Preventing Stretch Marks in Puberty: Top Diet and Skin Care Tips

Reducing the Risk of Stretch Marks

Eat a balanced diet to help maintain a healthy weight. As your body changes during puberty, rapid weight gain is common. Controlling those cravings when your hormones are through the rough can be super tough. Chowing down on fresh fruits and veggies will keep you full without causing you to pack on more weight, which could lead to stretch marks. Keep pre-cut fruits and veggies around so you have them to munch on when you start feeling hungry. Talk to your parents about how you want to eat healthier foods. Ask if you can help them come up with meal plans or shop for groceries.

Load up on foods that keep your skin strong and healthy. Green vegetables, lean meats, veggies, and avocados are foods that promote the development of collagen. A healthy amount of collagen in your skin will make you less likely to get stretch marks. While maintaining a healthy weight is important, eating plenty of these foods can provide a second line of defense.

Avoid sweets and sodas. Excess sugar damages the collagen in your skin, which in turn makes you more susceptible to stretch marks. While sweets and sodas are fine for an occasional treat, try to limit yourself to a couple of times a week. When you do eat sweets, have a small amount. For example, you might have a "fun size" candy bar rather than a full size of the same variety. When you reach your teens, you may also need to reduce how often you drink milk. Your body doesn't need as much of the fat that's in milk. In addition, this may help decrease acne breakouts.

Work with adults to lose weight if you need to. If you're overweight, you're more likely to get stretch marks. However, you're also more likely to get stretch marks if you gain or lose weight rapidly. Fad diets are often so restrictive that they'll cause you to rapidly lose weight and then just as quickly gain it all back. These diets also typically don't provide the nutrients you need. If you want to lose weight, work with a doctor or a nutritionist to design a plan that will help you lose weight in a healthy way. Talk to your parents and to your doctor about your weight loss goals so they can help you develop a plan to lose weight safely. Be sure to tell the doctor or dietician about your favorite foods, as well as the foods that you don't like to eat. Your diet will be more successful if you're eating things you like.

Drink plenty of water to stay well hydrated. Hydrated skin is less likely to stretch excessively during growth spurts, which is what leads to the scars that are known as stretch marks. The specific amount of water you need to drink every day depends on a number of different things, including your age, how active you are, how tall you are, and what you normally eat and drink. Generally, girls from 9-13 should drink at least 9 cups (2.1 L) while boys should drink at least 10 cups (2.4 L). Girls from 14-18 should drink at least 10 cups (2.4 L) while boys should drink at least 14 cups (3.3 L). This may sound like a lot, but this covers water from all sources, including the water you get from food and other beverages. Your doctor can help you figure out exactly how much water you personally should drink every day.

Buy a lotion with Centella or hyaluronic acid. Centella is an herb, while hyaluronic acid is a substance naturally produced by our skin. You can find lotions with these ingredients anywhere health and beauty products are sold. There is limited research that suggests that lotions with Centella or hyaluronic acid as an active ingredient might help prevent stretch marks. While there's no guarantee that they'll work for you, these lotions typically aren't harmful, so it won't hurt to try. You might also try a lotion with retinoids, which can help prevent stretch marks by rebuilding the collagen in your skin, as well as reduce the appearance of existing stretch marks. However, retinoids can irritate your skin. Use this lotion only according to the package instructions and stop using it if you notice that your skin burns or is itchy.

Apply lotion to your legs and midsection daily. For best results, use the lotion every day after you get out of your shower or bath when your skin is still slightly damp. This allows the cream to soak into your skin better. You don't need to use the lotion on your entire body, just the areas that are more prone to stretch marks, such as your torso and your thighs. If you've already noticed some stretch marks starting to appear, pay extra attention to those areas. Although these creams may help reduce the appearance of existing stretch marks, it can take several weeks for you to notice a difference — have patience.

Making Existing Stretch Marks Less Noticeable

Rub in self-tanning lotion to camouflage stretch marks. Getting an actual tan (either outside or in a tanning bed) will make your stretch marks more obvious. However, self-tanning lotion can help cover them up by blurring the difference between the marks and the rest of your skin. Keep in mind that if you start using self-tanning lotion to cover up your stretch marks, you'll have to keep using it to maintain the same effect. Self-tanning lotion doesn't do anything to make your stretch marks disappear.

Try covering your stretch marks with a body makeup. You can find body makeup in most places where health and beauty products are sold. Look for a shade that matches your skin tone. You might have to get more than one shade and mix them together to get the best tone. Then, simply blend the makeup over your stretch marks. Body makeup is designed to withstand sweat and generally won't wipe off easily. However, make sure it's dry before you put on any clothing that might rub against it. If you're going to be out for several hours, you might want to bring some makeup along with you in case you need a touch-up.

Schedule a consultation with a dermatologist. If you're having a hard time dealing with your stretch marks, a dermatologist might be able to help. There are a number of treatments dermatologists can try, many of which will reduce the appearance of your stretch marks over time. The dermatologist will examine your stretch marks and let you know what treatments they recommend. Dermatologist treatments are more expensive than anything you might do at home, and there's still no guarantee that you'll notice a huge difference in the appearance of your stretch marks. You might require more than one round of treatment, or the dermatologist might want to combine several different treatments to get the maximum result. It helps to get an opinion from more than one dermatologist before you and your parents decide what you want to do.

Compare dermatological treatments and choose the best for you. Depending on your age, the condition of your skin, and how long you've had your stretch marks, dermatologists may recommend different types of treatment. Ask questions about what to expect and what the treatments feel like so you can decide which one you want to go with. Treatments you might be offered include: Chemical peel: A chemical (usually acidic) solution is applied to your skin to slough off dead skin cells and stimulate new skin production. Your skin might feel burning or itchy during and afterward. Your skin will likely be red and slightly swollen for a few days afterward. Laser therapy: Focused light is applied to your stretch marks and the skin around them to stimulate the growth of new skin. This works best on new stretch marks that you've only had for a month or so. Your skin may be red or swollen for a few days afterward. Microdermabrasion: The dermatologist scrubs your skin with tiny crystals that exfoliate your skin to remove dead skin cells and stimulate growth. Might feel uncomfortable during and raw or swollen afterward. Radiofrequency or ultrasound: Sound waves and electromagnetic pulses stimulate your skin to produce more collagen. Your skin might appear slightly swollen for a few days afterward.