I have stretch marks

I am a 30 -year old lady with two children. I have some stretch marks on my abdomen which are very unsightly whenever I wear swim suits. Kindly let me know how to get rid of them.

Dorcas (by SMS)

Stretch marks are actually bands of elastin broken beneath the skin. They appear during puberty, pregnancy, the bulking up phase of bodybuilding, obesity, intense physical activity and Cushing’s disease. Oral steroids and over-use of low potency topical steroid creams/ointments driven deeper into the skin when covered with plastic wrap, can also cause stretch marks. Although aesthetically stretch marks may bother you, they are harmless and do not require medical treatment. Unfortunately stretch marks stay with you forever because the damage is in the dermis, far below the surface of the skin, and no cream on earth can undo it. But there are ways to make them almost invisible. Drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day naturally hydrates your tissues, keeps your skin soft and elastic and helps keep collagen production at normal levels. Eating foods rich in essential fatty acids, zinc, silica and vitamins A,C,D,E,K nourishes the body and replenishes your skin. Include oily fish, eggs, liver and lean meats, citrus fruit, tomatoes, almonds, pumpkin seeds, carrots, spinach, green cabbage, kale, Swiss Chard, turnip greens, broccoli, tomatoes, collards and low fat dairy products in your diet.

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