Stretch mark creams are available with all sorts of different ingredients to cure these long embarrassing scars. Some of these focus on getting rid of the pink or red color of new marks while other treatments include moisturizers and healing agents such as aloe vera to help prevent the severity of stretch marks. When the white or silvery scars appear, these substances can help, but they will not produce the results you are looking for. Effective scar creams for older stretch marks need to include ingredients that treat the scars themselves as well as the surface layers.

Ingredients For The Skin's Surface

One ingredient, commonly used in acne scar and wrinkle treatments, also works well on the surface of stretch marks. Alternatively referred to as hydroxyacetic acid, glycolic acid is a form of alpha hydroxyl acid often used in chemical peels. This ingredient inhibits the ability of lipids to adhere to each other. This allows the product to remove the dead skin cells that makes stretch marks so vivid. As an added benefit, this product removes the dull and unhealthy looking skin to leave behind fresh, younger looking skin behind.

Shea butter, cocoa butter, and borage oil work to add moisture to the surface of the scars and surrounding skin. The moisture keeps the tissue soft while allowing the skin to repair itself more effectively. Many experts agree that the massaging action that is used to apply these types of ingredients also plays an important role in the treatment of these marks. It is thought that this promotes circulation that speeds up the healing process.

Ingredients That Treat From The Inside

Vitamin E, aloe vera, and natural herbs are also found in popular stretch mark serums to help with the treatment of stretch marks. Unlike glycolic acid, these components provide nutrients to the scars and surrounding tissue. Since stretch marks are the result of torn collagen and elastin in the skin, these nutrients are vital to ensure the body has enough nourishment to repair of this important layer.

Centillica asiatica and amino acids are important components in stretch mark treatments. Centillica asiatica encourages the collagen and elastin in the skin to regenerate. It also helps the skin to absorb other important nutrients and substances needed in the healing process. Amino acids prevent stretch marks from forming or getting worse by inhibiting the deterioration of the skin's connective tissue. Because proteins are the main factor in cell regeneration, the amino acids in stretch mark creams allow your body to increase its rate of skin cell production while strengthening the peptide bonds that hold everything together.