Pure Shea Butter for Stretchmarks

Shea Butter

• Drug store aisles and beauty counters are filled with options to help improve skin tone, elasticity and reduce the appearance of stretch marks. Many of these products contain shea butter, an extract found in the shea tree, which isnative to Africa. Shea butter is a fatty acid that has been used in skin care regimes for centuries. In fact, references to shea butter have been noted as far back as the reign of Cleopatra.

Shea Butter on Skin

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  Because of its high concentration of non-saponifiable fatty acids, shea butter has a moisturizing and healing effect on the skin. The lipids contained in the butter are highly beneficial to the cells found in the epidermis and promote skin healing and improvement. The moisturizing effect of shea butter can give the skin a more youthful tone and glow, thus helping to uniform the skin marred by stretch marks.

Shea Butter for Prevention

• While the appearance of stubborn stretch marks can be improved by the use of shea butter, the vitamins and oils in the substance are better used as a preventive measure against the forming of further marks. Shea butter works well to improve the skin's elasticity, thus enabling it to stretch with greater ease. This can then help prevent the striae (stretch marks) the skin forms when it is stretched rapidly.

Shea Butter Products for Stretch Marks

• Many stretch mark treatment creams contain shea butter. Some popular products are Earth Mama Body Butter, L'Occitane Pure Organic Shea Butter and Striae® StretchMark Removal Crème from Lawrence Moy.

Alternatives

• While shea butter can be helpful in preventing stretch marks as well as improving the appearance of those already present, most stubborn stretch marks require more drastic treatment than shea can provide. A dermatologist can prescribe skin pigment treatments to improve existing stretch marks, while both dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons usually offer laser treatments for the skin.