Stretch Marks - What Can You Do?

Once you have them, stretch marks cannot be undone. They are scarring in the dermis layer of your skin - tears caused by stretching that the skin does during times of rapid growth like in puberty or weight gain like during pregnancy or when bodybuilding. Men, women and children can experience stretch marks.

Stretch marks occur in the dermis layer of our skin, which is the middle layer. This is the layer that manufactures collagen and fiber. The collagen and fiber is what makes our skin look smooth. When stretching occurs these fibers are stretched and when they break, the result is a stretch mark.

You can get stretch marks on your undersides of your arms, on your abdominal area, your inner thighs, hips, breasts and lower back.

Some medications can give you stretch marks such as hormones and steroids.

Once you have stretch marks the best thing to do is to be in the care of a surgeon or a dermatologist who can take a complete medical history including all medications you have taken to determine what the best course of action is for you to take to minimize the appearance of your stretch marks. They can also instruct you on ways to lessen the chance of future stretch marks.

Your diet and exercise habits will be discussed and any improvements will be suggested. Your age, skin tone and lifestyle will all factor in to your ability to minimize the appearance of the stretch marks. There are several options that may be discussed: surgical methods, lotions, creams and oils and also diet and exercise. A combination of these methods may be what is recommended for you to follow.

You are sure to be told to drink plenty of water and to stay away from caffeinated beverages like soda, tea or coffee.

Make sure your diet includes nuts, fish, carrots, citrus fruits and milk as well as protein rich foods such as eggs.