Important Facts About Stretch marks

Stretch marks are also called Striae. They are bands, stripes or lines that are seen on the skin in areas where you usually have fat deposits such as the buttocks, abdomen, thigh, arms, belly, hips and lower back. They are common in pregnancy and can also occur when any individual male, female or child gains weight rapidly, losses weight rapidly or gains an excessive amount of weight. They start out as reddish to purple in color and then fade to a lighter color, silver or white. Stretch marks are soft to the touch and do not cause any pain. There may be some itching when they first appear.

Stretch marks appear in the dermis layer of the skin, which is the middle layer. They do not have any lasting ill effects on the skin and the skin performs normally, renewing itself just as before. Sometimes stretch marks can fade, especially in pregnancy, after the baby is born and the body returns to the pre-pregnancy size. Stretch marks do not always fade though; so don’t count on it happening.

Stretch marks can also form as a result of certain medications or chemicals that interfere with the formation of collagen, a substance needed by the skin. Cortisone long-term usage has been linked with the forming of stretch marks. Other medical conditions can lead to stretch marks including Cushing syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Puberty, Obesity and over use of cortisone skin creams.

There are some things you can do to lessen the chance of stretch marks before your abdomen starts to expand (during pregnancy). The first thing that can easily be done, drink plenty of water. Drink at least 8 – 8 oz. glasses of water daily. Your skin needs water to stay hydrated. Use a body moisturizer every day. Eat nutritious meals and snacks to give your skin the vitamins and minerals it needs. Exercise regularly to keep the blood circulating.

One treatment that has seen some promising results is the application of vitamin E oil directly to the stretch marks on a daily basis. This works on new stretch marks and old ones too. The old stretch marks just take longer to disappear. The vitamin E needs to be applied to wet skin, like right after a shower or to skin that has been moistened. Just break open or cut the vitamin E capsule and apply the oil directly to the stretch mark. If you find that you experience clothing sticking to where you have applied the oil, then after applying cover the area with a piece of gauze, first aid wrap or Band-Aid depending on the size of the area.