I have been losing weight lately, and am now getting stretch marks on my thighs!! I already had a few, but now they’re all over. I would prefer not to have wrinkly-looking legs during the first summer in a couple of years that I can wear a bikini!!
Please recommend!
Coconut oil, Mederma, Lanolin, Baby lotion - what should I use?
Only a few of them are deep and purple - most are just little grooves that need to go away.
Well, all products work better if you apply them as soon as the marks appear; however, any product with an AHA or Glycolic Acid will improve the look of the skin, irrespective of how long you’ve had the marks.
I have my SO use the BioTherm on his arms/back becasue of weight-lifting induced marks and it’s very effective. He uses a body moisturizer on his back with Glycolic Acid in it because of very dry skin - it too works very well, but for a different problem.
I spoke to my dermatologist about stretch marks and she said that any effect they have is from the massaging in of the product which potentailly breaks down the tissue in the stretch mark. She said that dermabrasion is the only medically proven method. YMMV but she did go to school for this after all.
Your dermatologist is correct in that the only way to completely, totally, 100% remove stretch marks is dermabrasion. I have heard that lasers will work also. Or surgery.
Obviously, I’m suggesting things that are effective on a smaller scale.
FWIW, both AHA’s and Glycolic Acids remove the top layers of skin - just like dermabrasion. They’re just:
Much, much cheaper.
Much, much less invasive - we’re talking about cream here.
Much, much easier - at home, in the bathroom, in the morning or before bed.
Obviously, if someone has stretch marks that they want totally, completely 100% gone, they should consult a surgeon. For everyone else the topical solutions are effective for increasing the fade time and minimizing the appearance.