Ingredients To Look For In Stretch Mark Creams

Over-the-counter and home made creams have long been the preferred method of many people for getting rid of troublesome and unattractive marks on the body. These stretch mark creams lighten and fade the scars on our bodies, adding moisturizers to the skin that will help to improve its tone and texture, as well as masking imperfections. But what are the ingredients that you should be looking for in these creams?

Moisturizers

When buying a stretch mark cream, you should be looking for moisturizer or moisturizing components in the ingredients. These elements will hold moisture in the skin, which helps to improve its tone and texture. When looking for moisturizing ingredients, you should be looking for vitamins, minerals, sunscreens, plant extracts and sunless tanners.

Onion Extract

This is an ingredient commonly used in the treatment of surgical scars but, as marks are also a kind of scarring to the skin, the use of onion extract is also found in treatment creams. It helps to improve the redness, texture and softness of marks and scars.

Palm, Wheat Germ, Sesame Seed and Mineral Oils

These plant extracts all contain Vitamin E, which is a beneficial moisturizer for our skin, as well as being high in naturally emollient fats. Mineral oils are commonly used as a skin ointment and are useful for reducing inflammation, hence their inclusion in many stretch mark creams.

Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter is, essentially, fat made from the cacao bean (no, you didn't hear wrong - it is the main ingredient in chocolate). It contains emollient properties that help to restore moisture to our skin.

Shea Butter

Shea butter is made from the fat of the African Shea Tree. As it contains Vitamins E and A, it makes for an excellent moisturizer that is easily absorbed by our skin.

Glycerin

Also known as glycerol in some stretch mark creams, glycerin is one of the natural components that make up fatty acids. In these creams, it functions as a moisturizer for our skin and is commonly used to heal many skin conditions.

Lanolin

Lanolin is a fatty substance that is only found on animals that grow wool, such as sheep. It is commonly used to heal dry skin and is also beneficial in carrying other chemicals through the skin's surface, making it highly useful in these creams.

Peptides

In stretch mark creams, peptides can be found under many various names. They are, essentially, amino acids that stimulate the production of collagen, which our skin needs to repair itself.

When it comes to making marks appear smoother and softer, you cannot go past an effective cream. Finding one that contains most, if not all, of the above ingredients, will do wonders for the condition of your skin and will help to improve the appearance of your scars.

Now-a-days stretch marks treatment is possible. Use stretch mark cream or oil by meiskin to get rid of stretch marks.

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Protecting Your Skin From the Sun

Protecting your skin from the sun is one of the very most important aspects of any anti-aging skin care routine. It is the one essential that if ignored can completely mitigate all of your other healthy choices. Unfortunately, keeping your skin safe from the sun is a little more difficult than many realize.

There are two types of ultraviolet rays that effect your skin - UVA and UVB. In the past we thought UVB was really the only UV ray that caused any danger as it is what causes the burning of the skin. People thought that the more prevalent (up to 40x more prevalent) UVA ray was of little concern. Due to this, many sunscreens were designed only to be effective against UVB rays.

Now we realize that it is actually the UVA ray that is more damaging. While UVB can give the skin a superficial burn on the top layers, UVA actually penetrate much deeper and are responsible for the majority of skin aging. They have also been shown to be directly related to the development of skin cancer. The use of tanning beds, which use primarily UVA rays, have been shown to dramatically increase a persons risk of developing skin cancer.

UVA unlike UVB are also able to easily penetrate windows, and are equally powerful at all hours of sunlight throughout the day.

So, how do we mitigate the effects of ultraviolet rays?

The best option is to try to avoid the sun as much as possible. If you will be outside, a large brimmed hat and long sleeves are a must. Sunscreen is also great, but one must ensure that they are using a natural sunscreen with physical blocking agents such titanium dioxide or zinc dioxide. The majority of sunscreens (pretty much everything you find in most stores besides the natural grocers) instead use a harmful chemical blocking agent called oxybenzone. Oxybenzone is a hormone blocker that has direct links to cancer. Another nasty thing featured in many unnatural sunscreens is the paraben. Parabens, like oxybenzone, have hormone mimicking capabilities, and have been linked to breast cancer and other diseases.

Using a topical skin care product such as a serum with vitamin C is a great idea. Vitamin C, when applied to the skin, can have a profound effect at mitigating UV generated skin damage. Look for a serum or cream that also features vitamin E, as this will further increase the protective properties of the product.

If you will be spending a fair amount of time outside, stay away from skin care products with vitamin A. While vitamin A can help heal sun damage, it does leave the skin more sensitive, so it is often an ingredient better utilized in the winter when you will not be outside as much.

The number one thing you can do for your skin is to avoid too much sun. This one action alone can do remarkable things for the appearance and health of your skin.

Learn more about skin care from Sam's many articles here on EzineArticles. The sooner you start taking care of your skin the better. Remember though when choosing skin care products to always go all natural. With the lack of regulation in the industry, many unnatural skin care products utilize harmful synthetic ingredients that can cause permanent damage to your body. Become an educated consumer when it comes to the products you use on your skin.

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