Common Causes For Stretch Marks

There are many reasons why men, women, teens and children get stretch marks. Anything that causes rapid expansion of the abdomen, or other areas of the body such as gaining excessive weight or bulking up with muscles over a short period of time can produce stretch marks. You can experience stretch marks when your skin loses its collagen and elastin in the skin. The three most common causes of stretch marks are: rapid growth, pregnancy, hormones and certain illnesses.

Stretch marks are caused by anything that causes the skin to stretch to the point of breaking down. Think of the dermis layer as you would a rubber band. If you stretch a rubber band too far it will break because it has passed the point of flexibility. Human skin also has a point where it can only stretch so far before breaking down.

Medication:

Certain medications can cause weaknesses in the supporting structure of the skin. Steroids such as cortisone can cause stretch marks. Medications can interfere with collagen formation.

Growth Spurts, Weight Gain and Weight Loss:

Individuals who lose weight rapidly due to illness or crash diets can develop stretch marks. Individuals who gain excessive weight can also develop stretch marks. Teens go through a period of rapid growth during puberty that can lead to stretch marks. Athletics, especially those who are weight training or trying to bulk up on muscles can also experience stretch marks.

The reason that most of us associate with stretch marks is pregnancy because there is so much talk about it. Pregnancy is one time when your body expands rapidly to accommodate the growing fetus. Women who are pregnant with multiples will have a difficult time avoiding stretch marks because of how much the abdomen needs to expand to accommodate more than one fetus.

Children who have suddenly gained a lot of weight perhaps due to food binges or change in habit (suddenly getting a steady diet of fast food).

Skin Type & Heredity:

Dryer skin has less elasticity than oily skin and is therefore more prone to stretch marks. Those individuals with darker skin tones will notice stretch marks more than those with lighter skin tones because they show up more on darker skin.

It is often thought that there is a family connection. If your mom was prone to stretch marks during pregnancy; you may also have an increased risk for getting stretch marks too.

Illnesses:

Hormone:

There is one train of thought that says that stretch marks are due to the increased level of a certain hormone called glucocorticoids. This hormone circulates through the bloodstream during certain times of life (pregnancy, adolescence, obesity) and when weight lifting or when you have contracted a disease called Cushing's.

You run a risk for developing stretch marks if you have one or more of these causes. The good news is that you can do things to help lessen your risk factor. You can eat nutritious meals and snacks, drink lots of water and exercise daily. These precautions can lessen the influence that they causes may have on your skin.