Our skin has its own natural tendency to expand or contract. But sometime due to some situation our skin undergoes excessive stretching because of the sudden change in it's shape. This sudden change in the dermis of our skin can make it to crack and when it recovers it leaves behind a band of parallel marks which is commonly called as stretch marks. Stretch marks is the band of red mark which later change to White and can stay in our skin parmanently if not taken care of. This is usually harmless and do not have negative effect in our health, however it can be major concerned for our looks, personality and confidence.
Whatever maybe the case this stretch marks can be lighted or even be removed with some measures. And this is exactly what we want to make you aware in this post of Lifestyle.
#. Why does women get stretch marks after pregnancy ?
Stretch mark after pregnancy is very common. It is estimated that about 90% women get stretch marks post pregnancy.
It do not just occur at the time of pregnancy. It may occur in any condition in which there is rapid change in shape and size of skin like rapid weight loss or weight gain, rapid muscle building, skipping warm up before workout, prolonged twisting, turning and stretching of skin in particular area etc.
It may occur in any areas where there is excessive stretching going on, however the most common site is chest, hips, thighs, butt and belly area.
#. Ways to lighten or avoid stretch marks
1. Proper hydration of the body
If you are thinking to take care of your stretch marks the first thing you should keep in minds to keep yourself hydrated. Water is the main composition of our body including our skin. It detoxifies our skin. It makes our skin to suffel and help to restore it's elasticity. It makes our skin to rejuvenate and bring up new skin cells helping to lighten the stretch marks.
Keeping yourself dehydrated will make your skin dry and dull thus, making your stretch mark more visible and prominent. Your skin will have hard time to recover from stretch mark when you are dehydrated.
It is advised to drink water equal to 4% of your total body weight everyday.
2. Gently massage the area
Some gentle massage in the affected area can greatly boost the recovery from stretch marks. Massaging improves blood circulation in the affected area, which boost the oxygen and nutrients supply in those area thus helping in faster recovery from the marks.
You can massage the area with the help of oils. Use any type pure and natural oil like Coconut, Olive, Castor oil etc. These oils gets absorbed by the skin easily. It goes deep inside our skin and build up a barrier of moisture and help to rejuvenate the skin cells which increases it's elasticity making it more stretchable thus preventing the marks in first place.
You can massage the belly area 2 to 3 times or day during your pregnancy. Start it from second or third month of your pregnancy. Rub the oil gently until it gets completely absorbed by the skin and leave it for 20 to 30 minute and then wash it away. Doing this can great reduce your chance of getting stretch mark after your delivery.
3. Proper nutrition is must
Proper nutrients are important for proper healing of the body. There is a saying that "you are what you eat". So, what you put inside your system directly affects your entire body and your looks and personality.
Proteins is most essential element in healing and building our body. Stretch marks can go worst if we are in protein deficiency. It is the compound that stimulate the production of new skin cells in the affected area. Consuming enough protein directly help in healing the stretch marks and building of the layer of collagen in our skin which makes it more elastic, thus making our skin to look younger and preventing stretch mark in future. One must consume 1 gram to 1.5 gram of protein per kg of their body weight.
4. Skin exfoliation
Our skin naturally shades itself and make room for new skin cells to arise. Sometime these dead skin cells get stuck in the oil of our skin which clogs the skin pores and making new cells harder to rejuvenate. This is where exfoliation comes to play. It helps to remove the dead skin cells and let the new cells to arise helping in lightning up of stretch marks faster, unclogging the pores and boosting the collagen production.
Here are some type of exfoliations
a. Sugar exfoliation scrub
This is a natural and mild exfoliator. The crystals of sugar scrub away dead skin cells found over the stretch marks and helps to heal the broken skin easily.
Methods
- Take a small cup of crystal sugar and add half a cup of coconut oil.
- Top it up with the juice of half a lemon and mix it well.
- Scrub it on the stretch mark in circular motion and then rinse.
- Do it twice a week for best result.
b. Aloe scrub
Aloevera has been used for cosmetic proposes since ages. It's gel has the property to cure scars and stretch mark by repairing the damaged skin cell beneath our skin. Moreover it flushes out the toxins from our skin.
Peel the fresh aloe vera leaf and extract the gel from it. Massage the gel on the stretch mark in circular motion. Leave it for 15 minute and then wipe it off. Do it daily for best result.
These methods are not just useful only for the stretch marks due to pregnancy but is useful for any type of stretch marks. Patience is the key. Stretch marks won't go away in the matter of days. But you can surely feel the difference after some month.
Stretch marks is not a health issue neither it indicate any health problem. However, it may hamper our confidence level. But you should not get depressed because you are still special for your loved one and some marks on your skin will not hamper it.