Let’s be honest… unless you’re going to commit to never ever having a lick of something sweet, and commit to working out for hours a day, you’re likely going to notice a stretch mark (or few) appear at some point in your life.
Despite a common misconception, pregnant women aren’t the only ones that deal with stretch marks, and chances are since you’re reading this article right now, you’re one of those people.
Fear not, the stretch-mark-struggle does not have to be real, and there are certainly ways you can manage, if not beat them!
But before we get into those many ways you can overcome them, let’s talk about what causes stretch marks!
What causes stretch marks to appear?
Stretch marks most commonly appear on the body in areas where the skin is the subjected to stretching; such as the stomach, upper arms, and upper thigh areas.
They appear due to a few different reasons:
- Drastic weight gain/loss
- Stress
- Genetic factors
- Hormonal changes
- Water intake
As your skin stretches, your collagen, which acts as a “glue” holding your skin together, starts weaken. As the collagen weakens, your skin forms lines beneath the top layer which start out purple, pink, or red. Over time, these lines may turn a silver-white color.
5 Organic Ways To Beat Stretch Marks
Stimulate collagen production
As you age, your body’s ability to produce collagen naturally decreases. In order to improve your skin’s elasticity, and boost hydration, it’s important to supplement with collagen in your daily diet. Consuming collagen also provides you with the added benefit of helping to fade stretch marks from the insight out, while preventing any new ones from occurring.
Amp up your vitamin C
Vitamin C and hydrolyzed collagen are like peas in a pod. They work together to promote collagen formation, so it makes perfect sense then to help boost your body’s natural response to beating stretch marks to make sure you’re adding plenty of Vitamin C rich foods to your diet, and pair your internal collagen intake with a topical Vitamin C.
Eat your vitamins
It’s not just Vitamin C that help you beat stretch marks. Zinc and Vitamin A also play important parts in helping strengthen the skin and stimulate new cell formation. You can either supplement with Zinc or start eating more foods like nuts, oysters, and chicken. Vitamin A is also quite easy to obtain through foods like butternut squash, sweet potato, and carrots.
Ditch drugstore creams
It may be tempting to reach for drugstore stretch mark creams, but all they do is mask the underlying issue. Instead, choose organic bodycare filled with skin loving ingredients that support your skin’s elasticity like these great options:
Encourage blood flow with exfoliation
Stimulating your body with regular, gentle exfoliation helps to improve blood flow and fat, which work together to lighten stretch marks over time. You can exfoliate a few different ways:
Are you dealing with stretch marks? What do you think of these organic tips?
*Collaborative post.
