Provided by Total Beauty (via AOL Health)

Many of us are genetically destined to get stretch marks and cellulite. But thanks to expert help from two of the country’s most famous rock star-level skin gurus and 200,000 unbiased beauty product reviews from TotalBeauty.com readers, we have ways you can effectively prevent and minimize the appearance of these bummer issues. Here’s the scoop from Howard Murad, M.D., dermatologist, and CEO/founder of Murad, Inc., and Ronald Moy, M.D., UCLA dermasurgeon and professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine.

What Causes Cellulite?

Cellulite is likely genetically inherited. But it starts with “poor circulation,” says Murad. Circulation usually feeds the dermis (middle layer) of your skin, keeping it strong — but when circulation is poor (due to a sedentary lifestyle, smoking or poor nutrition), the dermis becomes weak and it can’t hold down the layer of fat below it. The fat layer then migrates into that middle layer of skin, creating that lumpy, cottage cheese look. There’s no cure for cellulite, but you can minimize the appearance of it.

Prevent Cellulite

Diet and exercise can minimize the look of cellulite from the inside out, Murad and Moy agree. Exercise aids circulation and can minimally break up fat, and eating certain foods can improve circulation and strengthen skin. “Eat foods that help build collagen and elastin,” says Murad, like lean meats, eggs and whole grains. Raw fruits and veggies help with hydration and antioxidants, while the good oils in black cod, almonds, flax seeds and walnuts help build skin cell walls.

No time to cook? Take supplements to reap similar benefits. Try Murad Firm and Tone Dietary Supplement Pack, $137.50.

Cellulite Products That Work

Though creams only offer very temporary results, they may help when used regularly. “Anything that hydrates the skin will make [cellulite] less obvious,” says Moy. Murad recommends lotions with cayenne pepper and cats claw (for circulation), and Vitamin C (to produce collagen). Caffeine may also help shrink the size of water molecules that surround fat.

Products to try: Clarins Total Body Lift “Stubborn Cellulite Control,” $45.99, uses caffeine, which “really helps smooth my skin out,” says one reader. “I have to admit I notice some firming going on,” says another. Or Nivea Good-Bye Cellulite Gel-Cream, $12.19, which uses L-carnitine as its cellulite-fighting ingredient. “The dimples are almost completely gone,” says a reader after a few weeks. “Combining it with an intense daily workout has helped a lot,” says another.

More Aggressive Treatments

If over-the-counter treatments and diet and exercise don’t help, you have other options. Mesotherapy ($500 to $750 per treatment) injects bits of vitamins and pharmaceuticals into your body to break up fat; Endermologie ($250 to $500 per treatment, pictured) smoothes and tones temporarily via a machine-assisted massage; and Thermage ($2,000 per treatment) smoothes and tightens skin using radiofrequency.

You can also opt for invasive treatments such as SmartLipo, which uses laser technology to melt fat and tighten skin. Though results can be permanent, you will have down time, and it costs around $7,000.

Why Stretch Marks?

When skin is stretched after weight or muscle gain, weight loss or pregnancy, red lines appear, and over time fade like lines in sand. “On dark skin, they appear a dusky red, then move on to white,” says Murad. For treatments to be effective, you need to act when they’re still reddish.Though it’s unclear why some people get them and others don’t, hormones and genetics are likely at fault. Tuberculosis and overuse of steroids like cortisone (taken orally or applied topically), which Murad says “thin the skin and connective tissues” have also been known to make skin susceptible.

Stretch Mark Camouflage

“Tanned skin gives the illusion of being firm,” says Meredith Braf, tanning and bronzing expert for Victoria’s Secret. She recommends applying self-tanner and a cellulite treatment cream for a one-two punch. Apply separately or use a dual-purpose product like Victoria’s Secret Bare Bronze Gradual Tan Firming Body Moisturizer, $18,pictured. Then top with a true self-tanner for a deep, dark tan. If you have dark skin, you can indeed use self-tanner — but rather than providing a tan, it simply evens out your skin color, thereby camouflaging the lines once they’ve turned white. (The liquid makeup featured is also a great option, as it comes in a wide variety of shades, including darker skin tones.)
Finish by applying shimmery bronzing lotion to “deflect light,” says Stiles. Try Jergens Soft Shimmer Skin Radiance Moisturizer, $6.49.

Stretch Mark Prevention

If you’re pregnant or planning to build muscle at the gym, apply moisturizers with cocoa butter or Vitamin E to the soon-to-grow areas, Murad advises. Try Carol’s Daughter Sexy Belly, $17. “I have yet to get one stretch mark despite the fact I’m six month’s pregnant,” says one reader. “You can really feel your skin is in better condition,” says another. Or try Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter, $13.49, which a reader who’s had two 10-pound babies claims “worked wonders against horrific odds.”

Stretch Mark Treatment

You must treat stretch marks immediately, before they turn silver or white. While they’re still red in color, “you can make a difference” and fade them, says Murad. Treat stretch marks twice daily with products containing ingredients that “thicken skin by building collagen,” says Moy. A few to look for: retinoids (like Retin A; note, pregnant women should not use retinoids), Vitamin C and glycolic acids (in products like ProCyte Striae Stretch Mark Creme, $70 which one reader claims, “made me a believer.”) “DNA repair creams can also thicken skin and help repair DNA damage,” says Moy. Try Remergent DNA Repair Formula Age Retaliator Serum, $125.

Stretch Marks: In-Office Solutions

No patience to wait for a cream to work? Other options exist. Lasers like the Pulse Dye and Nd:YAG Laser can “thicken the skin and take the red down,” says Moy. The downside? They cost $250 to $500 per treatment (you’ll need three to six). C02 resurfacing lasers (like Total FX and Affirm, pictured) are also used to treat old stretch marks. “They won’t take [stretch marks] away, but it blends them in,” Moy says. Treatments cost $900 to $3,000 each and require healing time.

Stretch Mark Camouflage

“Self-tanner can hide a multitude of sins,” says makeup artist Fiona Stiles. Use it as your first step, then, to further mask obvious lines when needed, use makeup formulated to cover tattoos and port-wine stains (Stiles likes Colortration Super Concealing Liquid Makeup, $35, pictured). Apply it with a small concealer brush and set with translucent, slightly shimmery powder (try Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder, $34).

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