Looking stunning in a swimsuit in the summer, in the evening in bed with your beloved man, fitting into the jeans you like, taking them off after giving birth... This is not the entire list of reasons why women decide to lose weight. No, we are not saying that losing weight is bad. However, sometimes we strive so hard for the ideal we have created in our heads that we choose an aggressive diet, dramatically lose weight, and then discover that not everything is so smooth. Stretch marks form on the skin.
Losing weight is not the only reason for their appearance. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, the skin becomes tender and brittle, and stretch marks appear in those places where it is stretched more strongly. Or, for example, in adolescence they can be found on the lower back, hips or chest. Bones grow faster than muscles and voila - a defect on the skin is right there. Or you don't consume enough protein, which causes your skin to lack collagen and elastin. Or you don’t drink enough fluids... There are many reasons.
Why do stretch marks appear?
In this article we will talk about such a problem as stretch marks, what remedies for stretch marks can be used at home.
Stretch marks are the colloquial name for stretch marks, microscopic tears in the dermis.
Source Wikipedia
They are small scars that are white, red, and sometimes purple. They are not dangerous to health, but represent a purely cosmetic defect.
Any woman probably faces problems with stretch marks. The main reasons for their appearance are:
- Pregnancy . Stretch marks appear in the abdomen, thighs, chest, buttocks due to fetal development;
- Hormonal disbalance . Stretch marks appear due to problems with the thyroid gland;
- Hereditary predisposition . Some people have thin skin and, if not taken care of, stretch marks appear on their own;
- Change in body weight . This problem occurs in people who suddenly lose weight or, conversely, gain excess weight. With rapid weight gain, the skin does not have time to quickly stretch, in certain places it becomes thinner and stretch marks appear. When you lose weight, stretch marks appear due to a deterioration in the blood supply to the epidermis;
- Long-term use of medications such as prednisolone, dexamethasone;
- High physical activity . In athletes who play sports and take special sports nutrition, muscle growth can cause stretch marks;
- Sedentary lifestyle . Due to decreased muscle and skin tone and insufficient blood supply, stretch marks may appear.
Remedy for stretch marks during pregnancy
To prevent the appearance of stretch marks or make them less noticeable, it is better to purchase an anti-stretch mark cream for pregnant women, which will moisturize the skin, and as a result, the risk of stretch marks will be significantly lower. Most stretch mark creams consist of vitamins, glycerin, natural oils, silicone and many other chemical ingredients.
But at the same time, you need to understand that not a single cream will give a 100% guarantee that stretch marks will not appear.
The best remedy for stretch marks during pregnancy is their prevention.
Throughout pregnancy, you should use oil- or lanolin-based moisturizers for stretch marks. This will reduce the stress on collagen fibers caused by excessive stretching of the skin.
To prevent the appearance of stretch marks, you should moisturize your skin from the inside - drink enough water during the day (1.5 - 2 liters per day) and choose a good moisturizer for stretch marks. Then the number and size of stretch marks will decrease significantly.
Every evening, especially in the last months of pregnancy, it is worth using a regenerating cream for stretch marks during pregnancy, which restores collagen in the skin. The main components of this cream are hyaluronic acid, antioxidants, vitamins A, E, C, B5. At night, new collagen is produced, which restores skin thickness. And these skin properties help prevent the appearance of stretch marks.
Do stretch marks tan?
This question is asked by many pregnant and non-pregnant women. Because everyone wants to disguise these flaws and look their best. But we will disappoint you: stretch marks (striae) cannot tan. The explanation is that in the connective tissue from which scars are formed, there is no pigment called “melanin”.
You may also notice that after spending many hours in the sun, the stretch marks become even more noticeable because the underlying skin has become darker, but the stretch marks remain white or light.
Folk remedies for stretch marks after childbirth
There are different ways to get rid of stretch marks after childbirth using folk remedies. But you shouldn't hope for quick results. You will have to be patient and follow the necessary recommendations.
Most anti-stretch mark recipes contain essential oils.
Here are some of the recipes for massage:
- Mix 2 drops of citrus oil, the same amount of lavender and neroli oil with 50 ml of wheat germ oil. Rub the resulting mixture into problem areas of the skin.
- Mix 100 ml of jojoba oil, 20 drops of lavender oil, 10 drops of rosemary, jasmine, orange, and lemon oils. Pour it into the bottle, close it and put it in a dark place for a day.
It is better to massage with essential oils after taking a bath. When taking a bath, you should rub your skin with a washcloth intended for massage procedures.
