Stretch Marks - How to get rid of them

Natural Skin Care for Stretch Marks

Both men and women, yep, men too, can develop stretch marks. More often than not these develop in women from pregnancy, however, any rapid body tissue growth/expansion can cause stretch marks. These include puberty, weight gain and of course pregnancy. We tend to think that once we’ve got them they are ours for life - not so.

A good natural skin care regime using natural skin care products, can help to prevent them in the first place, but to get rid of them will take a little more effort and a few more steps.

Why do we get stretch marks?

The reason we get stretch marks is that if we cause our skin to quickly stretch, the collagen and elastin fibres in the dermis of the skin reach breaking point and literally break apart, which damages the skin and results in scarring - stretch marks.

What will help your stretch marks go away?

Nutrients such as vitamin A & E will help to repair and promote the development of collagen fibres. Combining essential oils such as Rose, Chamomile and Rosehip, together with Wheat germ oil (contains natural vitamin A & E) and Evening primrose oil will help to reduce visibility of stretch marks.

Evening Primrose Oil is high in oleic acid, which allows nutrients such as vitamin E to be carried deep into the skin to reach the dermis. Wildcrafted's Age Defying Essence fits the bill perfectly.

Other things to keep in mind

You need to remember however, that no treatment is going to be effective in a matter of days. You’ll need to be persistent and patient. Don’t expect to see change of at least 6-8 weeks.

Also eating foods rich in vitamins A (pro-vitamin beta carotine) C and E, zinc and silica (important for collagen formation), drinking plenty of water, and maintaining a natural skin care regime free of harsh soaps and chemicals will help - and don’t forget to use a good moisturising lotion to keep your skin hydrated, moist and supple.

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How to Avoid Having Allergic Reactions to Skin, Personal and Cosmetic Products

Top 10 causes of contact dermatitis

Dermatitis comes in many forms. One of the most common causes of dermatitis is when skin comes in contact with an allergen. An allergen is a substance that causes an allergic reaction.

These reactions range from mild, that is a slight reddening of the skin for example, to very severe and potentially life threatening allergic reactions - you may remember news reports of severe allergic reactions experienced by children to peanuts, for example.

A simple definition of contact dermatitis is: an allergic reaction resulting from skin contact to an allergen.

The Mayo Clinic lists the top 10 causes of contact dermatitis as follows:

• Strong detergents or soaps
• Skin cleaning products
• Cosmetics or makeup
• Deodorant
• Clothing or shoes
• Household cleaning products
• Formaldehyde and other chemicals
• Rubber or latex
• Metals, such as nickel
• Jewellery
• Perfume or fragrances
• Weeds and plants, such as poison ivy or poison oak
• Medicinal lotions, such as antihistamines, antibiotics or antiseptics

There are of course many other substances we might be allergic to. In fact, one can be allergic to almost anything.

So let’s focus on some of the most common. Personal care products including skin care, soaps and cosmetics, are the number the top 3 causes of contact dermatitis, as outlined by the Mayo Clinic above.

Measures you can take to avoid an allergic reaction

Let’s consider products we might use on our face. Because our face is revealed to the public, so to speak, we get very anxious if we break out after applying a cream or some make-up or another product.

A great way to test whether or not we have an allergy to a new product we’ve purchased it to rub it onto the inside of the forearm. If we have an allergy to any of the ingredients in the product, it will usually show on the sensitive skin of our forearm within minutes.

If redness or itching results, do not use the product. It is probable that you are allergic to one or more of the ingredients in the product and if you were to put it on your face, you may have a very bad reaction.

Sometimes, you may need to make this test a little more involved. To make absolutely sure that you do not have an allergy to a new product you’ve purchased, use a small amount of the product, put it onto a band-aid and stick the band-aid with the product on the cotton pad onto your forearm for 24 hours. Then after this time, remove the band-aid and look for redness of the covered skin.

If you do not have any redness, you can be relatively sure that you do not have an allergy to any of the ingredients contained in the product you’ve tested.

These are two simple ways that you can safeguard yourself against an unwanted surprise of an allergic reaction to your newly purchased personal care and cosmetic products.

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About An Interesting Herb: Fenugreek Trigonella foenum-graecum (L.)

