Stretch marks are common among people who gain and lose weight rapidly. According to MayoClinic.com, stretch marks are common in pregnant women, especially during the latter portion of pregnancy. Many brands of stretch mark creams are available in the drug stores. Most include a few common moisturizers and some include a few less common extracts. Stretch mark creams are designed to decrease the stretch mark scarring and make the skin's surface look smoother.
History
Stretch marks appear most often on the abdomen, breasts, buttocks, thighs and upper arms. They usually appear as reddish, purplish or pink streaks that indent into the skin's surface in striations. Stretch marks may also appear pink or reddish at first, then fade to a white or gray color over time. According to MayoClinic.com, stretch marks result from a stretching of the skin along with an increase in cortisone. Cortisone is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands and can weaken elastic fibers in the skin, resulting in stretch marks. Weightlifters and adolescents experiencing growth spurts may notice stretch marks, as will people who use corticosteroid creams or lotions. If you use oral or systemic steroids, it may put you at a risk for stretch marks as well. Diseases of the adrenal glands and syndromes, such as Cushing's, Marfan and Ehlers-Danlos, can also cause the body to produce stretch marks.
Function
Stretch mark creams lighten and fade the stretch mark scars on the body. They also add moisturizers to the skin to help improve skin tone and texture and mask imperfections. Some stretch mark creams double as scar removal creams, which are formulated to reduce the appearance of new or existing scars. These topical gels or creams help scars appear smoother and soften the color of the scar so it is not as evident in comparison to the surrounding skin. Stretch marks, sometimes called keloids, are thought to be a result of derailments in the wound healing process following an injury, according to ClinicalTrials.gov.
Moisturizers
Moisturizers hold water in the skin. They can also act as a temporary barrier for the skin. Most moisturizers contain both humectants, substances that absorb water from the air and hold the moisture close to the skin, and emollients, ingredients that fill in the spaces between the cells in the skin to help replace lipids. The emollients smooth and lubricate rough, dry skin. According to MayoClinic.com, moisturizers may also include other ingredients, including vitamins, minerals, sunscreens, plant extracts and sunless tanners. Vitamin E provides moisturization to the skin, and in a double-blind study of 100 pregnant women at the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in 2000, those who used a form of Vitamin E on their stretch marks developed fewer marks than those who used the placebo.
Onion Bulb Extract
Onion bulb extract is one of the most common effective ingredients in stretch mark creams. According to a 2010 study by Z.D. Draelos et. al., at the Duke University School of Medicine in North Carolina, a group of women were treated with an onion extract cream on one thigh and used the other thigh as a control. The participants were evaluated at two, four, eight and 12 weeks, and the study found that the treated thigh showed a distinct change in appearance, texture, color and softness, while the untreated thigh did not. The researchers decided that onion extract is beneficial in treating and reducing stretch marks.
Retin-A
Retin-A is a form of Vitamin A that is applied topically to the skin to help it repair itself. Some stretch mark creams use chemicals like Retin-A or Renova to improve the appearance of stretch marks. Creams using these chemicals should only be used on stretch marks that are less than six weeks old. Retin-A helps to rebuild collagen to make the skin appear more like the surrounding skin. Retin-A is often used to treat acne or to reduce wrinkles and skin discoloration. It is important to make sure your skin is dry before applying Retin-A to avoid skin irritation. Drugs.com suggests waiting at least 20 minutes before and one hour after applying the topical cream after washing your skin.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Stretch Marks
- MayoClinic.com: Moisturizers
- ClinicalTrials.gov: A Randomized Comparative Study Evaluating the Tolerability and Efficacy of Two Topical Therapies for the Treatment of Keloids and Hypertrophic Scars
- PubMed.gov: Creams for preventing stretch marks in pregnancy.
- Pub Med.gov: Evaluation of an onion extract, Centella asiatica, and hyaluronic acid cream in the appearance of striae rubra.
- Drugs.com: Retin-A
