Stretch Mark Experiment

So, with being prego and all, I have been very concerned about stretch marks.  And no, I am not a superfluous and stuck-up individual who has to have a perfect body.  I just like the idea of being able to wear a bikini without people staring at my stomach.  Everyone says that it's just something that comes with being pregnant and/or something that is genetic.  I am willing to accept that.   However, I have already acquired quite a few from puberty (no thanks to you body and/or genetics) and I didn't want any more.  I am almost 35 weeks along now, and they just continue to pop up.  I saw the ugly, purple indications of my first one when I was about 30 weeks along.  It was strange because it extended like a snake's head from a previous stretch mark, and more have followed suit since.  I now have about 6 small ones or so (each about a centimeter in length), and I don't want them to get any bigger.

Unfortunately, you can't always avoid what your genetics dish out to you, so what do you do?  Right now, I have declared war on my stretch marks.  That's right.  I am conducting my own little stretch mark experiment.  I'm trying out the popular word-of-mouth oils and creams to see what works for my body and what doesn't.  I do not plan on spending money on any laser therapies and/or microderm abrasion stuff, because I can't afford to.  But we'll see what happens with what I do try.

Product Number 1: Environmentally-friendly Tea Tree Bath Oil (my email is listed at the end of this blog if you are interested in knowing more information about this product)

• Tea tree oil is very healing and beneficial to the body for multiple purposes, so I purchased this item about 2 weeks ago and have been rubbing it on my body in the shower every day.  It isn't supposed to be specifically used for stretch marks as far as I know, and I have not seen any improvements yet, but I figured it was worth a shot.  So we'll see.

Product Number 2: Vitamin E oil mixed with my environmentally-friendly lotion





This is my left side/hip, day one of vitamin E oil and
environmentally-friendly lotion treatment...the two dots are freckles and
 the gray splotches are just shadows.

• I just barely tried this out for the first time this morning.  I bought the oil from my local grocery store for about $6, and the lotion is from a private, environmentally friendly online shopping network that I use.  It is very moisturizing and is pretty much known to work on hard-core psoriasis, eczema, and super dry skin.  It is scent-free, and I have really liked using it for body lotion (even more than the brand that I previously used before, Curel).  It is $9.99 for a large bottle or $1.79 for a trial-size bottle (again, email me for more details if interested in knowing more about this product).  I tried just rubbing the oil directly onto my skin, and it was really awkward because the oil was just too thick, so that's why I decided to mix it in with some of the lotion.
• A friend of mine also sent me this link about vitamin E oil: The Amazing Health Benefits of Using Vitamin E Oil Topically

Product Number 3: Mederma Stretch Mark Therapy Lotion

• I have not purchased this yet, but I have heard that it works really well.  It's kind of spendy though (about $24, according to amazon.com).  Luckily, I found a $5 coupon in a Parent's magazine for it, so hopefully I will be able to get that soon and try it out.  This is Mederma's website: http://www.mederma.com/products/stretch_marks/.  My sister, who has been pregnant previously, really says that it works, especially when used in combination with the vitamin E oil, so I will keep you updated when I see how that goes.

Product Number 4: Bio-Oil

• Again, I haven't purchased this yet or tried it out, but I've heard that it works well too.  This page explains the details about the ingredients found in Bio-Oil: http://bio-oilusa.com/en-us/product/ingredients.  Bio-Oil seems to cost around $15 (again, according to amazon.com).

Product Number 5: Coconut Oil

• I may or may not try this out, depending on how much it costs.  But a friend of mine recently posted this on my Facebook page: 122 Uses for Coconut Oil.  Hopefully it will help!  I have never heard of anyone using coconut oil for stretch marks before though. 

Lifestyle Tip for Stretch Marks

• I already eat pretty well, but a friend of mine posted this on my Facebook page.  It definitely makes sense that it could be applicable to stretch marks (as well as a nutritionally-beneficial aspect that should be considered during pregnancy in general).  Here is the link to the article: Foods to Eat While Pregnant to Avoid Stretch Marks

And those are all of my options that I've heard of/researched so far!  If anyone has any other suggestions, I would love to hear them (especially if they are home-made or inexpensive).  Also, if interested in learning more about the environmentally-friendly online shopping network that I like to use, please email me at queenogreenhealth@gmail.com.


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UPDATE:

I just bought the Bio-Oil and the Mederma.  My routine for the past 2 days has been to apply my eco-friendly bath oil in the morning while I'm in the shower.  So far, it seems like this product has been helping to prevent more stretch marks from occuring, but it doesn't seem to help them go away.  Then, before I get dressed, I apply the Mederma.  In the afternoon, I mix my eco-friendly lotion with both the Bio-Oil and the Vitamin E Oil.  Then, before I got to bed, I apply the Mederma again.  With just adding the Mederma to my routine in the past few days, I have noticed that my stretch marks aren't as purple as they were before.  It's only been a couple of days though.  I also wanted to mention that I had been using Palmer's cocoa butter since the beginning of my pregnancy to help to prevent stretch marks.  It was inexpensive, but I didn't notice that it prevented them.  Once I started accumulating more, I also noticed that it has not helped to reduce them.  The smell of cocoa butter isn't that great to me either, so I wouldn't recommend that product.

Here are a few more pictures that I took yesterday so that we can see some better "before and after" effects of the lotions:

Left Side 7/26/2012

Right Side and Stomach 7/26/2012

Stomach 7/26/2012