ask: Erase Stretch Marks

When I was pregnant with my daughter, Amanda. I would use coconut oil on my tummy and thighs to help prevent stretch marks. That's what the doctors and women thought was the best course of treatment.. prevention. I was diligent about slathering that coconut oil all over my body.

Well, Amanda, decided to be three weeks late. She was 9lbs 6oz. Needless to say, the last few weeks I started noticing stretch marks on my belly and upper thighs. Oh, no...could it be.... The dreaded stretch marks?? Yep, I thought I'd skirted around them and then all of a sudden there they were. Of course, it didn't help that I gained 55lbs. with Amanda. Now a days, that wouldn't think of letting you gain that much weight.

I've never found anything that takes those unwanted stretch marks away. Maybe someone knows about newer treatments that may work. I know you should try to treat stretch marks while they're still in the "red"(red in color) stage. . I know there are a couple of lasers help lessen them. But,I've never heard of anything that actually removes them completely.

Has anyone been treated for stretch marks and had success with treatment?

Now, you've got my curiosity going...

Best in health,

Michelle

Cindy, I'm not sure what your friend can do now, after the baby; but I have a very good friend who used cocoa butter twice a day on her skin and said it was a huge help in preventing them and then later easing their appearance.

She said that's what generations of her family had used, so it must be pretty good! I have also heard that shea butter has the same effect.

I also used both cocoa butter and shea butter during my three pregnancies and never got a single stretch mark, which I thought was pretty amazing considering I gained 50 pounds with my twin boys, 65 pounds with my first daughter and then 75 pounds with my other daughter. With all that weight fluctuation over a six year period, you'd think I'd have plenty of stretch marks to show for it.

I once chatted with my OB about it, and I was totally convinced that what saved me from stretch marks was the cocoa and shea butter that I'd slathered on my tummy and upper thighs every day while pregnant. She said that wasn't the reason I'd fared so well, but that it was more about genetics and the elasticity of my skin. She said I'd have ended up with no stretch marks even if I hadn't used the butter creams simply because of the skin I inherited. I haven't done any research into this, but it makes me wonder if we're spending money on all these creams when they maybe really don't help.

Stretch marks are actually scars, and have a strong genetic component. If your mom got them when pregnant, you have a strong chance too. If she didn't, then you might escape too!

I was lucky that I got not a mark in any of my pregnancies. I gained about 32 pounds in each pregnancy but my babies were huge, even my last who was a girl and 8 days early was well over 9 lbs and my son was closer to 10.

Most scars fade, so stretch marks will fade over time, regardless of what you put on them. Using a scar cream like Mederma might actually help more. But moisture and time are the two things that help stretch marks go away. The fact that people cover themselves in cocoa butter and see scars fade is a coincidence - they would fade anyway!

One thing that really bothers me about Cocoa butter that targets pregnant women is that it costs more than regular cocoa butter but if you turn both bottles around, the ingredients are virtually identical! And made by the same company!

One (the regular one) has some design on the front, the other has a pregnant woman on the front. Marketing to the legitimate fears of women not wanting permanent scarring (which is a normal fear) and making them pay more for it is ridiculous!

I did use the generic, least expensive cocoa and shea butters and found them no different from the expensive stuff that I received as a baby shower gift. That stuff is a total marketing scheme!

I began using the Dr Max Powers "Stretch Mark Treatment" every single day about two months ago and it works WONDERS. First you can use it for stretch marks and you can use it for scars and to moisturize your face and neck, ladies!

You must follow the instructions even though they are pretty simple. If I am using this for acne scars, skin discolorations (sun exposure), uneven skin tone I apply either over makeup (may not be recommended as this could remove your makeup)and on a freshly washed face.

I use the lengths of my fingers not fingertips since they produce the oils that could cause you breakouts from YES touching your face. I rub into the affected area or scar (even works on cystic acne scars) atleast two to three times a day when I am able to. But if not I do this at night before going to bed. Be patient and wait one to two weeks before you notice a big difference as the scar gets lighter your face appears to be glowing and skin discolorations slowly fade.

Keep on it atleast everyday. I thought it was only for men who workout - based on the way the product looks, but I am glad I bought this and one bottle lasted me over two months and I used it everyday! Give this product a try, be patient, follow the directions and you will not be disappointed.

I really liked the Made from Earth Aloe & Jojoba Creme Therapy. I didn't get any strech marks until the last few weeks of my pregnancy and I chalk that up to good genes more than anything.

Regardless though the product did keep me from itching my belly as much as my skin tightened and was moisturizing without being to greasy. I am still using the product three weeks after having my baby and the stretch marks seem to be fading away. I am now buying the product for my best friend who is pregnant. I would recommend the Made from Earth Aloe & Jojoba Therapy to everyone who is pregnant!

Plus my husband loved the smell of it too!!

Stretch marks appear when the middle layer of the skin (the dermis) breaks and the skin losses it’s elastic quality. I’ve suffered the embarrassment of my stretch marks for a while after my pregnancy.
I looked for a solution to this problem but nothing seemed to work for me, I’ve tried ointments, creams and a lot of other false products that just didn’t deliver what they had promised.
One day I came across this product (Celtrixa) and it was the one that got the job done! And you can even try it for a month for free.
I finally got rid of my stretch marks and I am happier than ever : )

[post modified by Moderator; link to advertisement under guise of an "article"]

I'm pregnant now and one morning my husband says, "you should really make sure you put that cocoa butter all the way on the sides."

I'm like "what?!?" and yes, sure enough, there were stretch marks radiatiing from my ribcage toward my belly, all the way around my front. It sort of looked like I got clawed by a tiger with about 40 toes, and each vertical mark was maybe 4 inches long. I went online that same day and bought the Dr Max Powers Stretch Mark Treatment, and applied it fatihfully several times a day to these new stretch marks for at least a week (now I remember only 2-3X/day). Now, about 4 weeks later, there is literally nothing there.

I'm choosing to buy this Max Powers Stretch Mark cream since it seems like the best price per ounce, and if I notice new marks, I want to be well-armed to treat them as soon as possible. Dr Max Powers does say their product works best on new marks, and I can certainly vouch for its effectiveness in my case. I've also been continuing to use cocoa butter cream mixed with pure vitamin E oil from the healthfood store ($5 for a small vial). After a friend's doctor warned her not to use Vitamin E oil after varicose vein surgery, as the scars would heal too rapidly, I've been a believer in its powers.