Caused by a variety of reasons, most commonly through pregnancy in women, stretch marks are often seen as being a primary reason why people are self conscious about their body. However, with careful planning, stretch marks can be removed or reduced quickly and effectively.
The easiest way to ensure stretch marks are minimal is to prepare the skin before any activity is going to take place where stretch marks may occur, for example an increase in muscle, or pregnancy. Stretch marks occur because the skin has to stretch to house what is underneath it, but as it is not in the best condition, once the skin has become stretched or returns to normal, prominent stretch marks are often visible. First of all, drinking water regularly is the easiest way to aid with maintaining a non-stretch mark body. It is recommended that 8 glasses of water are drunk each day to maintain a healthy body, which includes the person’s skin. Furthermore, a well balanced diet, full of natural ingredients, vitamins and minerals will aid with a healthy body and healthy skin, therefore reducing the appearance of stretch marks.
If stretch marks have occurred on a part of the body with skin that is easily stretched (such as the thighs or stomach), exercises may be the most beneficial remedy. Stretch mark removal exercises can form part of any exercise regime and are very simple, often consisting of simple stretching exercises such as inner thigh stretches, or muscle tightening exercises, for example abdominal crunches.
If stretch marks are a major concern, a visit to a GP could prove beneficial. Many people suffer from very prominent stretch marks which can cause severe self -confidence issues and are more than simply an annoyance. In some cases, a GP may simply prescribe a healthy diet. However, they can also provide prescription creams and lotions, specific exercises for the affected area of the body, or in the most extreme cases, surgery. Not a preferred method of stretch mark removal, surgery is available – most commonly laser surgery – which whilst generally removing any stretch marks, can be a painful and lengthy process and may leave an area of scarred tissue on the skin.
Stretch marks can cause unnecessary self-confidence issues in many; however with the correct amounts of exercise and diets, they can easily be removed within a matter of weeks, or prevented if the correct planning has been carried out.