Like it or not, most of the things we do or happen to us in our lives affect our skin. Getting older? You probably have wrinkles. Spending too much time in the sun? You probably have sun spots. Not keeping your skin clean? You probably your skin pores clogged. Okay, you get the picture. So what causes stretch marks?
Stretch marks can happen for a number of reasons, the most popular being pregnancy. However stretch marks might also occur in periods of rapid growth, weight gain, weight loss or during some medical conditions. In fact it can even occur during weight-lifting!
Another very unfortunate fact is that they tend to appear in places worshiped by many. Places like the breasts, thighs, hips and buttocks are among the sexiest parts of the human body. And in the summer, when most cloths are off, it really sucks to have something as ugly and detrimental to your confidence as stretch marks.
What Is The Reason for Stretch Marks
Unlike most people think, the main reason for stretch marks is not the skin being stretched too much (although it is also a big reason). The number one reason is the secretion of a hormone called glucocorticoid during some events of our lives (pregnancy for example). What this hormone does is to prevent the collagen and elastin fibroblasts that the skin need to be healthy and tight.
Losing those supportive proteins has a terrible effect on your skin, causing a separation in the deeper layers, resulting in red striations that turn into the notorious stretch marks.
Fortunately there are treatments that can prevent stretch marks from forming, and also reduce the ones that are already formed
Let us review a few of the most popular stretch mark treatments.
One of the most popular ways to treat stretch marks is by surgery. This form of treatment includes chemical peels, laser surgery and dermabrasion.
• Chemical peeling is the process of removing the top layers of skin with the use of strong chemicals. It takes several months to over a year of consistent treatment. Most often this results in a fade of the stretch marks
• Laser surgery is done by having a ray of light go in to the skin dermis and interrupt the particles of the scar tissue. This will cause the tissue to degenerate and fade away and in time to be replaced by healthy tissue. Normally every session of this costs between $400-$1500.
• Dermabrasion works by having a device put crystals on your skin, than the area is polished with the use of a wand. This should make your skin smoother and fade your stretch marks. However, this sort of treatment can lead to uneven changes in skin color, infection and the formation of scars.
As you can see the results of these treatments can vary, can be costly and can cause some side effects. Unfortunately these treatments are rarely covered by insurance plans.
You can also try preventing and reducing stretch marks with a healthy diet containing lots of vitamin A, C, zinc and protein. Also make sure you get enough healthy fats from nuts and fish. These are foods that your skin loves and will be a benefit for your skin’s health.
Another solution is the use of creams. I personally am a fan of the natural creams that have all the right ingredients for a healthy, side effect free and successful treatment of stretch marks. The product I would recommend to all of my friends and readers is Skinception Intensive Stretch Mark Therapy
Let me tell you why I believe in this exact product.
Recent clinical studies show that 13 women, with stretch marks caused by pregnancy, who applied a 2% concentration of Regestril ( an active ingredient in Skinception) on the stretched areas showed an amazing 72.5% reduction in the depth of the stretch marks and a 52% reduction in their length! Although this is a good enough reason, there is more.
Another ingredient in the product is, Pro-Coll-One+, stimulated the production of collagen by more than 1100% when applied in a 2% concentration in a 56 day separate study. 78% per cent of study participants showed a remarkable improvement in skin smoothness, which improved by up to 10%.
All of those and a few more factors convinced me that this might actually be the best stretch mark treatment out there.