Most women that suffer from weight fluctuations or go through pregnancy will end-up with stretch marks. Post pregnancy stretch marks are also a common occurrence. The abdomen and breast are the areas that develop stretch marks most easily, but you can also get them on your thighs, hips and upper arms.

Most women feel that they are condemned to live with these striations for the rest of their lives, but this isn't entirely true. There are several procedures and treatments that you can rely on to reduce the appearance of stretch marks.

Surgery is, of course, the most effective type of treatment because it completely removes the damaged skin, however, this doesn't keep more stretch marks from appearing. So if you're not too keen on surgery and want to have a way of preventing future stretch marks you might want to try less invasive alternatives for your pregnancy stretch marks. Microdermabrasion and stretch mark creams are two of the most popular, non-invasive forms of treatment.

Stretch mark removal with these non invasive treatments will be slow, therefore, you'll need to have a little patience if you want to see positive results.

Stretch Mark Removal & Microdermabrasion

Traditional microdermabrasion can be performed in a spa or salon. It does not require anesthesia like surgery and it is a quick procedure. Generally, one session lasts about an hour.

Microdermabrasion works by producing a tiny bit of "damage" to the treated site. The body responds to this injury by producing new, healthier cells to displace the damaged skin cells. After several sessions, you should begin to see a difference in your stretch marks.

Besides treating stretch marks, microdermabrasion can also remove the signs of aging. Age spots and fine lines will become less apparent with each session. Also, dull skin will become more even and radiant.

Stretch Mark Creams

Another alternative to surgery are stretch mark creams and microdermabrasion creams. This type of treatment is even more gentle than microdermabrasion, therefore, it will take longer to show positive results.

Stretch mark creams should contain a combination of ingredients that help eliminate striae. Usually peptides and enzymes are the ones responsible for this action. In essence, these ingredients help dissolve scar tissue and help promote the growth of new skin cells.

Two other ingredients you should look for are Helix aspersa muller extract and rose hip oil. Both of these ingredients have proven themselves effective in treating scars and stretch marks. Snail serum depends on enzymatic action while rose hip oil contains high levels of Vitamin C and A and essential fatty acids that help the generation of healthy skin. Microdermabrasion creams contain micro crystals that produce an abrading action that helps treat scars. These micro crystals are similar to the ones used in traditional microdermabrasion. Obviously, they are much gentler than traditional microdermabrasion.

You can also purchase at-home microdermabrasion systems that usually comes with a machine that produces the abrading action. Most come with speical attachments and a microdermabrasion cream.