It is generally accepted that the main cause of stretch marks on the skin is pregnancy and breastfeeding. Hence the most common localization of stretch marks is the chest and abdomen. This is easily explained: hormonal changes in the body during these important periods of a woman’s life, changes in the usual volumes of anatomical zones are automatically accompanied by stretching of the skin and disruption of the integrity of the capillaries. The spatial arrangement of the connective tissue framework of the dermis changes, which is visually manifested by striae - thin strips of skin from one to ten centimeters, which differ from the norm in color, structure and are considered a cosmetic defect.
However, not only pregnancy and lactation provoke stretch marks; they can be the result of injuries, excess weight and appear in both women and men. Then stretch marks can form on the thighs and buttocks. Dealing with them on your own is a practically impossible task. But how to remove stretch marks on the chest, stomach, hips? The specialists of the center for aesthetic dermatocosmetology MIDERM are ready to lend you a helping hand and help you get rid of any skin imperfections that have arisen, if you wish.
Causes of stretch marks on the skin
The most “dangerous” are considered to be stretch marks that arise as a result of hormonal imbalance. This may be puberty or menopause, when extra pounds appear that are unusual for the skin, which causes it to stretch involuntarily. There is no choice: you can’t argue with increasing muscle mass. By the way, the human constitution itself can cause the formation of stretch marks, as can constant stress, poor nutrition, and concomitant pathologies (for example, Cushing’s syndrome).
In addition, among the causes of striae there are:
- macrotrauma or microchanges in connective tissue that occur even when wearing uncomfortable clothes;
- imperfection of collagen or elastic fibers that do not have the necessary strength, which is established at the time of their formation;
- genetic predisposition.
Stretch marks themselves are not very dangerous if they are a cosmetic defect and nothing more. But even here, when correcting stretch marks, their age matters.
Summarizing
What to do with stretch marks on the chest is an individual matter, but you need to start right away and preferably with the least traumatic methods. If a woman decides to undergo salon procedures for eliminating stretch marks, she should carefully weigh all the disadvantages and advantages, especially with regard to long-standing defects: is it worth putting her health at risk, since the problem has not bothered her for several years, is it worth starting to fight it at all?
Each person’s skin is individual, so after using some cosmetics (both homemade and factory-made), an allergic reaction is possible.
Varieties
There are two types of stretch marks: young and older. The first ones last no more than six months, pink with a purple tint, without a tendency to scarring. Correcting such stretch marks involves normalizing the shade and volume of the skin. If stretch marks protrude above the surface of the dermis, the situation is leveled by peeling. Sometimes there are so many stretch marks that without a plastic surgeon’s knife the problem becomes insoluble.
In stretch marks older than six months, scarring begins and they acquire a whitish tint, which is due to the breakdown of the collagen framework. In this case, the vessels of the connective tissue are left unattended, they are not compressed by anything, which leads to stagnation of blood in them. Of course, it is more difficult to treat such stretch marks. But the situation is by no means hopeless: the main thing is to find professionals who can provide adequate, comprehensive therapy and suggest how to properly remove stretch marks on the abdomen, chest, and thighs.
Methods to combat stretch marks
Treatment of stretch marks on the chest is a painstaking and long-term task. The success of the event depends entirely on the purposeful actions of the woman. If stretch marks appear on your chest, you need to take action immediately. You can't wait for the stripes to turn white. The following home remedies are suitable for stretch marks:
- Folk methods.
- Cosmetical tools.
If you want to work on whitened stretch marks, don’t expect much results at home. Such skin changes are practically impossible to correct. You won't be able to change the size of stretch marks at home, but you can try to match their color with your skin using Contractubex gel.
You can treat white stretch marks with modern salon procedures. They will significantly reduce the size of stretch marks and make them almost invisible.
The process will go faster if you adhere to other rules that are presented in the prevention section. Even if stretch marks have already appeared, many of them can correct their appearance.
Traditional methods
How to get rid of stretch marks on the chest using traditional methods? There are a lot of recipes, they are mainly used in the following form:
- Rubdowns.
- Wraps.
- Scrubs.
- Rubbing.
- Compresses.
- Creams.
All ingredients are easy to find at a pharmacy or grocery store. The effect of the procedures should not be expected instantly. The first results will become noticeable in at least six months.
Algae wraps
Seaweed needs to be infused in hot water. At the same time, warm up the skin of the chest (you can take a hot bath or make hot lotions). Distribute the seaweed evenly over the skin, wrap it in plastic wrap or a plastic bag, and wrap it in woolen cloth. Climb under the blanket for half an hour.
