Stretch marks on the body (also called stretch marks) are a significant cosmetic defect that is easy to detect visually. It is associated with the destruction of collagen fibers, which can occur for various reasons, including endocrine diseases. Treatment in most cases is conservative - taking medications and undergoing procedures. In extreme cases, surgery is indicated. For prevention, you need to follow the rules of a healthy lifestyle, control your weight, and if you have hormonal disorders, undergo periodic examinations with an endocrinologist.
What are stretch marks on legs
Striae on the legs (in common parlance – stretch marks) are defects on the skin that appear, depending on age, in the form of white, pink or blue stripes. In essence, these are scars resulting from microtraumas, ruptures of the upper layers of subcutaneous tissue. Outwardly, they look like “scars” of torn edges and connective tissue between them, differing in length and width. A single appearance of stretch marks is extremely rare; more often they appear in groups. Pink (red), purple or blue color of stretch marks on the legs indicates that they appeared no more than a year ago.
As a rule, young scars itch, which indicates the process of regeneration of damaged fibers. It is easier to fight such stretch marks and you can do it even at home. White “scars” on the legs are already healed injuries that are more than a year old, and therefore folk remedies and cosmetic creams will only help narrow them down a little. Tanning also does not help eliminate such a defect, since melanin is not produced at the sites of breaks, and the skin does not darken at all. It is possible to make stretch marks almost invisible only in a salon setting.
Girls post photos of stretch marks on their bodies online and believe that
Author: July 30, 2015 08:24
Girls from all over the world are participating in another flash mob: now finding another stretch mark, scar or signs of cellulite on their body, they post photos of their problem areas on social networks with the hashtag #ThighReading and encourage them to love and accept their body just the way it is. In general, on the Internet they do everything to prevent a woman from being embarrassed by her appearance. What came out of this, I suggest you look under the cut.
Have you heard of #ThighReading yet?
The hashtag was coined earlier this month by Twitter user princess_labia, who compared a photo of her thighs to the lines on her palm.
Since then, women have started posting photos of their stretch marks, cellulite and scars on various social networks.
Stretch marks are the most common phenomenon
Occurs in most women
But thighs that have stretch marks are no worse than those that don’t.
Girls also boldly show off their cellulite
Why do they appear?
The most common opinion about the reasons for the appearance of stretch marks on the inner and outer thighs and calves is a sharp change in weight in a larger direction. As a result of the sudden accumulation of a large amount of subcutaneous fat, the skin fibers do not have time to stretch and therefore tear. Also, the reasons for the appearance of stretch marks may be:
- increased physical activity or lack thereof;
- fast weight loss;
- changes in hormonal balance in the body, including as a result of puberty in adolescence;
- malfunction of the pancreas;
- pregnancy, lactation period (for women), during this time stretch marks often appear on the knees;
- obesity;
- problems with the endocrine system;
- long-term use of medications belonging to the glucocorticoid group;
- hereditary, genetic predisposition;
- use of anabolic steroids, sharp gain of muscle mass (for athletes);
- intensive growth;
- eating disorder;
- adrenal hyperplasia;
- the presence of Marfan or Ehlers-Danlos syndromes;
- lack of collagen, elastin, vitamins and essential microelements.
Main areas
Purple stretch marks primarily form in areas that are most susceptible to changes due to weight changes:
- On the chest. Pale purple small stretch marks on the breasts most often appear during pregnancy or breastfeeding, but can be observed as early as puberty due to hormonal changes.
- Striae on the abdomen also usually occur during pregnancy: this is facilitated by the rapid increase in the volume of the uterus.
- On the hips. This area is also problematic: any fluctuations in body weight can lead to the formation of stretch marks in this area.
How to remove stretch marks on legs
To prevent the appearance of stretch marks, it is necessary to carry out prevention to maintain skin elasticity in the form of proper nutrition, the use of a contrast shower, and moisturizing creams in problem areas. It will not be possible to get rid of existing stretch marks on the legs overnight; this will require time and an integrated approach or the help of a specialist. Before selecting an effective treatment method, it is important to determine the type of stretch marks.
To combat young stretch marks in any part of the legs, you need to balance your diet, do water douches and exercise, use special cosmetics (scrubs) and methods (wraps, peeling). You can use traditional medicine (masks, creams, oils) and medications (Kontratubeks, Mederma). A dermatologist-cosmetologist will help you cope with old scars on your legs by prescribing a number of salon procedures: mesotherapy, laser peeling, massage.
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Treatment at home
You can combat stretch marks on any part of the legs at home using several methods that must be used in combination. The most important thing is to balance your diet, for this you need:
- Drink at least 2-2.5 liters of clean water without gas every day. This will help prevent dehydration, premature aging of the skin, maintain its elasticity and prevent the appearance of new stretch marks.
