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Easy Ways to Lighten Stretch Marks

by Jen Hopkins

One of the worst scars that can form on your skin is stretch marks. These marks look like thin lines that run parallel with each other on the skin. At first, these would appear red or violet in color as the wounds underneath are still fresh. When this has healed, a scar will form and the color may become slightly brown.

Stretch marks or striae are formed when the skin is forced to stretch beyond its limit during times when the body grows too fast for it to accommodate. The dermal layer of the skin tears which results in blood being seen on the surface of the skin due to ruptured blood vessels. This gives it the purplish or reddish appearance. Once this heals, it will become lighter in color but will not totally disappear.

Scars form on the skin because the tearing caused by the extreme stretching is not uniform. Surgical incisions done are clean cut wounds thus the body is able to heal them more easily without having to form a scar. Torn skin on the other hand, is much more complicated to heal thus it forms scars that can be seen on the surface of the skin.

Upon seeing the formation of these marks, some people will try to prevent scars from forming by massaging the areas of the skin that was affected. A lot of people believe that this will help in breaking down scar tissue so that it will not form visible scars upon healing.

In addition to massages, a lot of people also use creams to lighten the appearance of scars. Creams like cocoa butter are a popular choice for making scars and stretch marks look lighter. These may work by moisturizing the skin and stimulating better cell regeneration so that older tissues may be replaced by newer ones.

Other people also rely on vitamin supplements such as Vitamins A, C and E as these all have some beneficial effects to the skin. They may have antioxidant effects as well as skin regenerating factors which are important in the production of better looking skin. These vitamins may be applied topically or taken in a food supplements to help give the skin the nutrients that it needs.

Still, other more expensive procedures that you can try are laser treatments and microdermabrasion. These are more expensive ways to go about removing scars and stretch marks but they can completely eliminate any blemishes that are visible on the skin.

Stretch marks are really very annoying to see especially of they formed on areas of your body that can be easily seen. There is really very little you can do on your own to remove these marks permanently. You can only lighten their appearance and wish that they become almost invisible. The best way to totally eliminate them is by undergoing expensive treatments like the ones mentioned above.

Learn more about how to get rid of stretch marks. Visit Jen Hopkins's site, www.SecretsToGetRidOfStretchmarks.com, where you can find out all about stretch mark treatment and other valuable information about the topic.

Published August 24th, 2010

Filed in Health