Stretch marks: they’re something most of us fear getting, and if we ever do, are highly conscious about.
There’s really no need to be ashamed – stretch marks are completely natural, and will happen to most of us at some point during the course of our lives.
However, if you’re really struggling to live with them, there are ways to get rid of stretch marks fast, both through procedures and with natural remedies.
1. How to fade stretch marks using coconut oil
If you follow our blog regularly, you’ll know what advocates we are of coconut oil.
Coconut oil has some incredible properties, including its ability to moisturise deeply and quickly, and also help to heal skin.
When applied directly to stretch marks twice a day, you can expect to see a drastic improvement in their appearance – they should become less prominent in both colour and size.
Not only can coconut help to fade stretch marks, but it can also help to prevent them. Soft, supple skin is less likely to tear than taut, tight areas, so keeping it well moisturised is essential.
2. Vitamin A
Vitamin A is recommended for naturally treating many things, including acne, and stretch marks.
Vitamin A is a retinoid and can help improve skin health, thereby making it appear more youthful, smoother and generally healthier. This can be beneficial to stretch marks, both to help the torn skin heal and improve the appearance of surface marks.
Vitamin A can be bought and used topically, and orally. Including more Vitamin A rich foods in your diet, such as carrots and sweet potatoes, may also help.
3. Sugar
There aren’t many things that have been clinically proven to make stretch marks disappear, but microdermabrasion is one of them. Microdermabrasion is a cosmetic procedure similar to a scrub, but slightly more compex. It uses extremely fine crystals and also a vacuum to remove dead skin and improve the appearance of the skin.
Microdermabrasion can be pretty expensive, but luckily, there’s another, more pocket-friendly home remedy you could try.
Using sugar as a scrub on affected areas will act in a similar way, stimulating blood flow and also exfoliating the skin to remove dead cells and allow the new ones to show through. Additionally, sugar is a natural humectant, meaning it will attract and lock in moisture leaving the skin supple and looking plumper.
Most of us have a bag of sugar in the kitchen, so there’s really nothing to lose by trying out this method.
Mix 1 cup sugar with an oil such as olive, or coconut, before and scrub directly onto the affected areas in small, circular motions. You’ll need to give your skin a really good scrub to get rid of stretch marks, so rub away for 8-10 minutes if possible.
4. Aloe vera for stretch marks
Aloe vera is another ingredient we hear a lot about. It’s frequently featured in home remedies of all kinds, and treating stretch marks is another one of them.
Despite aloe vera’s high water content, it is full of enzymes, vitamin, minerals and fatty acids that make it a wonderful skin and wound healer. When applied directly to stretch marks, it will penetrate deeply into the skin.
Aloe vera application will help to heal torn skin, improve its elasticity, appearance and stimulate the production of new, healthy skin cells to lessen the appearance of stretch marks over time.
Aloe vera is inexpensive and available at most health stores so we’d definitely recommend giving it a go!
5. Treating stretch marks with hyaluronic acid
We’ve already briefly mentioned collagen – the stuff that maintains our skin’s plump appearance and keeps it from sagging.
As we age, collagen production decreases in our faces and bodies, which means stretch marks and cellulite becomes more prominent.
Hyaluronic acid can stimulate the production of collagen, which will help to fight against the effects of ageing. It can be taken in capsule form and also applied topically.