Stretch Marks - causes and treatment
March 25th, 2009
How to reduce stretchmarks
Stretchmarks (or striae as they are referred to in dermatological terms) are caused when your skin is stretched suddenly : More accurately, the skin’s second layer is not stretched, but torn. The worst affected areas for stretch marks are the stomach, breasts, thighs and hips. Adults, teenagers and children can suffer from striae (the technical term for stretch marks) and they affect most of teenagers and adults. Fortunately, stretch marks don’t affect our health and only affect us cosmetically. Unfortunately, As it becomes warmer, and we wear fewer clothes, our concerns about stretch marks increase.
Why do stretchmarks Develop?
Stretch marks develop when the body expands at a rate which the skin doesn’t stretch fast enough to keep up with it. Stretch marks are generally associated with pregnancy but are also a normal part of puberty: sudden weight gain and even body building can also result in stretch marks.
Although skin is normally very elastic , when it is overstretched, the normal production of collagen is disrupted. collagen helps to make sure the skin stays tight and supple. There are factors outside the body which affect the skins natural ability to produce and maintain collagen levels such as diet or smoking It is the level of collagen in the skin which affect the appearance of wrinkles and lines in the face. They also influence how other blemishes, such as acne scars or even surgery scars, heal.
What do stretch marks look like?
When they first form, stretch marks appear as reddish purple lines. They appear indented and maintain a different texture to the surrounding skin. as they get older, the deep colour fades, turning a lighter colour, generally silver,and fade away slightly. The ability to heal however does vary considerably from individual to individual.
Stretch Mark Removal
There are several methods to treat stretch marks. Stretch mark treatments range enormously in price and effectiveness, treatments range from treatments brought in a shop to having expensive surgery For most, stretch marks are a sign of imperfection and can make people feel very self conscious, but this can be overcome or prevented by treatment to remove stretch marks.
one method to treat stretch marks is by applying stretch mark creams to the affected area however, not all creams work so, creams on their own aren’t affective to treat stretch marks. However, using creams with techniques such as micro-dermabrasion, allows significantly more cream to be absorbed so this method often proves the most effective method for many people.
Categories: General Interest |
