It sounds a bit out there, but Joanna Vargas — an esthetician, celebrity facialist, and the founder of Joanna Vargas Salon and Skincare Collection — says applying a little bit of tater juice to your skin helps lighten up those annoying dark scars and spots while also making your skin look much more even. Just throw one in the juicer, dap onto a cotton ball, rub onto your marks, and that's it.
VITAMIN E OIL
You might want to be cautious with this one if you have really sensitive skin, but Vargas recommends using a bit of vitamin E for making scars and stretch marks look less obvious. Thankfully, vitamin E oil is pretty affordable, so there's really no need to drop $50 on other fancy creams or lotions.
APRICOTS
Even though there's no conclusive evidence that proves they're the end-all cure for stretch marks, Vargas says apricots are rich with vitamins A,B, C, calcium, and manganese. That all means the orange fruit can work wonders on your lymphatic system, which rids the body of toxins. Try incorporating them in your diet more often or start using an apricot scrub, and you'll be well on your way to getting clearer, glowing skin.
SUGAR
The sweet stuff is a natural source of glycolic acid, which means that it can help get rid of dead skin and encourage new, younger cells to form in their place, says Vargas. So even though applying a sugar scrub might not get rid of stretch marks completely, it can definitely help make your skin feel more supple and smooth.
SHEA BUTTER
It's one of the main ingredients in your lotions and body creams for a reason. Shea butter is a really great moisturizer that can minimize your scars and helps calm the skin, says Vargas. And it doesn't cost a gazillion dollars, either.
EGG WHITES
Yes, it probably will feel really sticky and weird at first, but Vargas claims the proteins and vitamin A found in egg whites help exfoliate and rejuvenate your skin while also increasing collagen production. So, if you can get over the stench, you might want to grab an egg or two from the fridge and start crackin'.
COLD-PRESSED OILS
When it comes to stretch marks, keeping your skin hydrated can help out a lot. That's why Vargas insists her clients use body oils on the reg. Her personal favorites are from Jiva Apoha, but, really, you can get body oilspretty much anywhere for any price.
MASSAGE
When it comes to more serious remedies, the most affordable option — and therefore the one you should probably start with first — is massaging your stretch marks daily. "Some studies show that the simple act of massage stimulates the blood flow to the area which helps heal," says Babak Dadvand, M.D., a board-certified plastic surgeon based in Beverly Hills, CA. What you use as a lubricant isn't that important. "There isn't a lot of evidence that topical over-the-counter creams have any lasting effect on stretch marks," says Natasha Sandy, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist practicing in New York City and Maryland. Still, using a particular product could be the daily visual to remind you to massage. Art Naturals Stretch Mark & Scar Removal Cream is a new herbal infusion of aloe, cocoa butter, and shea butter.
Whether they're red and raised or pale and hollow, if your stretch marks only bother you when they peek out from your clothes, you could simply conceal them with body makeup or self-tanner. Bliss Fatgirlslim Hide & 'Glow' Sleek Firming Tinted Body Spray ($38; blissworld.com) evens your skin's appearance instantly with a light veil of color, but it multitasks by firming and toning skin over time.
VITAMIN A
Retinoids, like Retin A, which you can get with a prescription from your dermatologist, have been shown to help reduce the appearance of stretch marks — especially the darker violet or red ones, says Dadvand — and rejuvenate the damaged skin. Prefer to opt for OTC? Look for a face cream high in retinol, like Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Regenerating Cream ($24.99; available January 2017), and apply it to your stretch marks. FYI: Avoid all retinols and retinoids if you are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant soon.
RADIOFREQUENCY
Radiofrequency is a heat therapy that stimulates collagen production in your skin — and it's truly the next generation of skin care, says Dadvand. "It's non-invasive, doesn't hurt, has hardly any recovery time, and offers pretty good results," he says. The downside: You have to keep up the monthly treatments because it's not a permanent fix. Still, it feels like a warm massage and leaves your skin feeling plump and pink, much like after cardio. "Radiofrequency is now being used to treat wrinkles, scars, acne, cellulite, and more," says Sandy, who explains that the heat penetrates the layers of skin to promote healing blood flow to the scarred area. "You should start seeing results in a few weeks after the treatment," she says.
MICRONEEDLING
Microneedling is huge right now when it comes to treating wrinkles and fine lines as well as stretch marks. A small roller of needles is used by a doctor to make tiny wounds in the skin, which stimulates collagen, elastin, and ignites blood flow in the area, which smooths out skin. Up the healing power by incorporating a PRP (or platelet rich plasma) treatment: Your doc draws your blood, spins it in a centrifuge, then injects the plasma-rich protein back into the area. Much like radiofrequency, you need at least six treatments about one month apart.
LASERS
"Lasers have been proven to improve the appearance of stretch marks, but they can't remove them completely," says Adriana Martino, a laser medical esthetician and co-founder of SKINNEY Medspa in New York City. A fractional laser could help you fade the marks with a few treatments, but be forewarned: "Stretch marks are usually not easy to treat — they can improve, especially by toning down the red color, but even then the treatment often falls short of expectations," says Martino.
Sandy prefers using the new Pixel CO2 Fractional Laser by ALMA. "The CO2 sandblasts the top levels of the scars. Then the pixelated laser makes tiny channels in the skin," she explains. "Much like microneedling, making tiny wounds in the skin rebuilds new collagen bonds which results in smoother skin." Most people need at least 2 to 3 treatments to see results.
MICRODERMABRASION
Just like microdermabrasion on your face can slough away old skin and stimulate new skin growth, using microdermabrasion on your body can do the same for stretch marks. "This works best for smaller areas of stretch marks and when combined with a topical treatment of retinoids and hydroquinone, which helps lighten them," says Sandy.
PLASTIC SURGERY
To put it bluntly, "Surgery is the ultimate way to remove stretch marks," says Sandy. After you've tried everything else and you're still unsatisfied, you may want to consider going under the knife. "Stretch marks often appear on places where women would often opt for plastic surgery — their tummies, breasts, and hips," points out Dadvand. "If you think you might want to get a tummy tuck or a breast augmentation to tighten up sagging, loose skin in those areas, your surgeon will likely cut out all the stretch marks and scarred skin," he says.
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Whether they're red and raised or pale and hollow, if your stretch marks only bother you when they peek out from your clothes, you could simply conceal them with body makeup or self-tanner. Bliss Fatgirlslim Hide & 'Glow' Sleek Firming Tinted Body Spray ($38; blissworld.com) evens your skin's appearance instantly with a light veil of color, but it multitasks by firming and toning skin over time.
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