- There are different types of meat, liver, fish, fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs, dairy products. They promote weight loss, maintain normal weight, and prevent the occurrence of stretch marks on the legs.
- Avoid fatty, fried, salty, smoked foods, sweet carbonated drinks and fast food dishes, which contribute to excess weight gain, which often provokes the appearance of stretch marks on the surface of the skin of the legs.
- Eat citrus fruits or drink ascorbic acid. Vitamin C promotes collagen production and normalization of metabolism.
- Take medications with fish oil, vitamins A, E, and zinc.
After reviewing your diet and changing your diet, proceed to other methods for eliminating stretch marks at home. These include:
Name | Kinds | Method of influence |
Skin cleansing | Baths with different types of clays, essential oils | Cleanses, tones, refreshes the skin, helps eliminate toxins |
Peelings, scrubs | Perform mechanical cleaning, open pores, prepare the epidermis for applying creams | |
Impact on problem areas with special compounds | Foot wraps | Saturates with nutrients, enhances collagen production, improves skin tone |
Oils, their mixtures | Nourish and moisturize the skin. | |
Foot masks | Smoothes, nourishes the skin, improves its texture | |
Medicinal cream for stretch marks on legs, ointment | Eliminate scars, promote cell regeneration | |
Massage | Self-massage (vacuum cupping, manual) | It is carried out using various compositions, massage oils, promotes tissue regeneration and eliminates cellulite |
Rubbing | Performed after taking a bath using a massage brush. The method helps improve blood circulation and improve skin tone. |
Exercises
Physical exercise will also help remove stretch marks on your calves, knees, and outer and inner thighs. Lunges and squats are considered the most effective, but if for health reasons you cannot do them, do others. For example, these exercises:
- Birch. Lie on the floor, lift your legs using your abdominal muscles and place them behind your head, supporting yourself with your hands. Support your torso with your hands in the area of the shoulder blades, straighten your legs to a vertical position. The support should be on your elbows, touching the floor only with the back of your head, shoulder blades and elbows. Freeze in this position for at least half a minute. Return to the starting position.
- Lifting legs with minimal amplitude. Lying on the floor, raise your straight legs 20 cm from the surface, fixate for 10-15 seconds and lower them just as slowly. Do 3 reps.
- Alternate leg lifts. Starting position – lying on the floor, the whole body pressed to the surface. Raise one leg to an angle of 45-60 degrees, hold for a couple of seconds, lower. Do the same movement with the second limb. Do 3 sets of 15 lifts on each leg.
- Leg raises while lying on your stomach. Lie on your stomach, press against the floor. Alternately raise your legs to the maximum height possible for you, then lower them. Do 30 repetitions for each limb.
- Lifts from the half-bridge position. Lying on the floor, bend your knees at a right angle, lift your pelvis. Leaning with one foot on the floor, lift the other up and lower it after 5 seconds. Do 2 sets of 20 reps for each leg.
Cosmetic products for stretch marks
How to remove red stretch marks without resorting to salon procedures? Small, “fresh” red stretch marks on the legs can be eliminated at home using cosmetic products. The most effective means, the action of which is aimed at eliminating atrophic stripes, include the following:
- Oil from Mambino Organics perfectly tones, activates regeneration, moisturizes the skin and normalizes metabolic processes at the cellular level.
- Stretch mark cream from Dushka, based on essential oils, effectively fights atrophic stripes, eliminating them or making them much less noticeable (depending on the initial data).
- Corrective cream from Markell Cosmetics provides gentle care, intense hydration and effective elimination of stretch marks in the abdomen, thighs, and calves.
- Cream for atrophic stripes from Janssen Cosmetics activates the synthesis of elastane and collagen, and has a pronounced antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect.
- Cream from the Italian manufacturer Gli Elementi, based on thermal water and mineral components, actively moisturizes and saturates the skin with beneficial substances.
- Cream from Ziaja will help effectively eliminate atrophic stripes. A unique combination of natural ingredients and a vitamin complex prevents the occurrence of stretch marks and eliminates existing defects.
- The unique composition of the cream from Pharmaceris provides active prevention of stretch marks during pregnancy. Regular use of the product will not only prevent the appearance of atrophic stripes, but will also reduce the severity of existing stretch marks.
- Lierac gel, made from natural ingredients, eliminates and minimizes the severity of stretch marks on the legs, abdomen, and thighs.
- A mask from Bielita based on algae and therapeutic mud activates metabolic processes, nourishes the skin, increases elasticity and tone.
- Natura House lotion intensively nourishes the skin, restoring elasticity and tone of the skin.
