Avoiding stretch marks on your skin is much easier than dealing with the marks after the fact. Once the skin gets stretched, it’s not easy to undo the damage. Some women, for instance, swear off bikinis forever and refuse to wear short shorts due to belly stretch marks and unattractive marks down the sides of their legs from weight loss or pregnancy. Some women avoid showing any cleavage as well because of stretch marks around their breasts. Stretch marks can be a detriment to a person’s self-confidence if left untreated.

Proactive Stretch Mark Approaches

Some people are more prone to these marks than others but here are some examples of things you can do to minimise the chances of getting them in the first place:

• Drink plenty of water. The better hydrated your skin is, the more pliable it will be
• Moisturise. Using high quality moisturising products can help as well
• Lose or gain weight at a slow and steady pace in order to minimise the literal wear and tear on your skin

In cases where you’re pregnant, the third tip might not be as possible as gaining weight steadily is important to the growing baby and you’re not thinking much about the consequences to your body because the coming baby is the top priority.

In a case where you’re pregnant, in the midst of dieting or trying to gain muscle, you are most likely to get stretch marks so are best to take some proactive approaches. Do things such as: moisturise your body daily before bedtime with a quality anti stretch mark cream. Using creams proactively can help you minimise the damage and number of belly stretch marks you’ll get. Don’t forget about your chest and your legs. These areas stretch as well as the belly.

Reactive Stretch Mark Approaches

If it’s too late and you’re already dealing with stretch marks there are several things you can do to minimise the appearance of them. There are medical procedures such as laser treatment and there are some very effective creams on the market that guarantee results in helping you get rid of the unattractive marks. You don’t have to simply live with stretch marks and there are companies that offer money back guarantees in helping you deal with this problem.