Overview
Stretch marks are essentially scars. They can happen on any part of the body; however, they most commonly appear on the stomach, breasts, buttocks and thighs—places that fat is likely to accumulate. Pregnancy and rapid weight gain often produce stretch marks. They don’t fade easily, but you can take several approaches to minimizing them on your thighs or elsewhere.
Step 1
Hydrate your body. Water helps skin cells regenerate, and regeneration of skin cells around stretch marks will reduce them. The Mayo Clinic recommends drinking at least eight 8 oz. glasses of water a day.
Step 2
Exercise regularly. Exercise tones and firms the skin, and stretch marks look less severe on toned skin than on flabby skin. Try to get at least 2 1/2 hours of moderate-intensity exercise over the course of each week.
Step 3
Apply tanning lotion to your thighs. The darker your skin, the less severe your stretch marks appear. Tanning lotion is a safer option than getting a tan by exposing yourself to the sun’s cancer-causing ultraviolet rays.
Step 4
Apply vitamin E oil to the skin where the stretch marks appear. Vitamin E contains alpha hydroxy acid, which helps remove the dead skin cells in the top layer of your skin, reducing the appearance of your stretch marks. You can buy vitamin E capsules at a drugstore. Punch a hole in the gel cap, squeeze out the liquid and rub it onto your stretch marks.
About this Author
Emily Ann has been a writer since 2005 specializing in a variety of topic, including health and fitness. She has experience in broadcast media and wants to bring her knowledge of breaking down complex stories into easy-to-follow articles for the various online publications for which she writes. Ann earned a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism and English.
