Weekly tips for skin, nail and hair care

Love and lather those stretchmarks!

Stretch marks affect both men and women, and are caused by skin that has over-stretched and lost elasticity and tone.

The common causes of stretch marks include pregnancy, sudden weight loss or gain, stress or genetics. In most cases, the severity of the stretch marks is factored by the amount of stress on the skin, the amount of collagen you have in your system and the level of a hormone called cortisol.

**Stretch marks can be unsightly, depending on the level of severity, but they shouldn’t give your confidence a knock. If anything, the appearance of stretch marks should motivate you to give your skin more attention and care.

If you are a mother, remember that stretch marks are a reminder from Mother Nature that you created and gave life, so celebrate every mark as a reminder of your magic and strength.

Stretch marks usually appear on the thighs, buttocks, back, chest, legs and stomach. In most cases, those on the stomach and thighs are brought on by pregnancy, because the stomach stretches to carry the baby. The genetics and weight loss/gain stretch marks often appear on the thighs, buttocks or legs. In other cases, stretch marks just appear on the body unexpectedly, so don’t fret.

Some stretch marks can disappear over time, but others don’t. In most cases, they fade and don’t necessarily disappear. When dealing with severe stretch marks, your best bet is to ensure that your skin is nourished. So, it goes without saying that moisturising the skin is a must. The whole idea is to improve the skin’s texture and tone, and also restore firmness and elasticity. When selecting products to use on your skin in the treatment of stretch marks, choose products with any one of these: Vitamin E, coconut oil, aloe vera, bio pharm oil, argan oil, glycerine, sesame and soybeans, safflower and jojoba oil. You can find these in different products such as ointments, moisturising oils and tissue oil.

Additional tips for the treatment of stretch marks

*Drink a lot of water- aim for at least 2-3L per day.

*Eat healthier food options. Ditch the daily junk and stock up on vegetables, grains and fruit.

*Moisturise religiously. Set a routine to massage your skin, particularly areas affected by the stretchmarks, and apply generous amounts of the product you have chosen. The skin should not be dehydrated. Use products that lock moisture in your skin.

*Exercise regularly. It can be anything from walking, skipping to jogging or aerobics. Apart from a range of other benefits, the body conditioning can improve the skin’s elasticity.

*Take supplements. Collagen supplements are particularly helpful.

**Be patient if you want to get rid of or reduce the appearance stretch marks; sample a few products and go with what works for you because different methods and treatments work for different people.

**Most importantly, practice self-love. Accept and love yourself just the way you are. Be kind and nice to yourself.

Stretch marks can be unsightly, depending on the level of severity, but they shouldn’t give your confidence a knock. If anything, the appearance of stretch marks should motivate you to give your skin more attention and care