How can my teenage daughter deal with stretch marks?

¦ My 15-year-old daughter has recently gone through a growth spurt, which has left her with number of stretch marks.

She is distressed and I’ve reassured her that these will fade with time. Do you have any advice on how to speed up the fading process? The marks are a reddish purple, and quite noticeable.

>> Stretch marks are very common as a result of growth spurts and often appear on the thighs, hips, breasts, buttocks, and abdomen of young women as a result of physical changes and rapid growth that take place during the puberty process.

You are correct in advising her that these marks will gradually change from the reddish purple colouration to an almost invisible silvery-white colour. Dry skin is thought to be more prone to the appearance of stretch marks, so she needs to make sure that she gets adequate fluids, eats a diet high in fresh fruit and vegetables, and also includes plenty of healthy fats with her meals, (fish, avocado, nuts, seeds, etc). Of course, using a natural moisturiser or oil externally will also help.

Avoid the use of topical steroids, since these can lead to stretch marks.

Rosa mosqueta oil is renowned for its ability to regenerate tissue and minimise the appearance of scars. It also has a wonderful soothing and softening effect on the skin, and many expectant mothers swear by it in preventing and healing stretch marks during pregnancy. It is best used at night before bed, as it can cause photosensitivity when exposed to sunlight — although if the marked areas are covered by her clothing during the day, then this will be fine.

Currently there are two main theories as to why stretch marks occur. The first is that the skin is stretched to the point where it begins to break down and lose its elasticity — hence the term, ‘stretch’ marks.

The second theory is that they are not a result of stretching at all, rather an increase in the hormone called glucocorticoid. Levels of this hormone rise significantly during pregnancy, adolescence, weight lifting, with Cushing’s disease, and in cases of obesity.

¦ My sister-in-law swears by homeopathic remedies to prevent illnesses in her children. I am not convinced homeopathy works, but understand it’s about ‘like treating like’. If there are no symptoms or illness to treat, then how can it work as a prevention, if at all? I am concerned she is putting her children at risk by not using proven remedies.

>> Using homeopathy as a preventative approach to illness is not as common as the conventional diagnostic method of establishing a constitutional diagnosis or treating existing symptoms, and is the subject of some debate even among homeopaths.

Homeoprophylaxis was developed by Samuel Hahnemann, the father of homeopathy, in 1799 during an epidemic of Scarlet Fever in Germany when he discovered that the homeopathic remedy Belladonna could prevent infection during an epidemic of scarlet fever if given to people before exposure.

This method of administering homeopathic remedies as a preventative treatment was also used effectively against smallpox, cholera, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, influenza, meningococcal disease, hepatitis, Japanese encephalitis, malaria and leptospirosis.

The effectiveness of homeopathy is often called into question. I would expect that if your sister-inlaw is using these remedies, then she will be taking her children to a qualified homeopath or naturopath who will be looking at the complete picture — including diet, lifestyle, to support wellbeing.