You can remove stretch marks using wraps and scrubs.
The scrub can be prepared in different ways:
- Combine ground coffee beans, sea salt and sea buckthorn oil and mix to form a thick mass. Rub it into problem areas with massage movements for 10 minutes. After this, rinse off with warm water. We repeat the procedure 3 times a week
- Take salt, honey and glycerin in equal proportions, mix and rub into problem areas for 5 minutes. After this, rinse with warm water. The scrub is gentle, so you can do this scrub in the morning and evening.
Egg whites are useful for skin rejuvenation. Take 2 egg whites, beat them and apply to clean areas of problem skin. When the mixture dries, a feeling of tightness will appear. Wash off the mixture with warm water. We repeat the procedure every day for 2 weeks.
You can use aloe juice to eliminate stretch marks. Cut the plant leaf in half and squeeze the juice onto problem areas. Let it soak in. Wash off with warm water after 2 hours.
How to remove postpartum stretch marks on the stomach - folk remedies
You can do water procedures by directing the stream in a circular motion on the thighs and abdomen. After this, rub the skin with a terry towel until it turns red and apply anti-stretch mark cream.
When taking a shower, you can massage using products that are easily found in every home. Take a glass of salt and the same amount of sugar, add half a glass of vegetable oil. Stir. After the massage, rinse the mixture with warm water and apply body cream. To obtain the desired result, this massage should be done for a month.
To eliminate stretch marks at home, you can prepare a cream based on aloe and dandelions. We will need: 75 g of olive oil, several aloe leaves, 100 g of dandelion leaves. They can be prepared for future use in the summer by drying or freezing in the freezer. Combine all ingredients and beat with a blender until smooth. Gradually add oatmeal until the mixture reaches the consistency of cream.
Apply the resulting mass evenly to the areas where there are stretch marks and leave for 15 minutes. After this, rinse off with warm water. Store the cream in the refrigerator for no more than a week.
One of the ways to get rid of stretch marks at home is self-massage, which should be done regularly. Using massaging movements clockwise from bottom to top, you need to massage your thighs and abdomen. The use of essential oils makes the skin elastic.
Physical exercise
You can make stretch marks less noticeable with the help of properly selected exercises that will increase the flow of blood and oxygen to the problem area. The skin tightens and stretch marks become less noticeable.
The most effective exercises:
- Crunches . The exercise is performed lying on your back. Legs are bent at the knees, feet are on the floor. Place your hands behind your head and raise your shoulders. Try to pull yourself up to your knees, tensing your abdominal muscles. Repeat 15 times for 3 sets. Exercise makes stretch marks on the abdomen less noticeable;
- Push ups . Lie on your stomach, lean on your palms and raise yourself up. Lift one hand off the floor, turn your body, raise your arm up. Return to the starting position. Repeat the same with the other hand. Perform 15 exercises in 2 approaches. This exercise makes stretch marks on the chest less noticeable:
- Leg raises . Makes stretch marks on the buttocks and thighs less noticeable. You can perform the exercise while sitting on a chair, lying on your stomach or back. Raise your legs as high as possible, tensing the muscles of your thighs and buttocks. Repeat 15 times for 3 approaches.
Gymnastics for pregnant women
Before performing any exercises or practices, you should consult your obstetrician-gynecologist. Each case is individual. What suited your neighbor who gave birth may not suit you at all. An adequate doctor (in the absence of serious pathologies) will help you choose a suitable sports complex. Complete passivity is recommended in extremely rare cases when the pregnant woman and the unborn baby have serious problems.
Remember that activity should be different in all trimesters. The reason is that some of the exercises that can be done in the first three months later become uncomfortable and even dangerous. Pregnant women should not do abdominal exercises, jumping, and weight training equipment is not recommended.
If you experience discomfort while doing exercises, or your pulse cannot “calm down,” then stop exercising immediately. Don’t rush to do all the exercises at once and in large quantities. If you were quite passive before conception, then you need to start with minimal loads.
Positional gymnastics for pregnant women
These exercises help prepare a woman's muscles for the process of childbirth, and will also help you feel more comfortable during childbirth by training specific muscles.
- “cat” pose: stand on all fours, round your back, lowering your head as low as possible, and then arch your back, raising your head while looking up (do everything smoothly and while breathing)
- “butterfly” pose: sit on the floor, pull your legs towards you on the floor and put your feet together (knees bent), put your hands on your knees. Use your palms to gently press on your knees so that the inner thighs stretch. Do not apply pressure to the point of pain, there should only be tension.
