10 Tricks Women Use to Get Rid of Stretch Marks

Rapid weight gain can easily cause stretch marks, as well as pregnancy. Both men and women can suffer from the appearance of stretched skin. Have no fear. If you were not able to take preventative measures to protect your skin against stretch marks, you can do a few things to help reduce the appearance of them and help heal your skin.

While I don't normally recommend prescription products, Retin-A has been shown to help reduce the appearance of new stretch marks. You will need to talk to a dermatologist about your stretch marks and you cannot be pregnant or nursing while using it because it can cause birth defects. For those of us with older stretch marks, Retin-A provides little to no skin improvement.

For an over-the-counter remedy for stretch marks, check out products containing glycolic acid. Cream can be purchased containing 10 percent glycol acid and it can be used on your stretch marks to help reduce their appearance. It is believed that glycol acid increases collagen production and can make your skin more elastic. You can use this treatment while you are pregnant, but you will need to stay out of the sun when using it. For a higher percentage of glycol acid, you will need to get a prescription from a dermatologist.

It is amazing how increasing your daily intake of certain vitamins can improve your health and appearance. Vitamin C, one of the most common vitamin supplements, may help reduce the appearance of stretch marks. One dermatologist suggests taking a daily dose of 500 mg. Since an orange only has about 51 mg of vitamin C, you're best bet is to take a supplement (unless you seriously want to eat ten oranges a day).

I have heard a lot of mixed results for laser treatment on stretch marks, but it is something to consider if you want a fast remedy for your skin. For new, reddish stretch marks, you can opt to get vascular laser treatments. The procedure is expensive, doesn't work as well for women with darker skin, and requires three or more sessions. For older, silver stretch marks, there is laser resurfacing. The downside is that this procedure is more expensive than vascular laser treatment and it can cause scarring. If that sounds too expensive and risky, check out the natural stretch mark treatments below.

When I was young, I remember my older sister always applying cocoa butter onto her stretch marks to help get rid of them. Recent studies have show that cocoa butter does not reduce the appearance of stretch marks. Instead, try castor oil. Castor oil can still be found in many health food stores and it is used to treat a number of skin problems. To treat stretch marks, massage the oil into the affected areas for 10 minutes. Cover the areas with a thin towel and apply a hot water bottle on top for 30 minutes. Do this daily until your stretch marks start to lessen.

The minerals and vitamins found in potatoes is believed to help restore skin cells. To take advantage of the restorative powers, wash a small potato and cut it into thick slices. Rub the potato juice onto your stretch mark and allow the juice to dry on your skin. Rinse your skin off with warm water and moisturize.

I buy a lot of natural oils to test out on my skin because I don't use lotions or face cream. One of my latest purchases included a small glass container of rose hip oil. Rosehips are harvest from rose bushes and the oil extracted from them are incredible. Easily absorbed into the skin, the oil is known to reduce the appearance of scars and wrinkles. It can be used to prevent stretch marks and reduce their appearance.

Coconut oil is a growing popular choice for preventing and treating stretch marks. Like rosehip oil, coconut oil is quickly and easily absorbed into the skin, allowing for deep moisturizing effects. While it is recommended that women use coconut oil on their bellies, thighs, and breasts during pregnancy to help prevent stretch marks, the oil can provide positive results after the fact by strengthening cell walls and fighting free radicals. Just apply the coconut oil to your skin two times a day. Gently massage it into the stretch marks and leave it on as you would any other body lotion.

Always keep an aloe vera plant, or several, growing in your home because of all the health benefits the aloe juice can provide you with. While the juice is commonly used for burns, including sunburn, the juice can also be used on stretch marks. Using it is simple. If you have an aloe plant, simply break off a leave, cut it open, and scrape out the gel. If you don't have a plant, you can buy aloe vera juice in nearly all health food stores. Apply the aloe juice to your stretch marks and either leave it on your skin or leave it on for 15 minutes, rinse, and moisturize.

I keep seeing it mentioned and women are commenting that it worked for them: Vaseline or, its common name, petroleum jelly. For decades, petroleum jelly has been used to treat numerous things although the stuff is a refined by-product of oil drilling. For stretch marks, men and women massage the jelly into the affected areas once a day. Many claim that the stretch marks quickly disappear or lesson with the treatment.