Topical skin care products are the most common option for women who are looking to get rid of stretch marks. Many women, in fact, only use topical treatments to fight against unsightly stretch marks.
Shea Butter
Shea butter is popular for a variety of different skin ailments. It is a very strong moisturizer, and also works to reduce inflammation. It is especially good for stretch marks that have appeared quite recently. Some people find that pure shea butter works better than a lotion with shea butter, but it depends on the person.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is another natural product that is known to be great for hydrating and moisturizing skin. Some people like to use pure coconut oil, but pure coconut oil is known to sometimes cause adverse reactions. It may be a better choice for you to use a coconut oil-based lotion to fight against a particularly unsightly stretch marks.
Retinoic Acid
Retinoic acid is a man-made substance which is known to be good at getting rid of unsightly marks. It is most effective on recent marks. Retinoic acid works by increasing your skin's collagen production, which is the basis of skin health in pretty much every way. Keep in mind that retinoic acid is strong and needs to be used according to instructions.
Combination of Ascorbic Acid and Glycolic Acid
Glycolic acid and ascorbic acid are known to work very well in combination to help healthy skin stay elastic, which will in turn help reduce the appearance of marks over a period of time. This combination of products can be very effective, but it does take several months of applying every day for the best results.
Trichloroacetic Acid Peel
Chemical peels are also known to be very effective in reducing the appearance of marks. Chemical peels are often used with laser resurfacing, which will be discussed later. There are over the counter chemical peels available, but it may be best to have a professional apply a chemical peel. Chemical peels are very strong and are best used by a professional. If you do a chemical peel yourself, start with a low amount and work your way up.
Vitamin E
Many lotions have vitamin E, which will help reduce the appearance of marks. Vitamin E is an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory, which can also help your skin look cleaner, fresher, and brighter. Creams with a great deal of vitamin E are available by prescription, but less powerful lotions are available over-the-counter.
Cow Udder Cream
Udder cream has become a popular skin care product in the last few years. There was a common misconception that this is a dairy-based cream because of the name. However, this cream was actually used to treat cow udders which were very dry and cracked when the cows needed to be milked. This cream is one of the strongest natural moisturizers around, and it can help your skin overcome marks.
If your marks are particularly upsetting to you and skin care products are not getting the job done, you may want to look into the different medical procedures that can be performed. These procedures vary in cost and in recovery time.
Pulsed Dye Laser
For women that have marks that are resistant to skin care products, treatment with a pulsed dye laser may be a good idea. This treatment is relatively affordable and has a short recovery time. It can kick-start collagen production in the skin, which helps with all areas of skin health including getting rid of scars and marks. It also helps the skin rejuvenate itself and brings out fresh, new, healthy skin which additionally reduces the darkness of these marks.
Fractional Laser Resurfacing
Fractional laser resurfacing is aimed at treating the texture of the skin around the edge of the mark. A stretch mark is usually raised above the surface of the healthy skin by a noticeable amount. Fractional laser resurfacing will treat the skin and remove the excess tissue associated with the mark. This will, in turn, reduce the appearance of the mark.
Platelet-Rich Plasma Injections
This is a fairly new procedure, it involves drawing the patient's own blood, extracting the plasma, and injecting it into the area of the mark. This will, as with many of the treatments on this list, boost the collagen production in the area.
There are many effective treatments that come from various approaches to reducing the appearance of these marks. It may be difficult to completely get rid of stretch marks, but you can certainly reduce them to a great extent.