Preventing Those Ugly Stretch Marks
Stretch marks are always a hideous sight for everyone and lead to feelings of insecurity amongst many women. Just like any other scar or skin blemishes, stretch marks cannot be removed too easily. Therefore, it is a much better idea to avoid having stretch marks instead of trying to remove them after they have already set. Just like the old saying, even in this case, prevention is better than cure.
Stretch marks develop when the skin around any area stretches beyond its natural elasticity. When this happens, collagen is produced in that area of the skin in order to cope up with this stretch such as in the case of pregnancy.
When this area returns to the normal size, a purplish scar is formed that appears like a keloid. These stretch marks appear most often on the skin around tummy, hips and thighs, and in the abdomen after pregnancy. Besides pregnancy, stretch marks also appear on the skin of people who gain a lot of weight all of a sudden as well as people with non-elastic and dry skin.
Let us take a look at some of the ways that can help is preventing stretch mark formation as well as some common treatments available for the same.
Apply Moisturizers: People with extremely dry skin must apply moisturizer regularly on their skin to avoid stretch marks. When the skin is non-elastic, it produces excess collagen, leading to the formation of stretch marks. Shea butter is a great moisturizing treatment for this purpose.
Diet: Proper diet is important for a healthy body as well as a healthy skin. Proper hydration along with a healthy diet is the secret to a healthy glowing and elastic skin. Avoid diuretics and other harmful substances such as caffeine and smoking as much as possible. Consume a lot of fruits and vegetables rich in A, C and E to reverse the side effects of free radicals.
Exercise and Massage: Exercising regularly promotes blood circulation and is good for the overall skin health. This makes our skin healthier and supplier to avoid developing stretch marks. Massaging using essential oils can also be helpful to a great extent.