Contrast compresses
You need to prepare two plates with water: pour hot water into one (38-39 degrees) and add a small spoon of salt, and cold water and the juice of a quarter of a lemon into the other. First moisten a rag in a warm solution and apply it to the skin of the chest for thirty seconds, then in a cold solution and apply it for the same time. Repeat 8-10 or more times.
Tonics and lotions
You can use lotions as a stand-alone product or complete them with wraps or compresses.
Recipe 1. Boil a couple of tablespoons of dry rosemary herb in a liter of water. After cooling, add the juice of half a lemon, a couple of teaspoons of alcohol and salt.
Recipe 2. Mix dried linden flowers with dill seeds. Infuse two tablespoons of the mixture in boiling water (half a liter) for 3-4 hours, strain. Apply to the chest using a cotton or gauze pad and wait until it dries.
Essential and vegetable oils for stretch marks
Pure essential oils from jars are not used - they are added to cosmetics or various bases.
You can use the following oils for stretch marks on the chest:
- Rose oil: restores skin qualities such as elasticity and firmness, has a calming effect.
- Neroli oil: gives the skin softness, velvety, smoothness and generally strengthens the epidermis.
- Lavender oil: perfectly deodorizes, has an anti-inflammatory effect, slows down aging and stimulates cell regeneration.
- Ylang-ylang oil: smoothes the skin, helps restore water balance (moisturizing effect), restores elasticity and tenderness.
- Tangerine oil: tones the skin, has an antiseptic effect, smoothes scars, stretch marks, acne marks, eliminates acne and pimples.
- Geranium oil: controls metabolic processes in cells, triggers mechanisms to tone and soften the skin.
When mixing with cosmetics, adhere to the following rule: for every 10 ml of mask or cream, add no more than 5 drops of oil or a mixture of oils. If you prefer to prepare the products yourself, then use vegetable oils: olive, sunflower, almond, sea buckthorn, etc. To 20 ml of base you need to add a mixture of three drops of juniper, lemon and lavender essential oils. Apply the product after a shower and gently rub into the skin of the chest.
Homemade scrubs
Scrubs provide not only exfoliation of the skin, but also micromassage. The following ingredients are used for homemade scrub:
- 100 ml vegetable oil, 0.2 kg sugar, 0.2 kg fine salt.
- Sour cream and coffee grounds.
- Clay and coarse salt.
- Honey, essential oils and coffee grounds.
The ingredients are mixed together and applied with massaging movements. After 10 minutes of intense rubbing, problem areas are washed off. You need to apply a special anti-stretch mark cream or a self-prepared cream to the chest area.
Homemade creams
Dilute 1 g of mumiyo in 2-3 ml of water, add to a bottle with baby nourishing cream (100 ml). The cream must be stored in a cool place. Rub into stretch marks and surrounding skin every day.
About 100 g of dandelion leaves (you can take fresh or frozen) are mixed with crushed aloe leaves (2 pieces are enough), 70-80 ml of vegetable oil and oatmeal (easily prepared from flakes in a coffee grinder and added as a thickener). The cream is applied to stretch marks and washed off after half an hour. Can be stored in a cool place for about a week.
Video: Stretch marks (striae). Fighting stretch marks. New effective way!
Cosmetical tools
There is a wide range of factory-made remedies for stretch marks. A remedy for stretch marks on the chest can be seen in every cosmetic store. It is better to choose cosmetics with a natural composition; the first rows of the composition should include vitamins A and E, hyaluronic acid, natural oils and extracts, amino acids, etc. It is important to give preference to trusted companies, and even more reliably purchase cosmetics for stretch marks at the pharmacy.
Professional salon treatments
The services of professional cosmetologists significantly reduce the size of the wallet, but show good results, even if the age of the defect is 3-5 or more years. The price of professional care is directly related to the age of the stretch marks - the older the defect, the more expensive its elimination will be. The salons offer treatments that not only the wives of oil tycoons, but also ordinary average women can afford. The frequency of visits to a cosmetologist is determined individually and depends on the initial condition of the skin and stretch marks.
Wraps
The procedure is based on the delivery of nutrients and vitamins necessary for the body through the skin. What differs from similar home procedures is the use of professional preparatory manipulations (application of lotions and creams for better penetration of components) and the composition of the wraps (contains special ingredients to increase the effectiveness of the procedure). After application, the patient sits comfortably on a couch under a thermal blanket for half an hour to an hour or more. To achieve results, up to 10-15 sessions are required.
