Hate Stretch Marks

Stretch marks can be quite frustrating for the people who have them, especially if they happen to be image-conscious. Are you one of the many people who are plagued with this kind of skin problem? If you are, then you must be wondering how to go on with removing stretch marks, which appear like unsightly blemishes on your skin.

Whether you only have a few of them on your stomach area or have lots of them in several areas of your body, removing stretch marks would be a top body-conscious priority. Because these marks result from hurt collagen and the body’s own stress-relief action, it is quite hard to reduce their apparent appearance. Though some marks will truly disappear over time, some will stubbornly remain. So how are these frustrating blemishes removed?

There are several ways of removing stretch marks. They range from natural, laser, and surgical stretch mark removal. Let’s take a look at each one carefully so that you can weigh your options carefully:

First off, there’s the natural way of removing stretch marks. By natural, I mean through the use of creams, lotions, and diet combined with physical exercise to help repair the hurt skin.

What are some benefits of using natural remedies, you question? Well for one thing, they are more affordable. They are also painless and effective in preventing and removing stretch marks, with a money-back guarantee on most products. And lastly, most of them can be done and applied in the security of your own homes. But, many users have found that these natural remedies don’t often work with older, well-developed marks.

Okay, so let’s take a look on what these products are and how they can reduce the appearance of stretch marks through their ingredients and chemical content. Here are some of the products that have been used effectively in removing stretch marks, or at least, in reducing its appearance:

Vitamin E oil – This well loved oil has been used for reducing the appearance of stretch marks. This is especially effective if the stretch marks are relatively new. But, older stretch marks will understandably take a longer time to fade. Using Vitamin E oil works well if applied daily after baths. Most of the products that are used in reducing and removing stretch marks have Vitamin E as one of their active ingredients.

Retin-A cream – Creams that contain the active ingredient of Retin-A are used in newer marks to decrease the redness in them and to prevent prominent scarring. But it must be emphasized that Retin-A mostly works for those marks which are typically less than a year ancient and appear to be red and pink in color.

Retinoids – These products are moderately effective in the increase of collagen and production of elastic in the early stages, and are more effective when used with glycolic acid. But, pregnant and nursing women should avoid products containing this ingredient.

Again, these natural treatments for removing stretch marks mostly work only on new marks, and are largely ineffective in removing older ones. Be careful in choosing products, especially if they appear too affordable, because many in the market today have no reliable testimonies as to their efficiency.

Let’s go onto the next option, which is through Laser treatment. Understandably, this treatment option in removing stretch marks is more expensive compared to the natural remedies. This technique is considerably new. It started its popularity in 2002 when a procedure similar to LASIK eye surgery was employed. Laser stretch mark removal gives patients younger and healthier-looking skin, without scarring because it really removes the layers of skin that are scarred.

Here’s a quick look at the different kinds of laser treatments available:

Vascular lasers – This type of laser treatment are effective on the reddish appearance of stretch marks by treating the blood vessels, and not targeting the skin itself.

Pulsed Eye laser – This treatment prompts the production of elastin and collagen and works effectively on new marks, and some of the older ones. The light coming form the beam heats up the blood vessels, which causes them to collapse, which then reduces the color yet doesn’t affect texture.

Fractional Photothermolysis – This method targets the small, dot-like areas affected by stretch marks, and not the entire area itself. It targets the underlying layers of the skin.

Excimer Laser – This laser treatment uses a different approach because it sets off the production of melanin, causing the area with stretch marks to take on the same color as the surrounding skin. This is highly effective for older marks, and is in fact, designed for treating older and well-developed stretch marks.

If none of these treatments are your cups of tea, then you may very well opt for the only stretch marks removal option, which ensures complete and permanent results. Surgical stretch marks removal, unlike the first two, fully removes stretch marks. The tummy tuck, formally known as abdominoplasty, is the only effective surgical procedure that is effective in removing stretch marks. This tightens the abdominal muscles and then removes the excess skin.