- twists: sit or stand; turn the body in one direction and the other, opening your arms in the same direction, while the pelvis does not rotate, it “looks” forward
- Kegel exercises: good for the perineal muscles; try to tense your muscles as if you want to block the flow of urine, and then relax them.
Fitball for pregnant women
This technique is no less effective than the one described above. It just has a different technique at its core. In the first 3 months of pregnancy, minimize stress. If you did not engage in dancing, yoga, sports or physical education before conception, start classes only from the 4th month of pregnancy. We will not describe exercises for the arms here, because stretch marks on them are extremely rare. Let's start with chest exercises .
- We sit on the floor, folding our legs in Turkish style, and take a fitball. Our arms are bent, elbows “look” to the sides. We begin to press the fitball with our palms and do 10-15 repetitions. Breathing should be smooth, without delays
- We sit on the ball and hold dumbbells in our hands. Bend your arms at an angle of 90˚ in front of your chest at the same level. We don’t extend our arms, but take them to the sides, and then bring them together again. As in the previous exercise, do 10 to 15 repetitions
Exercises for legs and buttocks:
- lie on your back, bend your right leg and place your foot on the ball. We also bend the left one and place it on the floor. We straighten our right leg and roll the ball forward, and then bend it again, returning it to the starting position. You can also make circular movements with your foot. Reps per leg: 6 to 8
- lie on your back again; release the left foot from the ball; We begin to use it as if to turn a bicycle pedal: first in one direction, then in the other. Next, we do the same with our right foot. 6 to 8 repetitions are also recommended.
- again we lie on our backs; lift and bend the right leg at the knee so that the shin is parallel to the floor. We rotate our feet in one direction, then in the other. 6-8 repetitions
How to get rid of stretch marks using folk remedies
To get rid of stretch marks, there are many external remedies - creams, emulsions, ointments, masks. You can make them less noticeable with the help of wraps, peelings, compresses, and massage. For this purpose: vegetable oil, honey, wax, bodyaga are used. But it is unlikely that stretch marks will be completely removed; to do this, you will have to resort to laser or surgical removal.
The oil is used to moisturize and soften the skin. Together with massage, it is a preventive measure to combat stretch marks. The oil contains vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, and fatty acids. It is well absorbed, penetrates deeply into the skin and helps keep the skin firm and elastic.
The following oils can be used to reduce stretch marks:
- Olive;
- Coconut;
- Almond;
- Citrus oil;
- From wheat sprouts;
- Rosemary;
- Black cumin.
How to Avoid Stretch Marks
To avoid having to deal with stretch marks, you need to take care of their prevention.
What is needed for that?
- Regularly care for your skin, paying special attention to the areas of greatest stretching of the skin;
- Use moisturizing creams, gels, vitaminized and nourishing masks, products with hyaluronic acid and collagen complex;
- Take a contrast shower;
- Use mechanical peeling, vacuum massage, and carry out restorative procedures in beauty salons.
Mandatory components of effective prevention of skin stretching are proper nutrition, a healthy lifestyle, and physical activity. To maintain elasticity, it is necessary to adhere to the water regime, drink at least 1.5 - 2 liters of water per day.
Nutrition
You should be especially careful about your diet during pregnancy. It would be a mistake to think that you can eat whatever you want (they say, the child “demands” it). If your body weight increases in a couple of months, then this is almost 100% likely to cause stretch marks (stretch marks). Reduce the amount of animal fats in your diet, give preference to vegetable fats. Fast carbohydrates should also be excluded. Make sure you have enough protein in your diet (do not give up meat, fish and legumes). This is important not only for the formation of the unborn child’s body, but also for the production of collagen in your body.
External moisturizing alone will not save you from dry skin. You need to hydrate your body from the inside. You should drink one and a half liters of water per day unless your doctor recommends otherwise. If water does not enter the body in sufficient quantities, then stretch marks are guaranteed. Avoid drinking a lot of water before bed to avoid unnecessary swelling.
The lack of vitamins (including vitamin E) and minerals in the expectant mother’s body immediately affects the skin. During pregnancy, the body needs more nutrients than usual, because some of them are taken by the baby. But some doctors do not recommend vitamins (pharmaceuticals) for pregnant women, citing the possibility of allergies. If a deficiency of a specific vitamin is detected in the body, you need to buy the appropriate pharmaceutical preparation. Next, control is carried out by taking blood for analysis. Also, in case of such a deficiency, foods rich in this vitamin or mineral are introduced into the diet.
