The causes of stretch marks on the hips and how to correct them. Can stretch marks be removed completely at home?
Stretch marks on the thighs are a cosmetic defect that is harmless to health, but destructive to women's self-esteem. It is especially offensive for the owners of slender legs, which it would not be a sin to demonstrate to others on the beach or in the pool! Is it worth putting up with unpleasant streaks, or is there a way to defeat them?
What are stretch marks?
In medicine, curved lines scattered over the hips, abdomen and chest are called "striae" - translated from the Latin "stripes". Popularly dubbed them "stretch marks", which, on the whole, corresponds to reality: the areas of the skin lined with bluish, red and white strokes are indeed formed in the places of its greatest tension.
But having found out exactly why stretch marks appear on the thighs, you understand that it would be more correct to use the word "tears", because our elastic skin can stretch to impressive limits, while a stretch that crawled along the body indicates that the fibers of connective tissue hidden under epidermis were injured. Hence the bright color of fresh stretch marks - it is given by the blood released from microdamaged capillaries.
Note! Stretch marks are atrophic scars. They appear painlessly, heal quickly, do not cause physical discomfort. But you should not ignore the appearance of fresh stretch marks. In less than a year, the skin at the site of the gap will turn pale, and the stretch will pass into the category of "old". And these are very difficult to remove.
Reasons for the appearance
What causes stretch marks on the hips? Rather, what makes the skin stretch until collagen fibers crackle? There may be various reasons for this, both natural and not so:
- Rapid increase in body volume. Boys and girls in the period of active growth, bodybuilders who pump muscles too diligently, and people who have grown very fat in a short time (usually women, but sometimes men) are equally at risk of getting striae one day. The problem is that their body is gaining height or mass too quickly, and the skin cannot keep up with stretching at the right speed.
- Pregnancy. Carrying a child, a woman not only acquires a rounded tummy and extra pounds, but also goes through serious changes in hormonal levels. Her body temporarily forgets about the full synthesis of collagen and elastin, switching to more important tasks, and the skin becomes less elastic and more vulnerable. Therefore, stretch marks on the hips after childbirth are a natural thing.
- Diseases of the endocrine system. One of the symptoms of such ailments as diabetes, Itsenko-Kushig syndrome and some others are striae. Interestingly, in such cases, they may not be vertical, but horizontal, or be located in unexpected places - for example, on the face.
Get attention! If you could not find out the causes of stretch marks on your hips (you are not pregnant, do not have problems with being overweight and have long been out of adolescence), play it safe and visit an endocrinologist. Perhaps, with a fresh scattering of stretch marks, the body is trying to communicate a problem.
How to get rid of stretch marks?
It is not necessary to put up with the stripes that have already appeared. The easiest way is to make the red stretch marks on the thighs disappear: their tissues have not yet healed, and the skin in this part of the body is dense, unlike the same breast, and easily tolerates a variety of manipulations. But white "scars" are not a reason for despair. At the very least, you can make them as inconspicuous as possible.
Creams, lotions and oils
A good product for moisturizing and nourishing your skin should be your constant companion. At home, on vacation and on business trips, keep a bottle of specially selected cream or oil with the mark "From stretch marks" on hand. With its help, you will diligently moisturize the affected parts of the body after a shower twice a day.
Note! Remedies for stretch marks traditionally contain vitamins A, E and C, vegetable oils, plant extracts, elastin, hyaluronic acid. All this helps the skin to recover. It's great if the manufacturer managed to do without parabens, silicones and chemical fragrances.
TOP 5 popular remedies for stretch marks on the hips:
- Thrifty - Floralis Rejuvenating Body Cream Mousse … It has the ability not only to nourish and tighten the skin, giving it a seductive velvety, but also to cope with fresh stretch marks, but it will hardly help you against old white stripes. Among the components are the moisturizing and softening patchouli oil, healing minor injuries of aloe and panthenol, invigorating the skin vitamin E and placenta extract famous for its rejuvenating effect. One thing is bad: as is often the case with Florans products, there are two parabens at once. Ladies in position and those who diligently avoid chemical preservatives, it is better to pass by. The cream is produced in Belarus. It costs about 100-150 rubles. for 225 g.
- Expectant mothers - Anti-Stretch Marks Body Cream by Maternea … Hypoallergenic, without the addition of artificial fragrances, this light cream from Maternea is designed to protect potential mothers and women with thin sensitive skin. Its formula is based on natural ingredients: almond oil and jojoba oil, vitamins C and E, and the Regestril peptide complex. The cream helps maintain the desired level of collagen and restores damaged fibers, so it is quite capable of coping with such a task as removing stretch marks on the thighs. The likelihood of success will be higher if you use the product immediately after the appearance of stretch marks, without waiting for them to lighten. Produced in Bulgaria. It costs about 600 rubles. for 150 mg.
