restores collagen, which should help in restoring your skin and cause those stretch marks to fade away. Or you can try a homemade remedy and massage your abdomen as it expands during your pregnancy, with olive oil and other skin nourishing creams; it should help in preventing stretch marks from forming. Once you have given birth, you need to consult with your doctor to find out which option is best for you for removing these marks – you can always opt for pulsed dye laser therapy or Microdermabrasion.

      Homemade remedies for fighting stretch marks:

Here are a few homemade remedies you can use to help fight those stretch marks.

Aloe vera Cream or Gel

Rub the aloe vera cream over your abdomen, or mix aloe vera gel and olive oil. Now, take the mixture and gently rub over your abdomen in a circular motion for a few minutes. Leave it on overnight and wash it off in the morning and gently massage your ski again. In time, this should help those stretch marks to fade away while keeping your skin supple and well hydrated. You can also try cocoa butter or shea butter instead of aloe vera.

Sugar    

Try this out to get rid of the stretch marks in under a month; sugar is very effective in exfoliating your skin. Take some sugar, almond oil and lemon juice and apply the same to the affected area, leave it on for a few minutes and then wash it off. Repeat the process and your stretch marks should fade away in four weeks or so.

Castor Oil

Castor oil is often used to treat various skin conditions; apply some castor oil to the affected area, gently massage the area and remove the excess oil with a cotton wipe.

After fifteen minutes wrap a light cotton towel around the stretch mark and apply some heat using a hot water bottle. Within a few days, you should start seeing some positive results.