Ultrasonic exposure
The procedure appeared recently. Ultrasonic massage affects the deep layers of the dermis and stimulates blood flow. And intense blood flow intensively supplies tissues with nutrients and provokes restoration of damaged areas.
Chemical peeling
During the procedure, special acid-containing preparations “burn” the upper layers of the skin. This kind of trauma triggers regenerative processes. The skin that appears to replace the mottled striae has a smooth texture and is free of any defects (subject to qualified provision of services and proper post-procedure care). Chemical peeling is performed under local anesthesia and is a painful and expensive procedure.
Microdermabrasion
At its core, microdermabrasion is no different from scrubbing. Using a special device with a stream of directed air, small solid particles are supplied, which massage the top layer of skin and exfoliate dead cells. The procedure is superficial, therefore it is effective only for fresh stretch marks.
Risk factors
Surely, many people are concerned about the question: why do some people, all other things being equal, get stretch marks and others don’t? This is due to provoking factors: deficiency of protein products in the diet, climate, ultraviolet radiation, bad habits, lack of vitamin C - everything that reduces the synthesis of your own collagen. It turns out that the breakdown of old collagen remains at the same level, and not enough new is formed. This leads to sagging of the dermis and the formation of stretch marks.
Patients at risk, except pregnant women:
- with a hereditary predisposition;
- during puberty and menopause;
- with extra pounds;
- those who eat extra calories and often lose weight;
- taking hormonal medications;
- bodybuilders.
Symptoms of stretch marks
Striae are easy to detect visually. These are wavy narrow stripes that are noticeable on the surface of the skin of the abdomen, thighs and other places. Coloring may vary:
- white;
- bluish;
- pinkish.
Stretch marks change color from reddish to purple over time. By this sign, you can determine the oldness of striae. Also, the skin in the affected areas becomes flabby - this is another clear sign of stretch marks.
As a rule, pathologies associated with striae are accompanied by other symptoms, including hair growth in uncharacteristic places - mustaches, beards in women. Upper type obesity may also develop and blood pressure may increase. These are quite dangerous conditions that cannot be treated on their own - you need to see a doctor and undergo a series of examinations.
Methods for removing young stretch marks
Although today on the Internet they increasingly and more insistently claim that they know how to remove stretch marks on the hips, abdomen and chest once and for all in a variety of ways, you need to clearly understand that this is only possible through surgery. All other methods are intended only to correct the aesthetic defect, reduce it to a minimum, and make it almost invisible. This is why the clinic you go to is critical. In any case, the behavior scenario is chosen by the doctor and a full clinical examination cannot be avoided. Then comes the time for correction.
Young stretch marks can be removed:
- microdermabrasion - edge grinding with aluminum sand;
- microneedling – activation of fibroblasts with microneedles for the synthesis of their own collagen;
- peeling - median TCA, glycolic acid is useless;
- laser – fractional and vascular;
- injections of exogenous collagen, which serves as an activator of the synthesis of its own collagen fibers.
Mesotherapy is used as an additional technique; it does not produce results on its own, just like creams, gels, ointments, which are used at the final stage of treatment to achieve aesthetic perfection of the result.
Preventive procedures
Preventive measures are always preferable, since it is much easier to prevent the occurrence of a defect than to get rid of it later. You need to properly care for your skin throughout your entire adult life, then the chance of avoiding the problem increases many times over. Below are tips on how to prevent stretch marks on the chest:
- The décolleté and chest area needs nourishing and moisturizing care. Creams with the appropriate effect should not only be in your cosmetic bag, but also used regularly. It would be good if their composition included collagen, elastin, and natural plant oils (grape seeds, avocado, cocoa beans, etc.). You can purchase special cosmetics to prevent stretch marks.
- Moisturize the body from the inside. Drink at least 2 liters of plain water. Dehydrated skin is more easily injured.
- Monitor your diet. The predominant products are fresh vegetables, herbs, and fruits.
- If you need to lose weight, choose a diet and exercise regimen so that the pounds don’t fall off too quickly. Muscles should not work for wear, the best regime is a gradual increase in pace, complexity of exercises and regular training.
- A contrast shower is an excellent prevention of stretch marks. Cool water stimulates blood flow and intensively nourishes the skin. An important rule: the procedure should end with a cold stream of water and begin with a hot one.
- Massage, in particular Garcia massage. The technique can be easily mastered without special education, but regularity of the procedure is the key to healthy breast skin.
- The underwear must exactly match the size of the breasts (do not rub anywhere, do not squeeze and surround the mammary glands tightly enough). It is especially important to choose a bra for breastfeeding women. During breastfeeding, select underwear only from natural fabrics.