- Oil Care Lovers - Almond Supple Skin Oil by L'Occitane … By purchasing a bottle with this product, you will receive a light but concentrated almond oil for your use, enriched with lipids and natural esters of peppermint, immortelle and palmarosa. The oil provides intensive nourishment and deep hydration, the skin becomes smooth and elastic with it, acquires a delicate unobtrusive aroma. With regular use, the number of fresh stretch marks and the surface of healed stretch marks is reduced, the likelihood of new damage is reduced. The oil is produced in France. It costs 1300-1500 rubles. for 100 ml.
- Perfectionists - Skin Tone Elasticizing by Bioline Jato … Skin firming and stretch mark removal cream for body shaping can be used on the thighs as well as on the more delicate areas of the body. The cream effectively regenerates tissues thanks to plant stem cells, makes the skin elastic, filling it with collagen, nourishes with sweet almond, shea and wheat germ oils. Lemon promotes renewal and clarification, grapefruit tones, tomato neutralizes free radicals, white water lily and blueberry stimulate regeneration processes. Made in Italy. It costs 3000-3500 rubles. for 250 ml.
- For the best result - Biogen Cellular Ultimate Repair Forming Body Cream by Doctor Babor … If this cream fails to cope with your stretch marks, then only a laser can cope with them! Modeling the body, fighting against skin imperfections, the cream has long escaped the cramped confines of cosmetology and moved with one edge of its silver jar to medicine, where its healing properties are used to heal stitches in the postoperative period. The composition is impressive: tripeptide-1 to stimulate the production of collagen, elastin and other proteins responsible for youthful skin freshness, algae extract to improve blood microcirculation, squalane to heal tissues and smooth out scars, aloe vera to tone and moisturize, vitamin E for rejuvenation, olive, macadamia and avocado oils for perfect care. Manufactured in Germany. It costs from 7,000 to 12,000 rubles. for 200 ml.
If you find it unacceptable to spend several thousand on a hip care product, do it easier: buy regular Panthenol and mountain mummy in the form of resin at the pharmacy. Dissolve 1-2 g of the odorous black substance in a spoonful of water twice a day, mix with a portion of the ointment and apply to stretch marks.
Scrubs for stretch marks
To diligently anoint the body with oils and mousses, without first performing an exfoliation procedure, means throwing half of the precious product down the drain. How to get rid of stretch marks on the thighs, when most of the ingredients of the healing mixture will not be able to break through the rows of dead skin scales and get stuck in the uppermost layers of it? Clear a pathway for nutrients with a homemade scrub.
You can mix it from the simplest products:
- 100 g sugar + 50 ml almond oil;
- 100 g of finely ground salt (sea salt is welcome) + 100 g of honey;
- 100 g coarse coffee + 1 tbsp. l. apple cider vinegar + 1 tsp. cinnamon + 1 tbsp. l. shower gel.
The scrub is applied to hot, damp skin in the shower, vigorously rub the thighs for several minutes and rinse off the rest of the mixture with warm water. The procedure must be repeated at least 1 and no more than 2 times a week.
Note! The skin on the thighs, as a rule, is dense, and is not afraid of sugar and salt, but in case of increased sensitivity, it is recommended to replace the coarse pieces of the peeling with ground oatmeal, clay or rice flour - the scrub will turn out to be delicate and pleasant for the body.
In addition to these oils, it is allowed to take any other vegetable oils, and if you are not prone to allergies and are not currently waiting for the baby to appear, dilute the mixture with 1-3 drops of essential oil. Esters of neroli, rosemary, citrus are considered the most effective in resisting stretch marks.
Wraps
When the skin is steamed and cleansed with a scrub, it is a pity not to take advantage of the right moment and not do a wrap. This is a simple and effective way to saturate it with nutrients, improve blood flow, and remove toxins.
On clean, scrubbed, rinsed in the shower and slightly towel-dried thighs, apply the prepared mask:
- a mixture of lemon and cucumber juices, taken in equal proportions;
- grated potatoes with a peel;
- several fleshy leaves of aloe, crushed to a state of gruel;
- whites, whipped into foam, 2 eggs;
- finely grated carrots with vegetable oil;
- a handful of chamomile or alfalfa, filled with half a glass of boiling milk and infused for half an hour;
- vegetable oil - olive, castor (or cocoa butter slightly flooded in a steam bath).
If the mass is too liquid, soak gauze or a linen napkin in it, and only then fix it in place with stretch marks. Wrap plastic wrap around your thighs, put on old pajamas or sweatpants, lie down and cover yourself with a warm blanket. After 30-40 minutes, remove the mixture from the body and rinse the thighs again. Apply stretch mark cream.
Note! Wraps are done with the same frequency as scrubbing - that is, 1-2 times a week.
