It might not be the first thing that we think of, but vitamin E application on stretch marks is a well-established remedy. Vitamin E accumulates in the epidermis layer of the skin and acts as a barrier to stop moisture evaporation. This helps to enhance the skin's strength, condition, and elasticity, which supports the reduction of the appearance of stretch marks. As an antioxidant, vitamin E can also help to maintain the health of our skin by fighting damage caused by free radicals.
No matter why or where stretch marks form, many people would rather they would disappear. Even though stretch marks will not go away altogether, they can fade over time with the right care and treatment. If you look at the ingredients for most stretch marks, pregnancy acne serum and pregnancy stretch mark oil products, you'll find vitamin E is an essential component in these organic products.
What is vitamin E?
Vitamin E and treating Stretch Marks
It is a fat-soluble nutrient present naturally in foods like avocado, asparagus, eggs, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. It is an antioxidant, helping protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals. While it can be taken orally through food, supplements and gel capsules, your body releases only a certain percentage of vitamin E to your skin, no matter how much you eat.
This is why using vitamin E topically is crucial in getting maximum benefits to your skin. Used frequently in sunscreens and sunburn relievers, it is proven to relieve dryness and bolster skin’s UV defense. It evens skin tone and softens skin.
What is a stretch mark?
A stretch mark is a type of a scar which forms when your skin stretches or shrinks rapidly. The abrupt change results in the collagen and elastin, which support human skin, to rapture. As the skin heals, stretch marks may form. However, not everyone develops these narrow bands on their skin. Fluctuating hormone ranks play a vital role in stretch marks formation. One may also be at higher risk of having stretch marks if their family tends developing stretch marks. Most people develop stretch marks during pregnancy, rapid weight loss, and puberty stage. If you have Cushing’s condition or Marfan syndrome, you may develop stretch marks.
When stretch marks first form, they tend to be dark brown, red, pink, purple, or reddish-brown depending on your skin color. When stretch marks first appear, one may feel itchy, and the stretch marks might feel slightly raised. With time, the color fades, and the narrow bands sink under your skin. In case you run your finger over a mature stretch mark, you frequently feel a slight depression.
Vitamin E and Stretchmarks
- Can vitamin E help with stretch marks during pregnancy?
- Can it assist in fading existing stretch marks?
Early application is the best way to stop stretch marks from scarring. They occur during when the skin is stretched so quickly that the dermis, or middle layer of the skin, tears. Aside from weight changes, dryness, itchy skin and poor hydration also increase the likelihood of stretch marks appearing.
Vitamin E oil boosts collagen production, a connective tissue that keeps skin elastic. With more flexibility, your skin will be less susceptive to tears and stretch marks. To help heal and decrease new stretch marks, a topical application of vitamin E promotes skin cell growth and speeds up cell regeneration. To reduce stretch marks and lessen irritation, choose a moisturizing oil or belly butter that has vitamin E, and rub it on to the stretch-mark-prone areas every day. For pregnant women, these areas include the stomach, breasts, thighs, and buttocks.
What Causes Stretch Marks?
They are a result of changes in the elastic supportive tissue that is beneath the skin known as collagen fiber. Collagen fibers exist in the dermis of the skin, and when they are stretched too far, they break. These tears allow blood vessels to be visible, resulting in red or pinkish lines. Over time, these blood vessels get shrink, and we see underlying fat deposits through the tears instead giving stretch marks have a white or silvery appearance.
Pregnancy - Often, stretch marks occur during pregnancy as the skin stretches to support the baby. Not all pregnant women get stretch marks, but many do.
Puberty - During teenage years, we experience change. Rapid growth can cause our skin to stretch, especially on a boy’s back or shoulders or a girl’s breasts and hips.
Weight Gain - Quickly adding weight, either muscle or fat can cause the skin to stretch. This is common among bodybuilders and those on so-called yo-yo diets.
Vitamin E For Stretch Marks
Using Vitamin E for stretch mark treatment
Despite why or where stretch marks form, lots of people would rather that they would leave. Although stretch marks won’t disappear altogether, they can eventually fade over with the right treatment.It may not come to mind first, but using vitamin E for stretch marks is a well-established remedy. It accumulates in the epidermis and serves as a barrier to prevent moisture evaporation.
This helps to improve the skin’s strength, tone, and elasticity, which holds the reduction of the appearance of these marks. As an antioxidant, it can also assist in maintaining the health of our skin by combating damage caused by free radicals.ways to prevent stretch marks. Vitamin E can also be used topically, to promote skin elasticity. Although this is more helpful in preventing stretch marks than treating them.
Prevention of Stretch Marks
Stretch marks can be hard to prevent, especially during puberty and pregnancy. But there are some ways and things that we can do to reduce the breaking of the collagen fibers in the skin and causing stretch marks:
Get the right nutrients - Some minerals and vitamins, like vitamin E, can further promote the skin’s elasticity. Taking collagen supplements can also increase its levels in our dermis.
Steer clear of Crash Diets - Crash diets often result in speedy weight loss or gain. This causes the skin to stretch abruptly, which can cause breakage. Going a little slower can help to reduce the strain on the skin. Stretch marks, medically known as striae are mostly observed on the stomach, thighs, buttocks and upper arm, which may be pinkish, red, purple or white.
