What is good to put on stretch marks to help them fade?

[Serenyd]

I have seen mederma, bio oil, vit e oil, cocoa butter, and prefer on all advertised as good but I don't know which one is the best to use. I'd like to get them to fade/tighten up a little quicker. I already take a fish oil supplement, I thought that would help keep me from getting them but I don't know if it helped any.

<-- for Kai

[orangefoot]

I have no idea, sorry. Moisturising with anything will keep your skin smooth and drinking plenty will keep it hydrated.

Time fades them and time gets you more accepting of them too.

[CageFreeFamily]

Emu oil and comfrey ointment are the two best things I know of.

HTH

[Mamatoto2]

pants

[KristyDi]

Originally Posted by Mamatoto2

pants

and time helps a little.

[noobmom]

Originally Posted by Serenyd

I have seen mederma, bio oil, vit e oil, cocoa butter, and prefer on all advertised as good but I don't know which one is the best to use. I'd like to get them to fade/tighten up a little quicker. I already take a fish oil supplement, I thought that would help keep me from getting them but I don't know if it helped any.

<-- for Kai

I believe Mederma is made with onion juice extract, so you could try rubbing raw onions on your marks, but I think that only helps with the redness. The stretching of the skin is permanent.

[tanyalynn]

Originally Posted by Serenyd

\
I already take a fish oil supplement, I thought that would help keep me from getting them but I don't know if it helped any.

I don't know of anything that minimizes them, but I think mine were due to low zinc.

[Channelle]

Originally Posted by CageFreeFamily

Emu oil and comfrey ointment are the two best things I know of.

HTH

I was recommended Emu Oil by my doula and my Naturopathic Dermatologist, it's supposedly a miracle worker. I have horrible stretch marks right now, should have done the Emu Oil from the start of my pregnancy so I could have maybe prevented some of them. Using it now, and it does feel a lot less tender.

[mambera]

I used cocoa butter but according to the available studies it's no better than any old cream.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19793585
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18715434


Also, this is a small study and I'm not sure the finding was statistically significant,
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1609525

but it seems to suggest that the 'any old cream' is still better than no cream. Maybe consistency of application is more important than type of cream - it makes sense that keeping your skin well lubricated would help it stretch with less damage.

Cochrane reviews found only one study worth citing; they say that a cream containing Centella asiatica extract, Vitamin E, and collagen-elastin hydrolysates had some effect, at least for women who've had stretch marks in the past.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10796111