Biological Name:
Trigonella foenum-graecum (L.)

Family:
Fabacae

Other Names: 
Hu Lu Ba

Parts Used:
Seed, fresh leaves²

Active Compounds: 
Accordiing to the University of Graz, the following main constituents are present in Fenugreek:

Fenugreek seeds contains only minute quantities of an essential oil. In the essential oil, 40 different compounds were found, furthermore, n-alkanes, sesquiterpenes, alkanoles and lactones were reported.³

The dominant aroma component in fenugreek seeds is a hemiterpenoid γ-lactone, sotolone (3-hydroxy-4,5-dimethyl-2(5H)-furanone), which is contained in concentrations up to 25 ppm. It supposedly forms by oxidative deamination of 4-hydroxy-isoleucine. Sotolone has a spicy flavour and was also found a key flavour in fermented protein seasonings, e.g., Maggi sauce. There is chemical similarity between sotolone and the phthalides responsible for the quite similar flavour of lovage leaves³. (ACS Symposium Series, 660, 1997)

Toasted fenugreek seeds owe their altered, more nutty flavour to another type of heterocyclic compounds, the so-called pyrazines. See cumin for further information.³

Fenugreek leaves were found to contain small amounts of sesquiterpenes (cadinene, α-cadinol, γ-eudesmol and α-bisabolol). (Journal of Essential Oil Research, 16, 356, 2004)³

Among the non-volatile components of fenugreek seeds, the furostanol glycosides are probably responsible for the bitter taste; among the several more compounds yet identified, steroles and diosgenin derivatives (of potential interest for the pharmaceutical industry) and trigonellin (N-methyl-pyridinium-3-carboxylate, 0.4%) are most worth noting.³

History:
A wide range of uses were found for fenugreek in ancient times. Medicinally it was used for the treatment of wounds, abscesses, arthritis, bronchitis, and digestive problems. Traditional Chinese herbalists used it for kidney problems and conditions affecting the male reproductive tract. Fenugreek was, and re-mains, a food and a spice commonly eaten in many parts of the world.

Traditional Applications in Herbal Medicine:

Western Herbal Applications:

Actions:

Expectorant, demulcent, tonic, galactogogue.⁴

Indications:

• Inflammation of the skin - wounds, boils, sores, fistulas and tumours⁴
• Indigestion⁴, Dyspepsia², Diarrhoea².
• Insufficient lactation⁴, Stimulating development of the breasts⁴.

Chinese Herbal Applications:

Hu Lu Ba (Fenugreek Seed) has bitter and warm properties affecting the Kidney and Liver channels.⁵

Its Clinical uses include:

• Warms the Kidneys, disperses Cold and alleviates pain: used for Kidney Yang Xu patterns with accumulation of Cold and Qi Stagnation. Symptoms include: Adominal or hypochonriac distension and/or pain; or hernia like disorders.⁴
• Also used for Cold Damp Leg Qi.⁴
• Research has shown that Hu Lu Ba is useful in both the prophylaxis and treatment of mountain sickness, but is not as effective as Ginger.⁴

Other indications include:

• Taken as a tea for simple infective conditions like colds and sinus problems. Produces perspiration. Take in early stages of viral and bacterial infections of the respiratory tract. Also for bronchitis, fevers (reduces), and as a gargle for sore throats.
• Used in poultice form for skin inflammations. Helps normalize skin function and is used in cases of acne.
• Used for flatulence and digestive problems.
• Used to treat diabetes.
• Regulates pituitary gland to control appetite. Helps with difficulty of fat absorption.

Safety:

Use of more than 100 grams of seeds daily can cause intestinal upset and nausea. Otherwise, fenugreek is extremely safe.

References:

1. Grieve, M. (1977). A Modern Herbal. Penguin Books Ltd, England.
2. Stuart, Malcolm (1979). The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism. New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 1979.
3. University of Graz - Website: http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Trig_foe.html
4. Hoffmann, David (1983). The Holistic Herbal: A herbal celebrating the wholeness of life. Findhorn Press, Scotland.
5. Bensky, D. Gamble, A. and Kaptchuk, T. (1986) Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica. Eastland Press, Michigan.

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In good health

Danny & Susan Siegenthaler