Thursday, July 16, 2009

The Truth About Cocoa Butter for Stretch Marks

By Sapphire Rylee

You may have heard of cocoa butter for stretch marks? This is one of the several ingredients being looked into as a great skin care solution and natural treatment for stretch marks. Cocoa butter has been around for ages and a lot of people are now beginning to realize its true benefits.

Cocoa as Moisturizer

Cocoa butter comes from the cocoa bean. It is actually considered a form of vegetable fat. In its raw form, it can be applied on the skin as a form of moisturizer. The extract works by penetrating the top layer of the skin. As it touches the deeper layer, it provides additional moisture that can improve skin elasticity. This is one quality that the skin needs to be able to fight stretch marks. This skin condition can be made worse by inelastic skin that can tear due to stretching.

Expert Analysis

Not everyone is convinced on the benefits of cocoa butter. There are those who believe that its only good as a moisturizer. With stretch marks, people need more than just a skin moisturizer. Other than being moisturized, our skin needs to be able regenerate regularly. Supporters of cocoa maintain that it does contain other natural nutrients that can promote the repair of damaged skin. However, it still remains to be seen whether cocoa really is effective at damage control or not.

Studies have been done to determine the truth behind cocoa butter as a form of stretch mark treatment. The results, though, are in conflict. While some point out that cocoa does seem to have beneficial effects on the skin there are also results which have taken an opposite stance. These results though did nothing to stop the believers of cocoa butter for stretch mark to continuing using the ingredient even just for its moisturizing benefits.

The negative results may not entirely be up to the cocoa butter factor alone. Some believe that its effectiveness also depend greatly on how it is being used. Some suggest using it right after a bath to ensure better skin penetration. Others, on the other hand, may also use it more than once a day to better benefit from it. The common denominator, if you want to get good results from cocoa butter, are consistency of use.

Product Use

Because of the popularity of the ingredient, it has become an ingredient in some products. When inside a package, it is easier to use and some users may prefer products over using raw extracts. Furthermore, manufacturers of the product provide advice on the frequency and mode of application that would give the best results.

However, those who want to buy products with cocoa butter from online merchants should be careful. It is important to not that not every product is genuine. Some of these products, if not the merchants themselves, may be scams. Remember to do your homework in researching about the product and the merchant before you buy.

Other than cocoa butter, nature has also other natural ingredients up her sleeves to fight stretch marks. These include products with vitamin E, vitamin A, squalene oil and vitamin D.

One of the major advantage of natural ingredients like cocoa butter for stretch marks is that even if they lack conclusive studies proving their effectiveness, they are already guaranteed safe to use. At the very least, you will stand to benefit from the natural nutrients offered by nature. - 14130

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