Pregnant women are the targets of several scams and miraculous stretch mark skincare creams are the most popular. While a little Vitamin E can be nourishing for the skin, to expect that it will make all stretch marks vanish overnight is not reasonable. Regardless of what is used, the skin will likely show scars of drastic stretching that happens over a short time period. The degree of successful healing is dependent upon a person’s age, skin tone, heredity and diet.

The general cause of stretch marks is the stretching of the skin, an increase in cortisone production that weakens the skin’s elasticity and the disruption of collagen production. Usually, pregnancy or other weight gain causes the appearance of stretch marks. Nevertheless, other folks may get these scars as well. These include body builders, growing adolescents, those taking Corticosteroids or those with a hereditary disorder, such as Cushing’s syndrome, Marfan syndrome or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. People may be susceptible to these unsightly marks if they have dry skin, have poor water intake, consume excess fatty foods, exercise too little or too much, take steroids, smoke or drink.

Although there is a variety of alleged stretch mark removal treatments available, the majority are at best only partially effectual. The least invasive treatment is the use of stretch mark creams like Tretinoin cream (Retin-A, Renova) that can help with new stretching during maternity. These creams work by rebuilding collagen with the effect of reducing stretch mark appearance. Also available for new marks is Pulsed Dye Laser Therapy or Fractional Photothermolysis, both of which use wavelengths of light to encourage collagen and elastin growth. For older marks, Microdermabrasion uses a handheld device to buff the skin surface with crystals, thereby taking away skin cells from the top layer of skin to stimulate newer, more elastic skin growth. In addition, for older white marks, the Excimer laser endeavors to encourage melanin production to reduce the appearance of the scars.

Presently, there is no guaranteed way of preventing pregnancy stretch marks and there are no magical cures either. Although there are a number of products marketed toward reducing stretch marks, there is no scientific grounds that suggest they really work. Maintaining general health is the best thing a person can do to maintain an attractive appearance, by exercising, eating a well-balanced diet, drinking eight glasses of water every day and using a moisturizer cream on dry skin. Over time, these marks normally fade a bit on their own.