I wholly recommend that you practice regular massage for your stretch marks, especially if you can’t really afford expensive cosmetic laser surgery or if your body can’t tolerate strong prescription medication.
Massages can be very soothing and relaxing, and with the right oils and massage techniques you may be able to decrease the severity of your stretch marks. The great thing about massages is that you won’t ever suffer any side effects, as long as you use the right oils and methods.
But you are not absolutely required to follow those directions though. You can experiment with different amounts and mixtures, as long as you take care to choose safe oils. These include shea butter and cocoa butter.
Preparing for a Massage
I have found that the best way to prepare for a massage is to soak in the bathtub 30 minutes prior. A long relaxing bath can help improve your blood circulation, and it also softens the topmost layers of your skin. You may also use the steam room at the gym if a bath can’t be arranged. If both a bath and a steam room are impossible, a long hot shower will suffice. Whatever you do, use warm water but not very hot water, as I have found that hot water tends to dry the skin instead of moisturize it.
I have also discovered some products you can put in your bath to help you relax. You can make use of expired milk that doesn’t smell bad yet. Other products you can use include:
•Essential oil
•Bath salt or Epsom salt
•Green tea, dry chamomile, or just some crushed flower petals
You don’t have to use them all—just one of these things should suffice. Once you’re out of the tub, don’t dry yourself off completely. Just use a towel to remove the excess water running down your skin so that your skin remains moist.
The Massage
Apply oil on the stretch marks and begin your massage. Do this with small circular motions on areas of about three to five inches or so wide. Change the massage speeds from somewhat fast to a slower and steadier pace, to provide a wider variety of stimulation for your skin.
The strength and firmness of the massage will differ for each person, depending on what you can tolerate and the age of the stretch marks. I recommend that your massage should be light enough to feel that you are just touching the area, but it should not be too hard either to the point that it causes you pain.
As for time devoted to the massage, I have found that for more sensitive skin, two minutes per session will be enough, while for darker stretch marks it may take longer. As a rule, you should stop if you notice a change in color or if your skin begins to tingle or becomes painful. It may be best to do this right before you go to bed, so that you can sleep as the massage oil settles on your skin.
