How To Prevent Stretch Marks By Rejuvenating Your Collagen

Stretch marks occur when your body grows faster than what your skin’s collagen can handle. Your skin is made of collagen and elastin proteins that can only stretch so far before they break. Once you exceed the limit that they can stretch, the proteins will break – and they leave evidence behind in the form of a stretch mark.

Who Gets Stretch Marks?

It’s common to get stretch marks during pregnancy, rapid weight gain, obesity, and when body building. Pregnancy is a time when new skin and tissues are being added rapidly. When someone gains weight rapidly or is obese, there’s an overload on the skin and the tissues. When someone is bodybuilding, there’s a much higher demand on the muscle and skin proteins to grow. All these conditions cause the elastic fibers just under the surface of the skin to break, resulting in stretch marks.

But not all pregnant women and bodybuilders get stretch marks. Part of the stretch marks puzzle is that the type of skin you have and your genetics play a role in how easily you develop stretch marks. The thinner your skin, the more susceptible it is to break. The less elasticity you have in your skin, the more easily you’ll develop stretch marks.

You can tell how elastic your skin is by this method:

1. Rest your right hand naturally on a desk.
2. With your left forefinger and thumb, squeeze the skin covering your hand together, pulling it upwards. Hold in this position for 3 seconds.
3. Let the skin snap back in place. Count the seconds it takes to return to normal. The longer it takes, the worse your skin elasticity.

How To Prevent Stretch Marks

An ounce of prevention is always worth more than trying to deal with a situation afterward. This is truly the case with stretch marks. Many will attest that if they had only done something to prevent them from occurring, it would have been much easier than trying to get rid of them. So, if you’re reading this in time then make sure you follow these tips!

Here’s a list of six ways you can prevent stretch marks from occurring:

1. Hydrolyzed collagen. Collagen formation is essential to improving your skin’s elasticity. Besides eating a high protein diet (fish, chicken, beef, buffalo, lamb, turkey, eggs, etc.), supplement your diet with collagen broth and a collagen peptide powder. Hydrolyzed collagen supplements are shown to boost healthy collagen in skin and reduce wrinkle depth. Although there haven’t been many studies on collagen supplements specifically for preventing stretch marks, indications suggest this is one of the most powerful supplements you can take for overall skin health.
2. Drink plenty of water. This is important because blood volume doubles by the 7th month of pregnancy and your body is demanding water. Drink at least 2 liters of water each day if you’re pregnant. Whenever you notice you have dry lips, drink water.
3. Rub in good fats topically. Apply coconut oil, shea butter or cocoa butter daily to your belly, breasts, thighs and buttocks. These support cell membranes in the skin, which absolutely need good fats to stay strong.
4. Increase your vitamin C intake. Vitamin C helps in the formation of collagen in your skin. It’s always better to increase vitamin C from foods rather than supplements, so you get the natural forms the body has used for millennia. Foods highest include oranges, red peppers, green peppers, apples, and grapefruit.
5. Take fish oils daily. Fish oils are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids you need for healthy skin and (during pregnancy) your baby’s brain development. If you’re bodybuilding, these fatty acids are also important in natural hormone balance and recovery.
6. Get the correct amount of zinc. Zinc deficiency can contribute to stretch marks. Try to get zinc from food, and ask your doctor to order a serum zinc test to assess status. If you’re deficient, your clinician may recommend 50–100 mg daily to replenish stores. Zinc supports healthy skin and collagen formation; food sources include dark meat chicken and turkey, and beef (oysters are also high).

What Can You Do To Get Rid of Stretch Marks If You Already Have Them?

If you already have bad stretch marks, don’t worry—there are options. Cosmetic dermatologists have reported that certain laser treatments can help reduce the appearance of stretch marks after a few sessions. See this short video about removing stretch marks.