Natural remedies for stretch marks

Unfortunately, stretch marks will be experienced by 75 to 90 percent of women who ever become pregnant. While there are factors which increase the risk that a woman will experience and suffer from stretch marks, there are also things which women can do to decrease the likelihood that these stretch marks will get out of hand.

One uncontrollable factor is hereditary or family history. If a woman\’s mother or grandmother suffered from stretch marks during their pregnancy is more likely that she will also have the same experience. However if moms and grandmas stretch marks were a result of excessive weight gain during pregnancy then this predisposing factor may not have any bearing on the development of a woman\’s stretch marks.

Research has shown that the skin is much more supple and able to absorb the stretching during pregnancy if it remains hydrated. This means that women should be diligent about drinking enough water every day in order to keep their skin supple and decrease their risk of experiencing severe of stretch marks. By using moisturizers every day during the pregnancy they can also help to increase the suppleness of the skin.

Another factor that plays into the development of stretch marks is the amount of weight a woman gains and the rate at which she gains it during pregnancy. A woman who will deliver multiple births has a higher chance of developing stretch marks because of the rapid weight gain which the babies experience in the latter stages of pregnancy. Also, a woman who gains a significant amount of weight over and above the 25 pounds which is normally recommended by obstetricians, will also experience a greater risk of developing stretch marks.

Some of the more natural remedies to treating stretch marks start with prevention. This means that women should remain hydrated, moisturizers skin and watch their weight gain during pregnancy.

Unfortunately, at this time there is no permanent solution to remove stretch marks from the body apart from, possibly, cosmetic surgery. If you work on them consistently women are able to light in them to a large extent. Moisturizers that contain cocoa butter appear to have the best results for helping stretch marks to lighten over time.

One homemade stretch mark cream recipe that includes cocoa butter mixes one half a cup of cocoa butter plus one tablespoon of wheat germ oil plus 1 teaspoon of apricot kernel oil and 1 teaspoon of vitamin E. oil. Mixing these ingredients together they should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and applied twice a day until your desired results are achieved.

Another moisturizing product is pure vitamin E. oil which can be used effectively as an external product during pregnancy and taken internally in the postpartum time period to help heal the stretch marks. When using the vitamin E. oil externally, a women should massage the oil into the skin over the stretch marks for at least one to two minutes twice daily.

Aloe vera gel, long known for soothing and healing properties for burns, now claims to do the same for stretch marks. A mixture of one quarter cup aloe vera gel, one half cup olive oil, four capsules of vitamin E. which have been broken and casing discarded, and two capsules of vitamin A. liquid are blended together and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This recipe is used twice daily until the desired results are achieved however, it should not be used in women who are pregnant or breast-feeding since the application of excess of vitamin A. can have negative effects on the baby.

Another factor that is necessary in healing stretch marks is diet and nutrition. While it may not seem apparent what you eat will have an effect on your skin, it is true that we are what we eat. This skin is the largest organ in the human body and is significantly affected by the nutrition that we feed it. Because stretch marks are result of collagen separating from the skin during weight gain, the better we feed our skin during pregnancy the better chance we have of reducing the effects of skin stretch marks.