How to get rid of red stretch marks? Eliminating atrophic stripes at the initial stage with the help of creams is the simplest and most cost-effective method, the use of which is available at home.
You should not wait for purple or discolored scars to appear; the fight against a cosmetic defect must begin as early as possible. Only in this case will the maximum and high-quality result be achieved.
Salon treatments
If the stretch marks are old, home methods do not help you, or you want to get rid of stretch marks as soon as possible, seek help from a specialist. This could be a cosmetologist in a salon or a dermatologist in a clinic. The following procedures have proven themselves well in the fight against stretch marks:
Name | Description | pros | Minuses |
Mesotherapy | It is carried out by administering vitamin and nutritional injections to the client, the composition of which is selected individually. Course – 7-15 procedures. |
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Laser therapy | A specialist uses a laser to treat scars. There are two types of therapy: superficial (peeling), aimed at eliminating young stretch marks, and deep (resurfacing), which copes with any stretch marks. |
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Chemical peeling | The cosmetologist makes a controlled burn on the problem area using special chemicals, as a result of which intensive cell restoration begins. The procedure can be superficial, middle and deep. |
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Algae wraps | They are carried out using kelp or spirulina, pre-soaked in warm water. Seaweed is applied to areas with stretch marks, and then the legs are wrapped in plastic wrap for an hour. Course – 12 procedures. |
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Cosmetic surgery | It is used when the skin is very sagging and can only be restored by removal. |
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Methods for eliminating stretch marks
How to get rid of stretch marks on legs? The main condition in the fight against atrophic stripes is timeliness. Elimination of the defect should begin from the moment when the first signs of stretch marks begin to appear. This will ensure high efficiency and quality of procedures.
Cosmetology offers a number of methods aimed at getting rid of an unaesthetic defect, namely:
- Laser therapy. Depending on the extent of the cosmetic defect, the type of skin and the age of the stretch marks, laser exposure will help completely eliminate or make atrophic stripes less noticeable in just a few sessions.
- The use of ointments, creams, serums, lotions and other cosmetic products will prevent the occurrence of stretch marks, as well as make them less noticeable or completely eliminate them (provided they are of low prevalence and timely use).
- Mesotherapy will help eliminate stretch marks on the legs due to hormonal changes and other factors. This is a method that activates collagen synthesis in atrophic stripes. A set of procedures will ensure the density of the damaged skin area and natural color.
- Removing areas of atrophied stripes is important in a situation where sagging skin is very pronounced and cannot be eliminated by other methods. Often sagging appears when a person loses excess weight very suddenly. The operation consists of removing excess skin, subcutaneous fat and stretch marks.
- Massage procedures, wraps, applications using cosmetics for stretch marks, sesame oil, olive oil, cocoa and other natural ingredients such as honey, algae.
To determine how to get rid of all stretch marks on your legs, you will need to consult a cosmetologist. He will identify the cause of the appearance of stretch marks and give recommendations on each method regarding its effectiveness and safety.
Folk remedies
In the fight against stretch marks, remedies prepared according to traditional medicine recipes have proven themselves well. The following drugs are effective in the treatment of striae:
- Oil mixture used during massage. Mix ¼ cup of avocado oil with rosemary, jasmine, neroli, lavender, red rosemary esters, taken 10 drops each. Leave for a day in a dark place, use with each procedure.
- Mix for chocolate wraps. For it you need to melt a bar of dark chocolate, mix with 1 tsp. olive oil. The mixture should be applied to areas with stretch marks, wrapped in film and covered with a blanket. Wash off after 40 minutes, do every day until the desired result is achieved.
- A scrub made from sugar, salt, taken in equal proportions, and a few drops of oil (linseed, peach, sesame, etc.). Apply the mixture to the skin and scrub it with massage movements. Leave on for 30 minutes, then rinse off.
- Mask against stretch marks. Melt two squares of dark chocolate and, after cooling, pour into a blender bowl. Add a glass of coffee grounds, ½ cup each of honey and potato starch, 0.5 tsp. salt, stir. Apply the mixture to stretch marks, leave for 0.5 hours, then rinse.
- Oil-vitamin composition of 5 drops of vitamin A, 10 drops of vitamin E, aloe and olive oils, taken in equal quantities. The mixture should be applied to problem areas twice a day.
Prevention
The fight against stretch marks is a long process, and in some cases very expensive. To avoid using the above methods on yourself, prevent the appearance of “scars” by following the following recommendations:
- eat right;
- watch your weight;
- do self-massage or visit a massage therapist;
- drink plenty of fluids;
- play sports, do physical exercises;
- use moisturizing, nourishing creams, gels (special ones for pregnant women);
- Wear compression garments during pregnancy;
- take a contrast shower, herbal baths, douse yourself;
- take care of your skin.