Does Vaseline Help Stretch Marks – Can It Remove These?

Vaseline can aid in retaining moisture in the skin, which keeps the skin elastic. By locking in moisture to support the process of cell renewal, it restores dry and damaged skin cells.

You can moisturize your entire body with Vaseline in addition to using it to treat stretch marks. To find out how to use Vaseline for skin care, continue reading.

Causes of Stretch Marks

1. Pregnancy

Most women develop stretch marks during pregnancy as the fibers in the skin become soft and stretch, making room for the developing baby. Stretch marks develop on the thighs, breasts, and tummy as the baby grows as a result of the constant pulling and stretching.

Read More: Can You Tattoo Over Stretch Marks

2. Puberty

During puberty, youngsters experience a sudden growth spurt and might rapidly gain or lose weight. This sudden stretching and contracting of the skin lead to stretch marks on hips, thighs and breasts.

3. Weight Gain

Stretch marks occur due to weight gain in a short period of time as the skin stretches suddenly. They also show up if you are dieting as a result of your weight fluctuating. Therefore, it is advised to lose weight gradually to prevent stretching of the skin.

4. Corticosteroids

Stretch marks can develop as a result of corticosteroid creams, lotions, and medications that are used to treat specific skin conditions because they lower the levels of collagen in your skin. This decreases the skin’s ability to stretch and makes you prone to developing stretch marks.

5. Genetics

It’s highly likely that you will have stretch marks if your parents did.

6. Health Conditions

Stretch marks are a complication of rare medical conditions like Cushing’s syndrome, Marfan’s syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos, and other disorders of the adrenal gland. In Cushing’s syndrome, the body tends to overproduce the hormone cortisol, which causes these marks. A faulty gene causes Marfan syndrome, which increases the risk of stretch marks by weakening the body’s skin and connective tissues and reducing their elasticity.

7. Body Building

Bodybuilders very commonly face this problem of stretch marks. Stretch marks appear when muscle mass increases quickly and when anabolic steroids are misused to speed up muscle growth.

Why is Vaseline Good at Helping Stretch Marks?

Vaseline is known as a “healing balm”, and has been used for more than 100 years to speed up the healing process for dry, injured, or burned skin. Stretch marks, which are brought on by dermal tears, unquestionably qualify as injuries in some way! They initially appear agitated and angry because of this.

Vaseline and other petroleum jelly products, despite having a creamy texture, are actually occlusive, which means they trap moisture in your skin rather than actually moisturizing it. Vaseline doesn’t seem to fully absorb into your skin because of this.

Mineral oil and petroleum are the two main components of Vaseline. Through the formation of a thin oil layer on the skin that traps moisture, these two ingredients help to keep the skin moist. As opposed to using a conventional lotion or moisturizer, this enables the skin to stay hydrated for a lot longer.

And herein lies the magic, my friends: moisturized skin is less likely to develop stretch marks. Your best defense against both old and new stretch marks is Vaseline, which keeps the skin elastic.

Vaseline has instructed its audience to use the product to hasten the skin’s natural process of cell renewal in order to prevent stretch marks from leaving an unsightly scar.

How to Use Vaseline to Remove Stretch Marks?

As an occlusive, petroleum jelly can prevent water loss by acting as a “seal” on your skin– meaning it needs moisture to lock in for it to effectively work. Recall how I described the oily layer through which hydration cannot pass? Additionally, it does a fantastic job of allowing moisture inside. If you apply it to dry skin, your skin will continue to deteriorate.

In light of this, I strongly advise applying Vaseline to your stretch marks right after taking a shower when your skin is damp but not dripping. As a result, your skin will remain hydrated and be able to produce elastin, which prevents stretch marks. Just make sure you’ve towel dried a little before. After a shower is great.

I would also advise you to massage the product into the skin slowly. Verifying that the product has penetrated your skin ensures that the injured dermal layers have been reached. Additionally, it prevents the jelly from sticking to your clothing or feeling excessively goopy on your skin.

Additionally, massage increases circulation, which encourages your skin to produce more elastin and collagen, two substances essential for avoiding stretch marks. Don’t be reluctant to take your time; even 5 minutes can go a long way when massaging scars.

How Long Does It Take for Vaseline to Get Rid of Stretch Marks?

The speed at which you were able to treat them will determine this.

If you catch your stretch marks while they’re still new (you can tell they’re new because they’ll be bright red or purple and they might be a little itchy), you’ll probably be able to significantly lessen their appearance before the month is over. Naturally, since this is based on other methods, it might take longer or shorter for you.

It will probably take longer for your skin to heal and your scars to fade if your stretch marks have turned silvery white. Change doesn’t occur instantly (it might even take a few months! ), so it’s crucial to be diligent and patient.). And never forget that your skin is gorgeous regardless of whether you have scars or not!

Conclusion

Petroleum jelly moisturizes the skin and preserves its elasticity. It also helps to lock in moisture, which helps to keep the skin soft and supple while also being gentle on the skin. Stretch mark-causing collagen bands can be broken down by daily massaging the affected areas with creams or lotions containing petroleum jelly. This encourages the growth of new tissue.

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