Stretch marks are long, thin scars that result from a tearing of the deeper layer of skin known as the dermis. The medical term for stretch marks is striae gravidarum, which literally means "pregnancy striations." Stretch marks commonly occur during pregnancy as the skin stretches to accommodate the growing fetus. You can treat stretch marks at home with a variety of commonly available materials.
Step 1
Treat stretch marks with cocoa butter. Rub liberal amounts of cocoa butter into your skin with gentle circular motions. Cocoa butter is a natural moisturizer that allows the skin to stretch more easily. A substance that adds moisture to the skin is an emollient.
Step 2
Mix several emollients together. A common recipe for a homemade skin treatment calls for ½ cup of olive oil, ¼ cup of aloe vera, six capsules worth of vitamin E oil and four capsules of vitamin A oil. Mix these ingredients thoroughly and rub them into your skin. This mixture is perishable, so you'll need to refrigerate it if you don't use it immediately.
Step 3
Combine an emollient with oil. A stretch mark treatment with an oil base allows your skin to absorb an emollient more quickly. A mixture of avocado oil and lavender oil is a common treatment of this type.
Step 4
Apply vitamin K to your stretch marks. Break open a capsule of vitamin K and add the oil to one of your stretch mark treatments. You can also heal stretch marks more quickly by increasing the amount of vitamin K in your diet. Common sources of vitamin K include dairy products and leafy green vegetables.
Step 5
Rub other natural emollients directly into your stretch marks. You can also treat stretch marks with pure vitamin E, petroleum jelly and aloe vera gel.
Things You'll Need
- Cocoa butter
- Olive oil
- Aloe Vera
- Vitamin E oil
- Vitamin A oil
- Avocado oil
- Lavender oil
- Vitamin K oil
- Dairy products
- Leafy green vegetables
- Petroleum jelly
