Homemade Herbal Skin Care

Women who are pregnant are the targets of many scams and miraculous stretch mark skincare creams are the more common. Although a little Vitamin E can be nourishing for the skin, to expect that it will make all stretch marks disappear overnight is not reasonable. Irrespective of what is used, the skin will likely show scars of drastic stretching that occurs over a short time period. The degree of successful healing depends upon a person’s age, skin tone, heredity and diet.

Unfortunately, stretch marks are a fact of life for 90% of all women who are pregnant, usually revealing themselves by the end of the third trimester. Nevertheless, there are certain risk factors that may determine the severity of the scarring. In a mixed race study, 77.8% of those with darker complexions and 45% of those with lighter skin colors experienced maternity stretch marks. An additional study discovered that there was a genetic link with most stretch mark sufferers’ mothers also showing stretchmarks. Even more significant, though, was the finding that 81% of the women who reported post-pregnancy marks already had them before carrying their babies. As women age, they are less likely to develop these scars. Women who hydrate their skin are said to be less likely to get the marks too.

Although there are various so-called stretch mark removal treatment options on the market, most are at best only partially effective. The least invasive treatment is the use of stretch mark creams such as Tretinoin cream (Retin-A, Renova) that can assist with new stretching during maternity. These creams work by rebuilding collagen with the result of reducing stretch mark appearance. Also available for new marks is Pulsed Dye Laser Therapy or Fractional Photothermolysis, both of which use wavelengths of light to encourage collagen and elastin growth. For older marks, Microdermabrasion uses a handheld device to buff the skin surface with crystals, thus taking away skin cells from the top layer of skin to stimulate newer, more elastic skin growth. In addition, for older white marks, the Excimer laser endeavors to stimulate melanin production to reduce the appearance of the scars.

Currently, there is no guaranteed way of preventing stretch marks during pregnancy and there are no magic remedies either. While there are a number of products marketed toward reducing stretch marks, there is no scientific evidence that suggest they really work. Maintaining overall health is the best thing a person can do to keep an attractive look, by exercising, consuming a balanced diet, drinking eight glasses of water every day and applying a moisturizer cream on dry skin. Over time, these marks usually fade a little by themselves.

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