All About Stretch Marks & Mederma Stretch Mark Therapy

If you have stretch marks, you are not alone. According to CBS News, it’s estimated that 80% in the U.S. have them- if you are part of the lucky 20% you may be genetically exempt but to be safe you should start thinking about how to prevent them with simple skin care. Take heart- even celebrities have stretch marks, J Lo and Reese Witherspoon make good company!

You’ve heard about Mederma Stretch Mark Cream and you want to know if it will really work.

Let’s start with some basic facts about what these marks are and how we can either prevent stretch marks or remove stretch marks that we already have.

What Causes Stretch Marks? Are Stretch Marks and Scars the Same?

Yes! As strange as that seems stretch marks are really scar tissue in the second layer of skin. There are lots of things that cause stretch marks, some of them unexpected like topical steroid use for things such as psoriasis and excema. Here are the other most common causes:

Sudden weight gain

Hormonal changes in teens or in pregnancy

Adolescent growth spurt

Rapid muscle growth

What’s the Best Way to Prevent Stretch Marks?

No particular skin type is more prone to stretch marks, however they are genetic and run in families according to research published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. If your mom has them, chances are good you will get them too!  So, try to get ahead of them with these top stretch mark prevention tips from dermatologists:

1. Avoid rapid weight gain (easier said than done! ugh)
2. Use creams retinoids or peptides that are proven to stimulate collagen production (although you should not use retinoids while pregnant)
3. Moisturize 3 times a day

Does Mederma Stretch Mark Cream Work?

Mederma Stretch Marks Therapy is is a moisturizer that aims to hydrate the skin to help with elasticity and make it less likely to tear then form stretch marks.

Let’s take a look at the ingredients and what they do:

Mederma Stretch Marks Therapy Ingredients

• The primary ingredient is dimethicone, which is silicone a well-known ingredient for moisture.
• Cepalin (onion extract)
• Hyaluronic acid (moisture-binding ingredient)
  
• Centella asiatica plant extract (also known as “gotu kola” an herb from Asia)

Cepalin is the key ingredient in most of the Mederma products which some studies have shown may be effective to reduce inflammation and prevent collagen overproduction to reduce the chances of keloid (raised) scarring.

Since stretch marks are scars, we can treat them the same way, right? Not so fast… Mederma’s key ingredient Cepalin inhibits collagen production to prevent raised scars. But stretch marks are NOT raised, they are recessed… so is inhibiting collagen (a protein in the body responsible for the skin’s elasticity & thickness) a good idea?

How Long Does it Take Mederma Stretch Mark Cream to Work on Stretch Marks?

Does Mederma Stretch Mark Cream Work on Old Stretch Marks?

Moisturizer alone will make the skin more supple and perhaps improve the appearance of stretch marks but it doesn’t have the power to change the cellular structure of the skin. Mederma Stretch Marks Therapy marketers say that the stretch mark cream can be used on old stretch marks but you might do just as well using your favorite body moisturizer.

How Long Does It Take For Mederma to Work on Stretch Marks?

Plan on using it twice a day for 3 months- if you don’t see results after that, give it up. Keep in mind that for new stretch marks, the body’s natural healing process is underway. The stretch marks will improve over time regardless of whether you use the Mederma Stretch Mark Cream. If you want to speed up that natural process give stretch mark creams a try.

From the Directions listed on the Mederma Stretch Marks Therapy box:

Apply until fully absorbed two times a day, morning and evening. Results take time. For existing stretch marks, don’t get discouraged if you do not notice results right away. Generally, Mederma Stretch Marks Therapy users start to see noticeable improvement after about 4 weeks of daily usage, with optimum improvement in 12 weeks.

Merderma Stretch Mark Cream Customer Reviews

A quick scroll through the Mederma Stretch Mark Therapy reviews on Amazon show hit of miss results.

So What Makes Stretch Marks Go Away?

Nothing has been successful making stretch marks completely disappear. However, here are what dermatologists say are the best options for greatly reducing and fading stretch marks:

How to Remove Stretch Marks

Laser Stretch Mark Removal. There are a few different types of lasers that are used to help minimize stretch marks — the pulsed dye laser and fractional laser therapy are two of the most common. Different lasers target different types of stretch marks, which can be darker (red or purple). Both types of laser therapy use wavelengths of light to stimulate new growth of collagen and elastin.
How expensive?
$300 to $1,500, depending on how many treatments are needed

Microdermabrasion. hand-held device that blows crystals onto skin to remove a fine layer of skin, promoting the growth of new, more-elastic skin.

Retinol Cream.  According to the Mayo Clinic, Retinoid cream. Derived from vitamin A, retinoids — such as tretinoin (Retin-A, Renova, Avita) — that you apply to your skin may improve the appearance of stretch marks less than a few months old. Tretinoin, when it works, helps to rebuild collagen, making the stretch marks look more like your normal skin

Peptide Cream. Peptides that help to build collagen or restore elasticity to skin can also help with reducing the appearance of stretch marks or scars