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[H1664]How To Stretch Marks

by Ee Ling Tan, Ee

The skin is known as the largest organ in the body. Because it functions as a barrier to protect the body from harmful elements, it can be very prone to stress. These stresses can be seen as discolorations and blemishes on the skin. At times, even one's health choices can affect the condition of the skin, causing problems that become apparent over time. And one such skin problem that many people share are the dreaded stretch marks.

What are the causes of stretch marks? One of the properties of skin is its elasticity, which can be affected as one ages. Following pregnancy or weight loss, when the skin is stretched to the limit, it does not immediately resume its normal firmness. This leads to pinkish or reddish stretch marks, or striae, across the skin. In some cases, stretch marks have a whitish streak across. These forms of scarring on the skin's surface are caused by hormonal changes, which in turn affect the way the skin produces proteins to maintain its firmness.

Stretch marks are said to be normal amongst pregnant women, as majority of cases have shown. Pregnant women are more prone to this skin problem because of their weight gain throughout their term. The occurrence of stretch marks is also associated with the changing hormonal levels in an expectant woman's body. These types of scarring can be most seen across the abdominal area, on the buttocks, thighs, and the arms.

Men are also prone to having stretch marks, especially after dieting or losing a lot of weight. Other sources explain that certain types of food, such as those rich in caffeine, heighten the skin's susceptibility to having stretch marks. Needless to say, this skin problem has become very common. Fortunately enough, there are now many methods available to help deal with these skin issues.

If you would consult a dermatologist about your stretch marks, some of the treatments that you can get involve dermabrasion, chemical peeling, and even laser skin resurfacing. With dermabrasion and chemical peeling, the topmost layer of the skin is removed, encouraging skin cells to produce more of the protein collagen, which makes it firm. A more novel method is laser skin resurfacing, which stimulates skin cells beneath the epidermis to produce more of the needed protein. These methods have also been used in correcting other skin problems such as wrinkles, age spots, and blemishes.

However, if you are not fancy about going to a clinic for treatment of stretch marks, there are things that you can do at home. It is a good thing there are now many lotions and creams available that contain active ingredients to increase the firmness of the skin. Some of these ingredients are elastin, collagen, and even tretinoin, a form of Vitamin A.

It is also important to have better choices when it comes to health, as these can greatly favor the good condition of your skin. Examples of these good habits include eating well, drinking lots of water, and having adequate exercise.

Unsightly pink or white stretch marks abound in body areas such as the abdomen, breasts, legs, and buttocks of pregnant women and people who have slimmed down or gained weight drastically. What are the causes of stretch marks, you may ask? Various factors contribute to the appearance of stretch marks:

1.Pregnancy or sudden loss or gain of weight

2.Natural growth because of adolescence

3.Depression

4.Nutrition deficiency

5.Sudden change in environmental or physical conditions

After learning the root cause of why these annoying lines suddenly have shows up, you might be contemplating on how to get rid or at least prevent them, right?

Ever considered surgery? You think it's too bloody or painful, for you? How about drinking medications that are supposed to combat the appearance of stretch marks? How about VITAMINS? Do you know what vitamins are known to avoid the ugly stretch marks from lining one's skin? Here are three of the most popular anti-stretch mark vitamins:

Vitamin E (Tocopherol)

Vitamin E is an antioxidant which is believed to encourage skin healing and scar reduction.

People with post-operation stretch marks attest to the fact that Vitamin E oil capsules can help in making their stretch marks fade away. Vitamin E is also a common key ingredient to lotion and creams that are said to fight stretch marks. Its anti-inflammatory effect is theoretically known to attribute to its effect in working against aggravation of stretch marks.

If you prefer eating natural source of Vitamin E, foods that have it include:

Sunflower seeds
Nuts
Seabuckthorn berries
Whole grains
Green leafy vegetables
Peanut butter
Fish

Vitamin A (Retinol)

Vitamin is known for its effect on the growth of teeth and bones, correct functioning of epithelial cells, night vision, and reproduction. Vitamin A is also regarded as one of the best vitamins guarding the skin.

The derivatives of this vitamin are known as anti-aging substances that are easily absorbed thru the skin. This elevates the turnover of the skin and temporarily boosts collagen production, which in turn produces a youthful appearance for the skin.

Natural sources of vitamin A include spinach, carrots, kale, sweet potatoes, apricots, mango, liver, broccoli, eggs, sweet pepper, winter squash etc.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

Vitamin C is another antioxidant that aids in collagen production in connective tissues. It is also important in the synthesis of hormones and theoretically helps in going against cancer and in skin health and repair.

Its natural sources include papaya, lemon, melon, raspberry, cauliflower, strawberry, grapefruit, orange, passion fruit, cabbage, cucumber, mother's and cow's milk, goats, etc.

Vitamins A, C, and E are believed to be the best vitamins to fight stretch marks' appearance. However, they can't get rid or prevent stretch marks all by themselves. They are only supplements that help in making such endeavor possible. A sensible diet, regular exercise and avoiding losing and gaining weight drastically is still required to fully wage war against those unsightly skin problems known as stretch marks.

They are often included as ingredients in lotions, creams and oils to augment one's regular skin maintenance. This is because according to studies, vitamins can't easily penetrate the deeper parts of the skin to repair stretch marks. Vehicles like other plant and animal oils are believed to help in making that goal possible.

Article Source : Rid Of Stretch Marks

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Both Ee Ling Tan & Low Jeremy are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Ee Ling Tan has sinced written about articles on various topics from Stretch Marks, Energy Healing and Stretch Marks. Want to know more about prevention and the. Ee Ling Tan's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.

Low Jeremy has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Management, Computers and The Internet and Elder Care. This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included. For more information on stretch marks prevention, please visit. Low Jeremy's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.