stretch marks

Natural Beauty Tip — Fade stretch marks away with egg white

Stretch marks are those whitish-bluish lines on our skin which often are a result of sudden growth, weight loss or stretching of the skin. Most people have stretch marks on their body, especially around the buttocks, arms and thigh area. After pregnancy, many women also have these marks around their belly region. Though you cannot completely do away with stretch marks, one way to lighten them is by applying egg white.

Egg white helps in fading away those ugly lines as it is rich in protein. Our skin too is made up of protein and when nourished with it, it goes back to its healthy state. Here’s how to use it.

  • Steps:
    Get the white of two eggs (you can take more depending on the areas you wish to apply it on).
    Whip them properly to get a thick paste.
    Now apply it on the stretch marks, make sure it is a thick layer.
    Leave it to dry.
    Later, wash the area with lukewarm water.
    You need to keep the area well-moisturised, so apply olive oil or a good moisturiser.
    Use this paste once a week to see visible results.

Remember, your skin takes time to heal, so do not discontinue it after a week or two. You will start seeing results within a month for sure. If you are not too fond of using egg whites, here are some more home remedies to fade them away. You may also like to read a few myths about stretch marks and these cosmetic options to treat them.

Source: The health site

6 home remedies to lighten stretch marks

If you’ve noticed unusual whitish and unsightly marks on the abdomen, upper arms, breasts, buttocks or legs, you probably have developed what is commonly referred to as stretch marks. These marks are most often a result of a sudden change – either an increase or a decrease – in body weight. Therefore, they are usually observed after pregnancy, or in teenagers who undergo the spurt in growth because of the hormonal changes associated with adolescence. These stretch marks are difficult to totally obliterate; however, there are some home remedies for lightening them so that they don’t appear as prominent.

Lemon juice to the rescue
With its acidic nature and natural bleaching properties, lemon juice is one of the most effective remedies to lighten stretch marks. Simply cut a lemon, squeeze out the fresh juice and rub it gently onto the affected skin. Keep for about 10 minutes and then rinse off with a little warm water. Repeat a few times each day to see better results.

Massage the area with vegetable oil
Traditionally, in many parts of India, during the first few months following childbirth, the mother is given an oil bath – that is, coconut oil or castor oil is massaged onto the entire body as well as the scalp and this is followed by a bath with hot water. Quite a few modern-day beauty treatment centers make use of the wisdom of this ancient custom. Vegetable oils such as coconut oil, castor oil and even olive oil have the property of moisturising skin and smoothing out the wrinkles. Both these actions ensure that these oils are equally good for getting rid of stretch marks. Warm a little olive oil and massage it deep into the affected skin before going to bed. Rinse the next morning with a little warm water and a mild soap if necessary. Or, you could try a mix of olive oil and coconut oil, too. When it comes to castor oil, the best way is to rub slightly warmed castor oil directly onto the affected skin and then wrap a cloth dipped in hot (but not uncomfortably so) water around the area. Or, you could wrap a plastic sheet over the skin where you have rubbed in the oil and use a hot water bag over this area – the warmth allows the pores in the skin to open up and absorb the oil better.

Egg whites can also lighten stretch marks
The white of the egg is rich in protein and this is useful in dealing with stretch marks. Collect the whites from two eggs, whip gently and apply as a thick layer onto the marks. Once the egg pack has totally dried, rinse it out with water and then moisturise the area by applying some olive oil.

Use a good moisturiser
Regular use of a moisturiser helps the skin stay hydrated and this can improve the elasticity of the skin, reducing the severity of stretch marks. Use one of the commercially available moisturisers with cocoa butter or aloe vera or make your own at home by mixing equal quantities of aloe vera and olive oil.

Rub vitamin E oil
Vitamin E has antioxidant properties; so it prevents the damage of collagen that can lead to skin damage. If you have longstanding stretch marks, try massaging some vitamin E oil into the affected skin on a regular basis and you are likely to find some improvement.

Use aloe vera gel
Stretch marks are an indication that the skin has lost its natural elasticity. Aloe vera, with its ability to heal the small tears in the skin layers is therefore the perfect solution to help regain the lost elasticity. Cut a leaf from the aloe plant, peel out the outermost skin and squeeze out the gel; massage it daily over the affected skin and you will find the stretch marks gradually fade. You could also combine aloe vera gel with vitamin E oil and use.

Source; Health

Fixing spider veins, stretch marks and more: Solutions to skin problems

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1. Spider Veins
If the valves inside your blood vessels become weak (whether from age or genetic predisposition) and are unable to pump blood back to your heart efficiently, “the blood pools and causes the veins to enlarge,” said Dr. Robert J. Min, chair of radiology. That
causes capillaries close to the skin’s surface to show up as little red squiggles, most commonly on the legs. And those, friends, are spider veins.

What Works
Sclerotherapy: Using a tiny needle, a doctor injects the spider veins with a medicated solution that “causes them to collapse and permanently disappear,” said Dr. Fredric Brandt, a dermatologist in Miami and New York. You’ll probably need two to three sessions to eradicate a spider vein fully. Cost: $200 and up per treatment.

