Mederma for Stretch Marks – The Factual Basis for the Most Popular Remedy for Stretch Marks

In over 20 countries, Mederma is the number one selling remedy for stretch marks used by both women and men. The maker of the product proudly states that their clinical trial showed that 80 per cent of users of Mederma saw visible results in 12 weeks or less, and that using the cream regularly smoothed lines, lightened pigmentation, and enhanced flexibility of the skin.

Does Mederma Work on Stretch Marks?

Mederma is made from a well-known Ayurvedic herb called gotu kola, sometimes known by its botanical name, Centella asiatica. It contains hyalouronic acid, the basic building material for membranes throughout the human body, and a propriety formula based on onion skin the company calls cepalin.

Gotu kola appears in numerous products for stretch marks, scars, and cellulite. Several dozen scientific studies show that it stimulates fibroblasts in the skin to produce collagen between skin cells.

There are some very important advantages to using gotu kola to stimulate collagen to treat stretch marks. The first and foremost benefit of using collagen is that stretch marks are places the skin needs to "fill in" to smooth out. Stretch marks occur when the skin simply cannot grow fast enough to keep up with the muscle tissue growing beneath it. Additional collagen production helps the skin stretch to cover the muscle layer.

The second benefit to using gotu kola is that it generates collagen in the skin, rather than on the skin. Many expensive products list collagen as an ingredient in their creams or lotions. The collagen in these products cannot penetrate the skin. It's simply too bulky to travel through a pore. The collagen in the product combines with moisture in perspiration to cover up the stretch mark, but the first time the skin is washed, the collagen is washed away. Gotu kola stimulates the skin's own production of collagen for a lasting effect.

Of course, collagen can be injected into the skin. But do you really want to have collagen collected from human cadavers, aborted fetuses, or animal feet injected into your body? Gotu kola is much more natural and far less expensive.

Hyalouronic acid is a naturally occurring chemical the body makes to give membranes and skin their "stretch." It incorporates water into the skin to make it more flexible. Hyalouronic acid is usually identified as a "natural moisturizing factor," or NMF.

The Real Role of Cepalin

The controversial ingredient in Mederma is cepalin. Many critics of Mederma, almost all of whom are trying to sell you another formula, argue that since there is not a paper trail of scientific evidence for cepalin, the product must not work. The simple fact is, cepalin probably does enhance the value of the formula, but most of the beneficial effects of the product are due to gotu kola and hyalouronic acid.

In the cosmetics trade, formulas are usually patented. A patent cannot be granted unless the formula is different from other products in a distinctive way. Usually this means that the manufacturer adds a unique, proprietary ingredient that other companies cannot easily duplicate. Then the patent protects the maker of a good product from spending millions of dollars defending claims that some other company really invented their product.

The simple truth about Mederma stretch mark therapy is that it works. Invest in Mederma you buy from a vendor offering a money-back guarantee, and you have nothing to lose but your stretch marks.