How to prevent stretch marks

How to prevent stretch marks!

We all hate scars! Well, some of our sweet, optimistic friends might not hate them because they may associate the scar with a memory they cherish. Some of us may welcome the scar and live with it. Whatever your personal reaction to a scar, just remember, scars may come, scars may go. As they say, "Time heals everything".

So, don't worry! Be happy and smile.

Congratulations to you if you do believe that prevention is better than cure, you are in just the right post to discover easy home remedies sans harsh chemicals that are safe on you.

Firstly, lets acknowledge the fact that each of us is unique. We have unique skin properties too! Although genetics influences us to a great degree, we are not a ditto of anyone in our history tree. What this means is that, if your parents had great skin, you may or may not be lucky to be blessed with great skin too. Likewise, if your mum had stretch marks, don't give up that you will also end up having stretch marks! You will never know until it happens, or doesn't happen!

As you may know that stretch marks happen, as the name suggests, due to the skin stretching itself due to underlying changes - you may have put on weight, or are losing weight. The skin is elastic but it has its limits too. Collagen sets these limits directly. Collagen cannot be artificially produced nor can we induce the body to produce more of it. It has its own mind.. and life too! Sigh!! As we get older, the collagen in the skin decreases.

But what you can do to help your skin's elasticity is stay hydrated - inside out. Drink plenty of water and juices so you stack up on the goody vitamins and minerals thereby helping the skin with the nutrients it likes.

Externally, you could apply moisturizers to hydrate the skin temporarily. These need to be re-applied couple of times a day depending on your skin type.

I use the following individually but you could combine them all up and store in a container if you prefer.

Coconut oil - it softens and heals dry skin. My favorite brand is Parachute Pure Coconut Oil. It is a very popular brand in South India, but you could order it in Amazon too.

Olive oil - absorbs into the skin beautifully and moisturizes it. My favorite brand is Napolina Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Aloe vera gel - heals itchy, red skin. Although not super hydrating, it calms the itchiness and redness down, especially if you have scratched your sensitive belly skin. I am using Vaseline Aloe Vera gel. It has a beautiful scent too and it feels so cool on the skin.

Vitamin E - the goddess of skin care, she blesses you with trouble free skin. It is full of antioxidants that fight free radicals which are constantly attacking the skin. I usually break up Vitamin E capsules and directly apply on my skin. Primrose oil is also a great source of vitamin E. Mix it with your favorite oil to preserve its goodness for longer. These capsules are easily available off the shelf in any drug store.

Sesame oil - she is often known as the queen of oils! Just use enough to massage into your skin as its aroma could be a bit too strong if you don't prefer it. I am using ASDA Sesame Oil.

Rosehip oil - now this is not my favorite because I don't find it either moisturizing or fragrant. It smells like dried guava tree twigs. Not at all rose like! But there are many out there who vouch for it, so I am just being hopeful that it does what is expected of it - reduce the appearance of scars. I am using Trilogy Rosehip Oil. Argh! Not loving it at the moment. But hey, it might just work on you!

Vaseline - dear ol' petroleum jelly. Wonderful friend. But if you do know like the idea of using a petroleum derivative on you, especially when you are expecting, don't be compelled to use it. When I use it, I don't feel the need to re-apply for the whole day! It's all that.

Last but not the least, I use an Ayurvedic oil and its very dear to me. Its called Franch Oil NH and easily available in South India. I found that it is available to buy on Amazon too. The fragrance is so relaxing, and I usually rub it on every night before bed time. Definitely a MUST TRY! I usually vary my day routine but my night routine is one and only Franch Oil! That is how much I love and trust it.

Image source: http://www.franchglobal.com/images/franch-oil-nh-plus1.jpg

I did not recommend, Cocoa Butter and Shea Butter, as I did not see any benefit out of using them. I then did a research on them and there is no proof that they help stretch marks. No wonder it didn't help me too. I tried Palmer's Cocoa Butter and Boots Extract Cocoa Shea Butter and Mango Shea Butter. The Palmer's was too waxy and it just sat on my skin like that, and did my skin no good as it would still be itchy and dry. It's really difficult to get out of the jar too because its so hard in composition. The Boots one was very buttery and would melt into the skin, but i discontinued it coz i can't stand strong scents anymore now.

Also be careful to not apply any Vitamin C based serums or creams as they are too strong on stretched and bruised skin. They could leave you feeling bee stung.

Lastly, no matter how itchy, do not scratch your skin, do not even rub strongly. You may think the itch will go away, but you are only tearing up your skin from the outside making the itch worse. By tearing the skin, you will only end up in scars. Immediately get some oil or moisturizer that works for you and go listen to your favorite music or do something that diverts your mind.

Hope this was useful for you! :) Please leave your questions and suggestions in comments below.

Ciao :*