One stretch mark treatment that’s overlooked is eating better/keeping a healthy lifestyle. It’s never too late to begin a healthy lifestyle, and there are hundreds of benefits to eating better, including keeping stretch marks at a minimum.
Along with a healthy diet, you should be drinking plenty of water. Keeping your body hydrated will allow your body to function properly, meaning your skin cells are more likely rebuild areas that need repaired. The minimum amount of water needed to stay hydrated is five to eight 8 oz. glasses a day. An easy way to maintain a healthy diet is to eat one cup of fruit or vegetables with a glass of water before each meal. This helps reassure that you are getting healthy nutrients into your body while staying fully hydrated.
Be sure to supply your body with plenty of vitamin A, C and E, as well as zinc since these nutrients help your skin flourish. You’ll be able to find these vitamins and minerals in raw fruits and vegetables, in addition to fish liver oils, leafy greens, eggs, beans, nuts, seeds and fish. By adding more of these things to your diet, you’ll increase your skin’s ability to heal itself.
In some cases, if you’re taking medication such as oral contraceptives, you could be lacking essential nutrients needed to keep your body healthy; consult your doctor about any concerns here. Physicians will be able to prescribe or suggest dietary supplements to counterbalance the nutrients you may be losing to the medications.
Treatments for Stretch Marks
Homemade stretch mark creams can be used to treat scars, and are also great for other areas of your body that need special attention. You can use these recipes to make extra hydrating lotions that can be applied to stretch marks, dry elbows, knees, hands and/or feet.
Cocoa butter and oil cream
One of the most effective ingredients in improving the appearance of skin is cocoa butter. This is the main ingredient in the following skin cream for treating stretch marks. Using this homemade cocoa butter and oil skin cream will make your skin moist, soft and supple. Here is what you’ll need to make the cocoa butter and oil stretch mark cream:
- 1/2 cup cocoa butter
- 1 Tablespoon wheat germ oil
- 1 Teaspoon apricot kernel oil
- 1 Teaspoon Vitamin E oil
- 2 Teaspoons grated beeswax
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sauce pan, and use medium heat to melt the beeswax. Once the beeswax has melted, remove it from the heat, and pour it into an airtight container. Store the cream in the refrigerator, and use after showering, and throughout the day until you have the desired results.
