Causes and Treatment for Stretch Marks

The development of stretch marks on a person's skin is a typical consequence of weight gain and loss in the individual.



When the individual acquires or puts on weight rapidly it is likely that the person may develop thin lines on the body known as stretch marks. Stretch marks take place when the underlying tissue beneath the skin is overstretched by rapid growth or expanding.

Even though the skin is ordinarily and moderately elastic, if it's pulled the normal yield of collagen is interrupted.



When this takes place, skin scars are formed which are known as stretch marks. This normal condition which does not give rise to any substantial medical issues but can be of esthetic burden for some individuals brings great concern when it cannot be hidden beneath clothes.

The medical terms for stretch marks include striae distensae, striae atrophicans, striae rubra (rubra means red) and striae alba (alba stands for white). Most pregnant women develop stretch marks and around 70 percent of adolescent females and 40 percent of young males develop stretch marks at some point or the other in their lifespan. Developed stretch marks are usually colorless while more recent stretch marks are in many cases or instances crimson or purple in color.

Stretch marks can neither be prevented nor stopped especially among pregnant women and in all individuals during their growing years. Topical applications such as creams and cosmetic preparations that are applied to the skin may allay the itchy feeling connected with stretch marks, but these applications cannot prevent the formation of stretch marks.
There is another school of study that believes that hormone are responsible for the formation of stretch marks and these do not take into account the belief that the tissue is responsible for these marks. Researchers in this belief of science are of the opinion that an increment of a hormone known as glucocorticoids produces stretch marks.
Apparently during the stage of adolescence, pregnancy, or during obesity, in weight lifting and in the Cushing's disease the hormone glucocorticoid flowing in the blood stream becomes bigger or greater in amount. This increase in turn bears upon the dermis also known as the middle layer of the skin, by forbidding the shaping of collagen and elastic skin fibers that are required to keep the skin supple and firm.

As this takes place there is a dearth of corroborative matter as the skin gets stretched and small crack-like appearance forms in the dermis. At the same time the epidermis also gets impacted as it gets more fragile and lacks significance or impact which makes the blemishes in the dermis more obvious.