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Weight gain and stretching skin during pregnancies leads to stretch marks in most women. However, just because you got through pregnancy without a scratch doesn't mean you won't develop stretch marks after having given birth. In fact, post pregnancy stretch marks are also a common occurrence. Your abdomen and breast are probably most prone to stretch mark appearance, however you can also get them on your thighs, hips and upper arms.

Most women think that they are condemned to live with these striations for life, but this is not entirely true. There are several procedures and treatments that you can rely on to reduce the appearance of stretch marks.

Surgery is, by far, the most effective type of treatment because it completely removes the skin that has stretch marks, however, if you're not keen on invasive procedure there are less invasive alternatives for your pregnancy stretch marks. If you do prefer a less invasive approach then you should either try microdermabrasion or stretch mark creams, or both.

Stretch mark removal with these non invasive treatments will be slow, therefore, you'll need to have a little patience if you want to see positive results.

Stretch Mark Removal & Microdermabrasion

Traditional microdermabrasion can be performed in a spa or salon. This treatment does not require anesthesia and lasts no more than an hour per session.

Microdermabrasion works by producing a tiny bit of "damage" to the treated site. The body responds to this injury by producing new, healthier cells to displace the damaged skin cells. After several sessions, you should begin to see a difference in your stretch marks.

Besides treating stretch marks, microdermabrasion can also remove the signs of aging. Fine lines and age spots will become less apparent. Also, your dull skin will become more even and radiant.

Stretch Mark Creams

Stretch mark creams and microdermabrasion creams are also another viable alternative to surgery. This treatment option is even more gentle than microdermabrasion. For this reason, the treatment will likely have to be longer.

For a stretch mark creams to be effective, it should contain a combination of ingredients that can help eliminate striae. This means that any stretch mark cream you purchase should at least contain peptides and enzymes, which are the ones responsible for eliminating striae. In essence, they dissolve scar tissue and help promote the growth of new skin cells.

Two other ingredients you should look for are Helix aspersa muller extract and rose hip oil. Both of these components are known for their success in treating scars and stretch marksBoth of these components are known to effectively help treat scars and stretch marks. Snail serum depends on enzymatic action while rose hip oil contains high levels of Vitamin C and A and essential fatty acids that help the generation of healthy skin. Microdermabrasion creams contain micro crystals that produce an abrading action that helps treat scars. These micro crystals are much like those used in traditional microdermabrasion. Of course, they're much gentler than traditional microdermabrasion.

You can also purchase at-home microdermabrasion systems that usually comes with a machine that produces the abrading action. Most come with speical attachments and a microdermabrasion cream.