Top Stretch Mark Removal Cream Ingredients

There are more than a dozen of stretch mark removal creams on the market, and less than a dozen of those supposedly work. To find out where to put your money for the most effect take an in depth look of what ingredient each product is offering. According to today’s research only a few ingredients are actually effective at reducing the look of stretch marks.

Stretch marks occur in the middle layer of the skin, also called the dermis, where topical lotions simply don’t have the reach or effectiveness. That said, a few stretch mark removal cream ingredients can do wonders for the top of the skin and thus improve the look of the stretch mark. Especially those who can help repair the collagen and elastin that has been damaged. Here is an introduction to the most common and best stretch mark ingredients.

DMAE is an abbreviated name for a long word about an antioxidant that is known to have many benefits including reducing wrinkles, boosting the mind functioning, improving skin, and reducing inflammation. There are side effects however to ingesting DMAE, which include headache, tight muscles and inability to sleep well. Many products incorporate DMAE as an ingredient, however the effects are supposedly short lasting, up to 24 hours. So their true effectiveness is still questioned.

Glycolic acid is a popular ingredient from a good reason, it works! Glycolic acid is part of the AHA family of fruit acids and is derived from sugar cane (yes, sugar cane is considered a fruit). People can treat themselves at home with glycolic acid peels using concentrations of 10%. Anything more and a professional such as an esthetician or dermatologist would need to apply it. Naturally, the higher concentrations are much better at addressing skin issues such as stretch marks over a series of treatments, at least 3 and probably no more than 10. There is question to whether the 10% at home treatments are significantly helpful. Overall, glycolic acid is a good ingredient to treat stretch mark scars with because it encourages new skin growth.  

Palmitoyl oligopeptide is a new peptide on the block that has claimed to penetrate the skin layers and stimulate collagen to grow in the dermis. In addition this peptide is also great for fighting free radical damage. Too good to be true? Maybe the jury is still out.

One study concluded that palmitoyl pentapeptide worked just as well as retinol on sun-damaged skin but without the irritation and photosensitivity consistent with retinol use. In another study, wrinkles were reduced by as much as 68-percent with the use of palmitoyl pentapeptide.

Retinoids have long been deemed as a good ingredient to effect stretch marks, retinyl palmitate is one of those retinoids that when applied on the skin can work to convert itself into retinoic acid inside the skin cells. This helps stimulate cell renewal. Unlike regular retinoic acid, retinyl palmitate does not cause irritation when applied on the skin.

Siegesbeckia orentalis is a very old ingredient that has been used to keep the skin beautiful. There are claims that it helps restore collagen in the skin and it is used in some top-selling stretch mark removal creams.

There are notable mentions for best stretch mark removal ingredients, including aloe vera, cocoa butter, vitamin E, wheat germ oil and shea butter. Each of these ingredients deserve recognition for their efforts against stretch marks. Although they cannot help reverse the stretch mark damage by boosting the production of collagen or elastin they do very well at moisturizing the skin thus they can help prevent stretch marks. If a woman is anticipating the possibility of getting stretch marks, using these ingredients as lotions or as part of a product is an excellent resource for managing stretch marks before they come.