Those pesky stretch marks that show up during puberty, pregnancy and weight gain are hard to get rid of. Most stretch marks can't be removed completely, even with surgical treatment, and they're best treated when new. Some over-the-counter products can reduce their appearance somewhat, but your best bet is a prescription product or a surgical option.
Cocoa Butter
No scientific study has proven the effectiveness of cocoa butter to treat stretch marks. However, it is known as an effective natural moisturizer, and skin that is properly moisturized has a healthy appearance, which may make your stretch marks less noticeable. Cocoa butter is an ingredient in many over-the-counter skin lotions and creams.
Vitamin E
You can take over-the-counter vitamin E oil capsules orally or break them open and rub the oil onto your skin. Vitamin E promotes elasticity in the skin, which can help prevent stretch marks. It's unproven as a way to heal existing stretch marks, however. Vitamin E is a popular skin lotion ingredient.
Mederma
Mederma is an over-the-counter cream for scars and stretch marks. A study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology reports that Mederma has been shown to be effective in reducing the appearance of scars, but it's unproven as a stretch mark treatment. Dermatologist Eric F. Bernstein tells Good Housekeeping magazine that Mederma "may help" get rid of stretch marks.
Retin-A
Tretinoin cream, marketed under the brand name Retin-A, is a prescription cream that may help improve the appearance of new stretch marks. Though it should not be used during pregnancy, new mothers can use tretinoin cream after giving birth to reduce the appearance of any stretch marks that are less than six weeks old. The cream can be prescribed by a doctor or dermatologist. It doesn't work on older stretch marks and can sometimes irritate the skin.
Surgical Options
According to the Mayo Clinic, most products that claim to treat stretch marks may not help much. Surgical options, while more invasive and costly, are a better choice if you really want to get rid of stretch marks. Procedure options include pulsed dye laser therapy and fractional photothermolysis, which stimulate collagen and elastin production; microdermabrasion, which makes the skin more elastic in older stretch marks; and excimer laser therapy, which stimulates melanin production and repigmentation.
