Do Stretch Mark Creams Work?

Not in the way you might think. See what our testers discovered

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It takes commitment to apply stretch mark treatments two to three times daily over several months. So if they don't work, wouldn't you like to know before buying one? "Products containing ingredients like alpha hydroxy acids combined with retinol (or vitamin A), cayenne pepper, tiger's herb, vitamin C -- anything that encourages collagen or elastin (elastic tissue) production and circulation can help," says dermatologist Dr. Murad.

With that in mind, our testers tried six popular treatments for eight weeks, none of which made stretch marks vanish (even StriVectin-SD's package admits "no topical formulation can completely eliminate stretch marks"). Still, some products left testers oohing and aahing at their results. Find out which products and ingredients made a difference.