Instances of Striae Stretch Marks
This form of stretch marks on the body is generally seen during the following stages:
- the last trimesters of pregnancy
- With sudden weight loss
- When undergoing hormonal therapy
- During puberty in both boys and girls
- With certain diseases like Cushing’s syndrome, adrenal gland diseases
- When using corticosteroid lotions, creams, and pills
- With the chronic use of oral steroids
- When one has certain genetic and auto-immune disorders
All stretch marks do not look alike. They vary depending on how long one has had them, their cause, the type of skin and where they are on the body. Females are generally considered to be at risk of getting stretch marks. A person with a family history of stretch marks or those who are fat or overweight are also more prone to getting stretch marks.
Using vitamin e to lessen stretch marks
Vitamin E medically referred to as tocopherol, is a fat-soluble vitamin and is vital as it helps in signaling cells to start repair in the human body.It also has a hand in neurological functions, inhibiting platelet collection and lipid stability. It is also known to help treat sunburn and some skin ailments.It helps in the treatment and prevention of stretch marks. It is the only vitamin known to dull stretch marks; therefore a lot of stretch marks creams and lotions contain an adequate amount of vitamin E. This is because vitamin E restores the elasticity and improves the strength of the skin.
Benefits of Vitamin E Usage
One of the main reasons why vitamin E is principally used in treating stretch marks is because it helps keep the skin hydrated and healthy by accumulating on the epidermis and assisting as a moisture evaporation guard.Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant, which helps prevents stretch marks by guarding the collagen fibers of the skin from the free radicals, which can damage to the skin. Free radicals can cause the collagen fibers to deteriorate, increasing the chances of skin ripping and hence the chances of stretch marks.
The vitamin keeps collagen fibers strong, and hence they retain their natural elasticity. It can also reduce the sagging and appearance of the wrinkles on the skin.The hydrating quality of vitamin E helps maintain the elasticity of the skin even when stretching occurs. Also, with vitamin E the rate of cell production and repair is improved which helps in healing the teared-off dermis by its deep penetration property.
How to utilize vitamin E for the treatment of stretch marks?
Here are some of the ways one can take Vitamin E:
Vitamin E Creams and Lotions
Many stretch mark cream and lotion products like cocoa butter and Shea butter are known to have vitamin E in them. Massaging them, at least twice daily and in circular movements can help diminish stretch marks.
Vitamin E Oils
A wide assortment of oils like coconut, olive, rosehip, and castor oil are also known to have powerful antioxidant vitamin E, which has a minimum or no side effects on the application. These oils can be used together with other things like Aloe Vera, cocoa butter to get the best result.
Vitamin E Oral Tablets
Vitamin E can also be safely ingested as pills with different International Units, but the most regularly used are between 200 and 400 IU, in gel capsule form. This helps to heal the skin from inside.
Vitamin E Gel Capsules
Vitamin E gels caps are also available in shops, which normally consist of a capsule with the vitamin gel. This capsule can be pierced, and the gel can be massaged on the affected area.
Eating a balanced diet
The most significant source of getting vitamin E is through a balanced diet, which has no side effects. Indulge in Vitamin E rich foods like nuts, tofu, sunflower seeds, legumes, avocado, fish, broccoli and pumpkin. However, almonds are also known to be rich in vitamin E. Vitamin A in combined with vitamin E, can help in the treating stretch marks better.
Care while using vitamin e for stretch marks
While there are nearly no issues taking Vitamin E through a balanced diet, problems may arise when you take supplements. Here are some precautions you should take if you plan to use Vitamin E supplements:
1. Ask your doctor or dermatologist before taking or using any vitamin E supplements, especially if you are expecting or if you have a chronic illness.
2. Use the oils carefully, if you are allergic change to some other alternatives by doing a patch test. If you feel some inflammation or irritation, be wary about its use.
3. With several conditions like heart diseases or diabetes; a supplement of more than 400 IU per day can be risky. High doses can have serious side effects.
4. Some researchers propose that if larger amounts are taken by men, they increase the chance of prostate cancer in men.
5. Some side effects witnessed with high doses of vitamin E are nausea, dizziness, blurry vision, lethargy, weakness, and bleeding.
6. Do not use vitamin supplements for at least for two weeks after a surgical procedure, as this may increase the chances of bleeding.
7. If you have low vitamin K levels, avoid the using of vitamin E which might worsen the clotting problem.
8. Avoid using vitamin E after an angioplasty; this may interfere with the healing process.
What else can reduce stretch marks?
First, it is essential to understand that no single medication works for everyone- and most products do not appear to work at all. You can use stretch marks lotions, gels, and lotions to treat stretch marks. If you want to try any of stretch mark products be certain to. Use the product on early signs of stretch marks- most products have less impact on mature stretch marks. Use the product into your stretch marks, taking time to massage the product gently into your skin makes it more effective.
Apply the stretch mark product every day for several weeks and be patient. Results might take time to appear.
You can try tretinoin or hyaluronic acid to get rid of the stretch marks. Studies have shown that applying hyaluronic acid in the early development of the stretch marks them less noticeable. You will have to apply the cream every night for six months. Retinol, another type of retinoid, may also help fade early stretch marks.
