Ah, Stretch marks…the little pesky lines we get when our skin is stretched beyond it’s limit rapidly. Whether it’s weight gain, pregnancy, or genetics, we all have them.

I first noticed mine as a teenager. I had them on my hips, which for me is the first place I tend to gain weight. I have tried all kinds of remedies until coming to terms with the fact, that there was little I could do about them. There were two things I have been incorporating into my routine for years that do help and I wanted to share those.

1. EXFOLIATE

Most of us know to do this on our face, but it is just as important on the rest of our body. I try to use a scrub in the shower at least once a week to remove dead skin cells and have silky smooth skin. I recently tried a coffee scrub and it works great.

2. DRY BRUSHING

I did an entire post a few years ago all about dry brushing and way I do it. As I mentioned in that post, it helps loosen and shed dead skin cells, and will rejuvenate and soften the skin, improve texture, and promote cell renewal. It improves circulation, and allows the body to expel more toxins and helps eliminate cellulite.

3. A STRETCH MARK CREAM THAT WORKS

More Recently, I was given the opportunity to test a product to see if it would work in reducing my stretch marks, and since I have been living at the pool lately, as indicated here and here, the thought of them fading away was enticing. The product is the Stretch Mark Cream by Apothederm.

The first thing I noticed, is it absorbs into the skin pretty quickly and it doesn’t have an overly perfumy scent (aka artificial fragrance.) It smells like shea butter, which is one of the ingredients which helps it to be very hydrating.

I tried the cream for 2 weeks, applying it to my hip area and it seemed like there was improvement, but it wasn’t super drastic on me. The information on the site indicated that the timing on the results could vary but they would improve over time. So I kept using it and at about the 6 week mark is when I took some photos and could tell in a side by side comparison. I was definitely impressed. Are they totally gone? No. But there is improvement and I am pretty happy with it.

So why does it work? This cream has something called Heptapeptide-7.

According to the description on their website, Apothederm calls it a “bioactive SmartPeptide® that boosts collagen and helps support tissue. It is a peptide made of seven naturally occurring amino acids that are commonly found in the skin and is modeled on natural sequences found as part of the body’s own defend and repair system. The use of Heptapeptide-7 on the skin is similar to the body’s own peptides present in the skin and in the same manner, Heptapeptide-7 performs its function and then is broken down into amino acids which are naturally present throughout the body.”

If stretch marks are something you are dealing with, but wish you could get rid of, I recommend trying this cream along with the other steps, to work towards diminishing them. I can only say that this worked for me, and hopefully it works for you too!