Monday, January 12, 2009

Prevent Pregnancy Stretch Marks

Preventing stretch marks during pregnancy is one of the primary skin care concerns of women. As the pregnancy moves into the second trimester skin begins to become stretched and pulled. Increased stretching leads to microscopic tears and rips in the epidermis and dermis leaving light color and translucent marks and scars.

The rapid growth of the fetus and natural weight gain expands the skin around the abdomen faster that dermal tissue can replenish, rejuvenate and stretch. The result is stretch marks that can appear blue, purple or white.

Preventing stretch marks during pregnancy requires maintaining or increasing moisture to the skin's cellular membrane to allow improved elasticity while providing adequate nourishment for cellular regeneration. Daily application of stretch mark creams or Emu Oil will help reduce stretch marks or prevent their appearance altogether.

As a skin care manufacturer, we are often asked how to prevent stretch marks or, conversely, what is the best way to heal and repair marks that have occurred when pregnant. Using creams and oils while you are pregnant is certainly is the best "ounce of prevention". Dry skin and loss of hydration are two of the most common culprits that can lead to marks. Creams, lotions or oils formulated to replenish collagen production and increase elastin fiber work well to remove and inhibit scarring.

Stretch Mark Cream During Pregnancy

Several key ingredients to look for that help prevent stretch marks are Emu Oil, Aloe Vera, Matrixyl and Hyaluronic Acid.

Emu Oil is an oil rich in Omega 3, 6 and 9 - also known as Oleic and Linoleic acids - which help rejuvenate skin cells at a molecular level and increase cellular "turnover". Faster turnover combined with increased collagen production add improve elasticity to dermal layers allowing them to reproduce at a faster rate and to stretch, expand and retain structure without tearing. Emu Oil is a natural anti-inflammatory and has been used in Australia for thousands of years to treat scars, marks, redness and irritation. Emu Oil is transdermal and penetrates deep into the skin to the dermis and subcutaneous layers to provide nourishment, healing and repair of torn tissue.

Aloe Vera is well known for its skin healing properties. Most commonly used in sunburn skin care, Aloe Vera soothes rough or irritated skin and helps repair and replenish - making healing more rapid. Similarly, Hyaluronic Acid is increasingly common in hydration skin products for its ability to directly infuse moisture and improve cellular membrane moisture retention. Hyaluronic Acid is a naturally occurring compound in our skin and is necessary for flexibility and to reduce tearing.

Matrixyl, Vitamin E, and peptides help replenish the skin while firming and improving nourishment - further reducing or preventing the appearance of scars and stretch marks.

Using a stretch mark cream or Emu Oil during pregnancy and for several months after childbirth has been shown to substantially reduce the appearance of marks and in many cases prevent their occurrence altogether. Maintaining hydration, watching weight gain, and daily application of a formulated stretch marks cream can help prevent marks during pregnancy.

Shop SkinEnergizer online for the best skin care to Prevent Stretch Marks.

SkinEnergizer carries a complete line of targeted skin care solutions for wrinkles, anti aging, antioxidants, skin rashes, cellulite, and Stretch Marks Cream.

Tim Faber - EzineArticles Expert Author

Stretch Marks Surgery

Despite the claims of many practitioners, there is no evidence to support any claim that surgery can remove or reduce stretch marks, or as they are known in medical circles, striae distensae. Surgery is in fact a very expensive and possibly risky route to take when dealing with striae scarring, especially now that there is several very effective topical treatments on the market. However, we get so many enquiries every day about this subject I thought I'd jot down my findings on the subject of stretch mark surgery.

Surgical options for striae scarring consists of laser surgery, microdermabrasion, and the tummy tuck. Results for all these procedures will vary depending on age, skin type, and overall health, but below you'll find what to generally expect with these three procedures.

Laser surgery
Practitioners of laser surgery claim that this method stimulates the production of collagen in the dermis, effectively filling the stretch marks in from below. Laser stretch mark surgery users have reported varying pain levels from the procedure, with some reporting no pain at all, and others saying it was very painful. The procedure can be costly, up to $1000 dollars a session, and you may require several sessions. Critics of this procedure claim that lasers cannot stimulate collagen at all, they only remove outer layers of skin and tissue, effectively changing the appearance of the scarring, but not repairing it in any way.

Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is a procedure where small crystals of aluminium oxide or other elements are sprayed onto the skin to effectively 'sand away' the outer layers of dead skin. This causes new, healthy skin to be produced where the old dead cells were scrubbed away. It is claimed this helps reduce the appearance of stretch marks.
Critics of microdermabrasion as a stretch mark surgery counter that this procedure only affects the outer layers of skin, the epidermis, while stretch mark scars reside in a lower layer, the dermis. This procedure varies wildly in price, with some small clinics provide it relatively cheaply for a few hundred dollars, while some day spas and health and beauty clinics charge thousands.

Tummy Tuck
The tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is the only guaranteed stretch mark surgery to rid the body of scarring. This is because an area of the skin of the lower abdomen is completely removed, along with an amount of fat and tissue, then the skin is reattached. Any marks on the skin removed end up excised from the body. The major downside of this procedure is that it only removes marks on the lower abdomen, specifically the area below the navel, so if you have marks on the legs, buttocks or breasts, you are out of luck. It is also expensive, painful, and is a major surgery requiring a hospital stay and all the other risks associated with a surgical procedure.

Do you want to get rid of ugly stretch marks or prevent them from occuring? We offer honest and unbiased reviews of the top stretch mark treatments available today. Visit us to learn how you can reduce or prevent the appearance of stretch marks quickly and effectively.

Click here to check out our tips and reviews.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

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