Which topical ingredients work best for treating stretch marks?Back

Stretch-marks are scars caused by tearing in the dermis when skin is stretched to the point of breakdown, at which time they start to show through the epidermis manifesting as reddish, purple striae. At this early stage therapists can have impact on the scars, helping to rapidly reduce redness, promote repair and prevent further stretching.

Bear in mind stretch marks cannot be eliminated completely; however, the appearance can be improved greatly with correct early care. It’s essential to treat whilst the striae are reddish purple, not silvery.

Oils and creams that work superficially only moisturise; they cannot treat or prevent stretch marks as they only work epidermally, not where the tearing occurs. It’s important to deeply nourish the skin with multi-functional active ingredients that penetrate to the dermis to heal, repair, thicken and re-elasticise. 

With continued use of such treatments, skin becomes stronger, more resilient, and able to stretch without damage. Treat stretch marks as you would scars, with high-percentage wound-healing plants such as centella asiatica, aloe ferox, bioflavonoids, and anti-glycation peptides, as well as elastin and collagen-stimulating ingredients and scar-healing anti-inflammatories.
 
** For example, RégimA Scar Repair & Anti-Stretch Complex twice daily provides treatment as well as prevention while helping eliminate the incessant itching associated with stretch mark development. Improvement rate depends on age and elasticity factors. With reddish purple stretch marks, you should normally allow two to three months to see improvement. To help further accelerate the repair process, treatments containing lactic, malic or citric acids every fortnight will promote healing, with dramatic improvement in as little as six weeks.

RégimA International Skin Treatments has been manufacturing cosmeceuticals in South Africa for plastic surgeons, dermatologists and skincare professionals since 1990.