Anti Stretch Mark Cream Myths

If you have stretch marks you know how unsightly and embarrassing they can be. If you had a baby, you might not feel like you will ever be comfortable in a swim suit again. If you lost or gained a significant amount of weight, your body is different and it may now have some stretch marks on it.

This can be especially discouraging if they appeared as you sought to better yourself by losing weight. However, before you run out to purchase some stretch mark removal or anti stretch mark cream, you need to learn about what causes stretch marks and what you can really do about them.

Causes For Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are brought on by changes in your body, usually in the form of rapid weight gain or rapid weight loss. They can also be brought on in hormonal issues, like with puberty. By the time that you can physically see a stretch mark, the damage has already occurred: no anti stretch mark cream can cure you from stretch marks. What happens is that the collagen deep beneath your skin tears when there is excess stress placed on it.



This can happen if you gain or lose weight and is most common during pregnancy. The collagen works as a pad or pillow to keep the epidermis, or skin, taut and tight. When the cushion beneath it becomes a cavern, the skin reacts accordingly and forms a stretch mark. By the time that you can see the stretch mark, it is like a scar on your body, which is why anti stretch mark cream will not help it.

What You Can Do On Stretch Mark

Not all anti stretch mark cream is a waste of money. Some anti stretch mark cream works to reduce the appearance of the scar. Other anti stretch mark creams work to reduce the purple or red color of the stretch mark to make it less noticeable. However, no anti stretch mark cream can completely remove a stretch mark. No cream can build back collagen. The only way to treat stretch marks in a complete manner is through laser treatments. These are expensive and often times painful, but the results are unarguable.

Many people swear by anti stretch mark cream to help prevent the formation of stretch marks in the first place. There are special pregnancy stretch mark cream brands out there to help women who are pregnant keep supple and stretchable skin to avoid stretch marks. These same anti stretch mark creams can be used outside of pregnancy as well. However, even if you use these creams, if you are hereditarily susceptible to stretch marks, you may never be able to avoid them.


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Pregnancy And Stretch Marks

Finding out you are pregnant brings a tidal wave of emotions. You are excited and happy, but at the same time nervous about your body changing. This is completely normal. One thing that women immediately start thinking about when they find out they are pregnant is stretch marks. Stretch marks can be ugly and unappealing, and if this is your first baby you might be wondering what, exactly, these stretch marks are going to do to your body.

Be Prepared

One of the best ways to keep feeling good about your body through these rough changes is to be prepared and know what is going to happen. Stretch marks are almost inevitable during pregnancy. You can buy normal stretch mark removal or the best stretch mark cream on the market and still end up with stretch marks. Many dermatologists speculate that getting stretch marks is largely hereditary. Others say that even the best stretch mark cream is worthless. Stretch marks form on the inside of your skin and work their way out, so some believe that the best stretch mark cream cannot penetrate your epidermis to get deep enough to even matter.

However, part of being prepared for your changing body is to be ready for whatever it throws your way. There is no reason to sit idly by and let your skin tear. Stretch marks can be painful, and using an anti stretch mark cream is a good idea. Even if the best stretch mark cream out there cannot guarantee that it will work, it is better than doing nothing. Plus, most of the best stretch mark creams are highly moisturizing. This can be a great relief to a dry and itchy bulging belly!

After The Baby

After you have your baby, you might not even recognize your own body. Using the best stretch mark cream might have helped keep your stretch marks to a minimal, but you are still going to be stretch out and sag in places you never thought possible. Do not worry. The stretch marks will eventually fade, with time. Your skin will regain its tautness and bounce back to where it once was. With proper diet and exercise you can have the same body you had before you even thought about having children.

With determination and dedication, you can feel good about yourself knowing that you are the best you can be. And even if the best stretch mark cream does nothing for you and you have roadmap of scars on your belly…remember that roadmap led you to your precious little baby.


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Stretch Mark Information

If you are pregnant you are probably worried about stretch marks. Almost everyone gets them during pregnancy, and you have probably heard conflicting information about them.

You probably want to run out and buy the most expensive stretch mark cream out there and the best stretch mark cream to keep the stretch marks at bay. However, it is important that you understand basic stretch mark information before spending your money on stretch mark cream or stretch mark removal that just might not work.

Where Stretch Marks Come From

Contrary to popular belief, stretch marks do not just appear on pregnant women. While pregnancy can, and often does, lead to stretch marks, rapid weight gain or rapid weight loss, puberty or any other subsequent changes in your body shape, bodybuilding or building muscle, and anything at all that changes the shape of your body or the proportions of your body can cause stretch marks.



But where do they come from? Many people think that putting stretch mark cream on your body can prevent stretch marks from appearing. But that is not the case. Stretch marks are a type of scar that forms beneath the skin. When your body shape changes and your skin is stretched, the deep layers of the skin can suffer damage. These deep layers of skin are formed by collagen and other tissue and when collagen tears, it causes a stretch mark.

But why can you see the tear on the surface of the skin? You can see the tear in the form of a stretch mark because this cushion of collagen is what supports the skin. When it is not there, you can see the visible lacking of it on the surface of the skin. While some stretch marks are purple or pink, some are flesh colored and can barely be seen at all.

What You Can Do About It

Stretch mark cream is basically a waste of money, according to many doctors and dermatologists. Why? Stretch mark cream cannot reach below the surface of the skin to heal the broken collagen underneath. Stretch mark cream can, at best, keep skin moist and make it easier to stretch. Little research supports the use of stretch mark cream during pregnancy to reduce stretch marks.

And because stretch marks come from the inside out, using stretch mark cream after stretch marks have already appeared is all but pointless. The only real treatment for stretch marks is not stretch mark cream but laser removal of stretch marks. Unfortunately, however, the best time to have stretch marks treated is when they are still purple and fresh. The laser treatments have not been approved for breastfeeding mothers, and by the time many children wean the stretch marks have already faded.


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