Vascular laser: “The blood inside the veins absorbs the wavelength from this laser, creating heat, which contracts the veins,” said Richard G. Glogau, a clinical professor of dermatology at the University of California, San Francisco. Very small spider veins
benefit most; you’ll need several sessions to see a difference. Cost: $200 and up per treatment.

What Doesn’t Work
Keeping your legs uncrossed (crossing them is said to cause spider veins). “Unless they’re crossed 24 hours a day, the effect is minimal,” said Dr. David Goldberg,  a dermatologist with practices in New York, New Jersey, and Florida.

Quick Cover-Up
Neutralize redness with yellow-based body makeup, says Lusine, a makeup artist in Los Angeles. Set with translucent powder to keep it in place

2. Stretch Marks

When skin gets stretched too fast, as it can when you gain weight quickly, such as during pregnancy, or if you went through a growth spurt as a teenager, “the collagen and elastin fibers in the dermis rupture,” said clinical professor Richard G. Glogau.

The result is scars deep within the skin―stretch marks. New ones are red or dark brown, because the skin becomes inflamed when the fibers break. (You might also notice a change in texture, as if your skin has little divots in it.) With time, most stretch marks
lighten in color.

What Works
Pulse dye laser (for newer stretch marks): The light from this laser is absorbed by the pigment in the irritated area, which heats the blood vessels and makes the vessel walls collapse, said dermatologist Dr. David Goldberg. The color is reduced significantly, so
marks are much less obvious. (But divoting will still be apparent.) You’ll need about five treatments, spaced one month apart. Cost: $500 to $800 per treatment, depending on the size of the affected area.

Excimer laser (for older marks): The beam “increases pigment production, so eventually the silver or white lines become the color of the rest of your skin,” Goldberg said. This type of laser requires 10 to 20 treatments, spaced about two weeks apart. Cost: $200 to $700 per treatment.

What Doesn’t Work
Over-the-counter stretch mark creams, which claim to rebuild collagen but don’t.

Quick Cover-Up
A self-tanner “helps minimize the look of both new and older marks,” said makeup artist Lusine. For the most even coverage, exfoliate the area before applying.

3. Cellulite
Those bumps and dimples are all about genetics (thanks, Mom and Dad!). Contrary to what many people think, cellulite is nothing more than regular fat. But if you’re predisposed to cellulite, that fat bulges forward between the bands of tissue that connect your skin to your muscles, said Dr. Alan Gold, a plastic surgeon in Great Neck, New York. Excess weight can cause cellulite to become more prominent, due to the extra fat under the skin, but even thin people can have it.

What Works
Endermologie: A technician runs a vacuum-like suction tube over your skin and follows that with a heavy-duty massaging roller. The bands under the skin are stimulated and stretched temporarily, causing swelling and thickening, which plumps the skin so dimples appear smoother. You’ll need a treatment every eight weeks. Cost: $150 and up per session.

Cellulite creams and gels: In the short term, creams and gels can make cellulite appear less obvious. Ingredients such as caffeine make the skin swell, and polymers form a light film on the skin as they dry, pulling it smooth. You need to apply daily, since you
remove the product―and its effects―when you shower. Cost: From $10 at drugstores to more than $100 at department stores and spas.

What Doesn’t Work
Mesotherapy, in which a doctor injects saline or some other liquid into the skin to disperse fat. Liposuction is a bust, too: It sucks out fat but not the bands of tissue that create the bumpy appearance.

Quick Cover-Up
Try a body bronzer or a tinted self-tanner, even on darker skin, to visually smooth out the look of dimples.

4. Scars
As skin heals from a wound, it can produce too much collagen and a scar forms. The tendency to scar is genetic, so there’s not much you can do to prevent scars, though you can minimize the effects. Hypertrophic scars, the most common kind, are raised but don’t extend past the borders of the original wound. Keloids are raised but grow beyond the wound’s edges; people of African descent most often suffer from them. Depressed scars, like those from acne, are exactly that―indented.

What Works
Silicone products: A sheet of silicone placed over a hypertrophic or keloid scar (after the wound has healed) or a cream, such as Scar Fade, rubbed in daily “can make scars stop overproducing collagen and become permanently flatter,” said Foad Nahai, president of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Sold over the counter, silicone products, which must be used consistently for several months, work on new and old scars. Cost: About $20 for sheets; about $10 for Scar Fade.

Fraxel laser: Best for depressed scars, this laser targets pinpoint-wide areas of skin, resurfacing the top and boosting collagen production underneath. After several sessions, indented scars should be leveled off. Cost: $500 and up per treatment.

What Doesn’t Work
Rubbing in vitamin-E oil.

Quick Cover-Up
Dab on a creamy, pigment-rich concealer that matches your skin and pat it into the scar to blend the edges. Brush on a bit of translucent powder to set the concealer, said makeup artist Lusine. (A very big keloid, however, will still be visible, even with
concealer.)

Source: Fox news