Find out where stretch marks come from and how to make them look better.Growth spurts, weight gain and pregnancy are common causes of stretch marks. Every woman has them. Some stretch marks are more obvious than others. Sadly, you can't prevent or control stretch marks. The skin stretches faster than new skin can grow. You don't always notice them until you lose weight. The best you can do is to improve the stretch mark and make it look a bit better. Try a cream with retinol, caffeine, vitamin C or niacinamide. Firming creams may help. Don't open up vitamin E capsules and try rubbing the oil on your stretch mark. Instead, find a cream with vitamin E that is meant for skin application. Red stretch marks are new. White stretch marks are older. Don't try to tan to make them go away. Tanning breaks down the collagen in your body and makes the contrast between the stretch mark and surrounding skin worse. Listen in as Dr. Doris Day shares how to treat your stretch marks.