What are stretch marks?

Stretch marks are a natural response to many processes which may cause the skin to grow rapidly. The good news is there are many natural ways to reduce the appearance of stretch marks.

Firstly, there are different types of stretch marks, it is good to work out which one you have prior to considering treatment options. Stretch marks often begin as red or purple marks

The newer, red-tinged stretch marks (striae rubra) are typically easier to treat. They begin red because blood vessels are present under the skin. The presence of functioning blood vessels may allow red stretch marks to be more responsive to treatment. Over time, your blood vessels will narrow, making it harder to stimulate collagen production in the skin tissue.

Top tips for stretch marks:

1. Exfoliate

Exfoliation removes excess dead skin from your body and new skin from your stretch marks.

Removing dead skin from your stretch marks allows other skin treatments to penetrate more deeply and work faster and therefore enhances other treatments applied to the skin.

Our favourite: Body Polish (200ml)

2. Topical treatments

Topical treatments are applied to the skin.

Applied regularly, topical treatments can lighten the tone of stretch marks but they may not completely remove them.

Our favourites:

• Advanced Retinoid Body Oil: Vitamin A in skin care products is referred to as a retinoid. Retinoids can make skin appear smoother and more youthful[i].

• Stretch Mark Oil 100ml

• Virgin Rosehip Serum 30ml: According to a 2013 study, a moisturiser containing rosehip oil helped to prevent the severity of stretch marks in pregnant women with previous stretch marks, and helped prevent new stretch marks from developing. [ii]

• Skin Rescue Serum 30ml

• Blackthorn Toning Body Oil (75ml): Blackthorn Toning Body Oil offers strengthening, warming skin care for all the family. It has even proved successful during pregnancy when it is particularly important to keep skin supple to prevent pregnancy-induced stretch marks.

• Skin Repair Organic Topical Oil - Ultimate Beauty (100ml)

• Omega Oil: Omega Oil has been clinically proven to help stretch marks, scars, uneven skin tone, dehydrated, ageing skin. Existing Stretch Marks / Scars were seen to improve by the majority of clinical trial users after 12 weeks.

• Ultimate Beauty Oil
• Organic Castor oil: 90 percent of castor oil consists of a monounsaturated fat called ricinoleic acid. For the skin, the fat has benefical actions to support the skin. This can prevent stretch marks from becoming more obvious over time. Antioxidant benefits are also thought to contribute to its benefits [iii]

Supplemental recommendations for stretch marks

Hyaluronic Acid (30 Capsules): Hyaluronic acid is a powerful ingredient for moisturizing and skin healing. Hyaluronic acid is a natural substance, a sugar molecule that occurs naturally in the skin, and also in fluids in the eyes and joints. Taken orally, hyaluronic acid can reduce signs of ageing and therefore may help in skin cell replication to reduce the appearance of stretch marks[iv].

Collagen Inner Beauty Boost (500ml): Collagen is a protein that makes your skin more elastic. If your skin doesn't have enough, the marks may show up as it stretches. Increased collagen and elastin promotes skin regeneration that can improve your skin's appearance and reduce stretch marks [v] [vi].

Ultimate BeauTea Organic Loose Leaf Herbal Tea (50g): Drink deliciously sweet and aromatic Ultimate Beauty Tea as part of your beauty regimen.

Other options to try for stretch marks

Dry Brushing: In terms of stretch marks, dry brushing can actually help soften the fat deposits that live under your skin and force them to distribute more evenly

Microdermabrasion: Microdermabrasion is a painless procedure to reduce the appearance of white stretch marks. This procedure targets the upper layer of skin (epidermis), and works by stimulating the skin to tighten collagen and elastin fibres. For effective results, microdermabrasion needs to be repeated over a period of time.

Microneedling: Microneedling targets the dermis, which is the middle layer of your skin where stretch marks form. Within this procedure, tiny needles are used to trigger collagen production. Increased collagen and elastin production promotes skin regeneration that can improve your appearance of stretch marks.

To effectively treat stretch marks, you’ll need to participate in more than one treatment over a course of months.