Our most hated foes: stretch marks and cellulite

Andrea Varga-Darabos Our most hated foes: stretch marks and cellulite 15 January 2016 | 2 minute reading time

You say stretch marks, I say: prevention. Sudden growth, weigh gain or pregnancy are the most likely to cause stretch marks in people who are susceptible to them. However, the right lifestyle and the right skin care drastically enhance your chances (even during pregnancy) to avoid lasting damage to connective tissue. The question of how many ‘zebra-stripes’ you develop over the years is not one to ignore.

Cellulite is down to a weakness of connective tissue and just like stretch marks, it causes a lot of trouble to a lot of women regardless of their figure or build.

First thing first, you have to improve your digestion and metabolism. Returning to your optimal, healthy weight, keeping a healthy, low-sugar diet, embracing regular exercise as well as using an (infra)sauna can help a lot. Of course, you also need to make sure you consume enough fluids. Finally, I hope it goes without saying that smoking and alcohol do absolutely no favours to your skin.

What can you do directly on skin?

You can defeat stretch marks and bumps by improving the general health of your skin. For the fading of stretch marks I’d first recommend COCO & Cinnamon Soap and cocoa butter – both are excellent moisturisers and they protect the skin. Cocoa Butter is one of the most stable natural butters and it’s rich in the most concentrated natural fat. It’s easily absorbed in the skin. It’s also worth trying Organic Virgin Coconut Butter or any edition of Shea Butter until you find Your favourite.

To those who are expecting, midwives and gynecologists often recommend scent-free Sweet Almond Oil to ease the itchiness of the belly as well as to make tissue around the perineum more flexible a couple of weeks ahead of delivery.

My other tip (for those who aren’t currently pregnant or breastfeeding) is massage with essential oil. Here, Geranium Essential Oil and ginger oil are very useful as they improve lymph circulation (that’s what happens when you see your skin turn slightly reddish).

You can also promote the regeneration of the skin surface with regular scrubbing – for that, I recommend trying a luffa sponge which is nothing else than the inside of the luffa fruit.