Stretch marks can feel like one of those unfortunate facts of life, especially when it's time to slip into a bathing suit again, or after a surprising bout of weight or muscle gain.
Our skin tells a story, and while some are a great privilege to share (thank you, well-aging movement!) others, we may be less than thrilled about having everyone know.
When it comes to mitigating the appearance of stretch marks, clients have more options at their disposal than ever before. Here's what's au courant in managing our stripes.
1. Stronger together
With such a wide array of tools at our disposal, combining synergistic treatments for a stronger effect has expanded beyond well-aging solutions for our faces. Pairing microneedling with PRP is effective for stretch marks, particularly older, more stubborn marks, by stimulating the skin's natural healing process.
Letting clients know they have options depending on their comfort levels, as well as the severity of appearance and stubbornness of their marks, and having a network of licensed professionals you can refer them to means grateful clients who know they can count on you as their go-to for their skin and wellness journey.
2. Holistic isn't going anywhere
With the increasing popularity of holistic skin care, it's no surprise that this has expanded to how we try and prevent stretchmarks.
Clients can reduce their risk of developing stretch marks through maintaining a healthy, consistent weight. While an active lifestyle goes a long way, it's essential to remember the importance of staying hydrated and enjoying a diet rich in nutrient-dense foods high in omega-3s and vitamins A, C and E. If you're building out your professional network as is, keeping a nutrition professional as well as personal trainers, yoga instructors and fitness instructors can't hurt either.
While these practices are beneficial for preventing stretch marks, they're also conducive to overall wellness and healthy skin. When clients see the connections between every aspect of their wellness, it'll feel like much less of an uphill battle to incorporate positive lifestyle changes that will make them look as good as they feel.
3. Multi-functional camouflage
Another skin care trend that the whole body can reap the benefits of! Multi-functionals aren't just for your favorite cosmetics. There are tinted products that are meant to heal and conceal stretch marks. Brands like StretchMarkers incorporate ingredients like hyaluronic acid, retinol and aloe vera to reduce the appearance of stretch marks, while also promoting healing and skin cell turnover.
Setting clients on a long-term journey of healing skin and longer-term, larger lifestyle changes can be easier if they also have something that can help them feel more confident in the short term as well. Products like these make great retail options and recommendations.
4. Growing pains
Rapid weight gain is on the rise globally, and is a major cause of stretch marks. No longer is it just for pregnant women or athletes with extreme bulking-up regimens.
Our fast-paced lifestyles mean many of us are cutting corners to save time and effort, turning to high-calorie, low-nutrient meals, and becoming increasingly reliant on them. The unprecedented amount of screen time we're all putting in also contributes to higher amounts of inactivity.
More weight gain means more stretch marks, meaning a higher demand for treatment.
5. Regulatory can't always keep up with demand
In the industry, we're all well aware of the regulatory hoops that can be tricky to navigate when it comes to services, but red tape often is a bottleneck for new products, too, particularly devices that require FDA clearance, which requires rigorous testing to ensure they're safe to use and effective for what they claim to do.
Ingredient safety is another factor that needs to be ensured prior to entering the market, particularly when it comes to ingredient concentrations and the safety of more vulnerable populations, like pregnant individuals.
The process of meeting compliance can be expensive and time-consuming, so it's important to stay in-the-know about upcoming treatments you may want to incorporate, the status of them and if they've been established as safe and effective.