Massage
Do you know how to deal with stretch marks on the hips with honey massage? Let's be honest, your "striped" part of the body will get the first number, it is no coincidence that the harsh procedure is contraindicated in caring for the skin of the abdomen and chest. The buttocks could still endure such treatment, but they cannot be processed on their own, as expected. But there is a chance to win back well on the hips.
Procedure:
- Lubricate clean skin in areas with stretch marks with honey. To make it easier for yourself, you can slightly melt it.
- Press your palm against your thigh and with a smooth movement from wrist to fingertips, forcefully tear it away from the skin.
- For 5 minutes, pat the outer thigh, moving from the knee to the groin - along the lymph flow.
- Do not make sudden jerks and do not try to slap harder - pain is not an indicator of benefit. Go around the lymph nodes under the knees and the inner thighs.
- After treating both feet, take a shower or bath and lubricate the skin with cream.
The course of honey massage consists of 10-20 sessions, which are carried out every other day. Often after 2-3 procedures, stretch marks turn red and become convex. If you notice a similar reaction in yourself, take a break for 2-3 days. If the skin returns to normal, you can continue, but if the redness lasts longer, it is better to refuse massage in favor of more gentle procedures.
Note! Massage is contraindicated for owners of varicose veins, spider veins and people with honey allergies.
If the “sweet procedure” doesn't work for you, switch to:
- simple manual massage - pinching, stroking, rubbing;
- roller massage;
- vacuum jar massage;
- massage with a mesoscooter, the sharp needles of which will deliver nutrients directly to your skin;
- treatment of problem areas with the help of an electric massager.
Baths for stretch marks on the thighs
Why do stretch marks on the thighs always require draconian measures from women in the form of needle mesoscooters, painful honey slaps and diligent scrubbing of the skin? Why can't you just relax and lie down, as it happens in a beauty salon? And yet … why not?
Procedure:
- Take a bath of warm water. Ideally, it should be only a couple of degrees above your body temperature.
- Dissolve in it of your choice: 200 g of salt sprinkled with 3-5 drops of tangerine aromatic oil, 2-3 liters of decoction of horsetail, comfrey, fern, mint or green tea (about 100 g of dry raw materials will be needed), infusion of 300 g of sea kelp, filled with a liter of boiling water.
- Immerse yourself in the water and lie down for about 20 minutes, trying to think of something pleasant.
- Lightly pat your skin dry with a towel and wrap yourself in a warm robe - let it dry naturally.
- Before going to bed, do not forget to lubricate your thighs with cream for stretch marks.
All the main methods of dealing with striae are listed, the strategy is outlined, and you are determined to see it through to the end. Is it time to get started? Almost. A couple of cosmetic procedures that would need to find a place in your diary will allow you to make the program for combating stretch marks almost perfect.
The return of the skin to a flawless state is facilitated by:
- rubbing the thighs with an ice cube from a herbal decoction;
- contrasting douche;
- bath and sauna, if health permits.
Salon methods of dealing with stretch marks
You honestly fought skin imperfections to the limit of your strength, but could not achieve a result that would satisfy you? Well, no matter how offensive it may be, it also happens. You will have to go to the beautician for answers to all your questions about stretch marks on the hips: what to do to get rid of them forever, how long the treatment will last and how much it will cost you.
Salon methods for removing stretch marks include:
- mesotherapy (injection of drugs);
- chemical peeling;
- dermabrasion or mechanical resurfacing;
- laser resurfacing;
- surgical excision of the affected tissues of the thighs.
Which of the methods will be the most useful and safe for you, the specialist will determine. Listen carefully to his advice and follow it. Well, if it turns out that some especially stubborn striae cannot be completely removed in your case, try to remember that you are an interesting and versatile person even without perfect hips, which some stretch marks cannot ruin your life. With or without them, you will be fine.
Preventing stretch marks is really easier than returning striped skin to its former smoothness:
- use a good moisturizing and nourishing body cream;
- go in for sports, physical activity improves the supply of cells with oxygen and nutrients, and moderately developed muscles support it;
- drink 1-1.5 liters of water per day to maintain the proper level of fluid in the body;
- give up fatty, fried and sweets in favor of healthy foods;
- watch your weight, even during pregnancy, you can get better at a measured pace.
Do all this twice as diligently, if torn whitish marks cover the skin of your mother or grandmother, there is a high risk that you have inherited a genetic predisposition to stretch marks.
How to get rid of stretch marks on the hips - watch the video:
Perhaps there is no cosmetic task as difficult as removing stretch marks on the thighs on your own. But that certainly doesn't mean you need to surrender to the mercy of the pink and whitish invaders! Attract knowledge, patience and faith in victory to your allies and show the impudent striae who is the mistress of this body. At the very least, you will be able to make the stripes on the skin become more modest and no longer so brazenly striking.
