New Delhi, Aug 1 (IANS): Nourish skin by eating a nutritious diet and apply lemon juice on affected areas to do away with stretch marks.

Mandeep Singh, consultant cosmetic and plastic surgery, Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon, suggests useful tips:

* Drink water: Drink eight to 10 glasses of water a day and you will notice a visible change in the sharpness of the stretch mark, which means their prominence on your skin will reduce.

* Nutritious diet: Choose a balanced and nutritious diet that is rich in Vitamins C and E, zinc, silica and other nutrients to nourish your skin. Vitamin C, in particular, is essential for renewing connective tissue.

Include a variety of foods such as strawberries, blueberries, spinach, carrots, green beans, collard greens, nuts and seeds in your diet.

* Lemon juice: Lemon juice is a natural acid that will bleach your stretch marks. Rub lemon juice on your stretch marks in circular motion. Let it stay on there for 10 minutes before you rinse it off.

* Creams and moisturisers: Use creams and moisturizers that help to create skin elasticity. Lotions and creams work best for new stretch marks, but they can help with old ones. They are just not as effective though. A cream with retinoic acid cream works best for new stretch marks. You can apply the cream on your skin as you lose weight.