Stretch marks are a very common skin blemish affecting a huge number of people, both men and women. Women are the most susceptible to this form of scarring as pregnancy is the number one cause of stretch marks, and for generations both women and men have been searching for a way to get rid of stretch marks.

So are you noticing stretch marks for the first time? Or have you been putting up with those ugly silver lines for some time now? Either way, there is bound to be just one question on your mind - how do you get rid of stretch marks? Unfortunately, for most people there is no definitive answer to the question of how to get rid of stretch marks. Despite what you may read or hear, for most people the sad truth is you cannot get rid of stretch marks completely. The good news is you can certainly reduce their appearance drastically, often to the point where they are barely noticeable.

Stretch marks, or Striae Distensae as they are known in the dermatology world, are cause by rapid stretching of the skin, which occurs too quickly for the collagen in the skin to repair itself properly. This rapid stretching causes the tiny fibers in the skin to tear, leaving behind a purple indented scar that is a much different texture to the surrounding skin. This scar will eventually fade into the streaky silver lines we are all so familiar with. The stretching is usually caused by fluctuations in weight or body shape, which is why the most common sufferers of stretch marks are pregnant women or those undergoing body changes such as losing or gaining a large amount of weight.

Due to the nature of this sort of scarring, solutions like laser surgery and other surgical solutions are rarely successful, despite the claims to the contrary. This is because these methods treat the outer layer of skin, and not the deeper layers where the collagen resides. In addition to this, these methods are expensive, painful, and can even cause worse scarring than you might have had before. Sometimes these methods can be successful for those with very small areas of scarring and when the scars are very fresh, and this demographic unfortunately excludes most sufferers looking for solutions on how to get rid of stretch marks.

With this in mind, the only real way to reduce the appearance of stretch mark scarring is to help the skin repair itself, by boosting the production of collagen. The best way to boost collagen production is through an effective topical treatment. If you are suspicious at this point, you have every right to be, as the cosmetics industry has a checkered past in dealing with stretch marks (mainly due to marketing ineffective moisturizers as stretch mark cures) but to their credit due to a surge in real research and development in this area, the industry has recently come up with some very effective products for helping repair stretch marks.

Products containing collagen or elastin can help boost the collagen levels in your skin, as can natural ingredients squaline oil and aloe vera. Treatments containing Vitamins E, A and D3 can also help boost collagen and reduce the appearance of scarring. There is also much talk circulating and some very convincing research being done on emu oil, so this is another ingredient you may see turning up in stretch mark products in the near future.

So when looking to get rid of stretch marks, look out for products containing the above ingredients.