Stretch marks, taken literally, does not actually mean that the skin has stretched; these tell-tale red or violet marks that appear on certain areas of the body and eventually fade to white are signs of the deeper skin levels tearing, with the damage being visible to the naked eye.Much time has been spent and much research has been done on how to remove stretch marks, with some remedies being more successful than others, and it is true to say that the majority of women will sustain stretch marks at some time during their life, whether stretch marks appear in adolescence or in pregnancy; and just under half of all young men in their teens will also get them.
For women, stretch marks usually appear on the lower stomach and the hip, thigh and bottom area, with the chest and arms sometimes being affected also, while men usually get stretch marks on their chest, arms or back - especially during rapid periods of natural growth or through weight training or taking steroids.
Both sexes are usually keen to find a product that will remove stretch marks, the Latin name of which is striae distensae, even though they are largely harmless, as they spoil the appearance of the skin, causing lack of confidence and frequent embarrassment in both men and women.
Stretch marks occur when excessive levels of glucocorticoid hormones are produced within the body, preventing the supportive elastin and collagen layers from doing their job of repairing and protecting the dermis (lower levels of skin).
If insufficient collagen and elastin are produced, the skin levels below the surface, known as the dermis, are likely to tear; and to make things worse top layer of skin becomes thinner making the damage visible and the skin appear to have an unsightly rippled effect.
Stretch Marks are most likely to occur in adolescence and pregnancy, but the hormones that cause the damage can also be produced by being obese, yo-yo dieting and by a disorder called Cushing's disease; the presence of this latter medical condition must be ruled out by a doctor before undertaking any treatment to remove stretch marks.
It is not easy to remove stretch marks completely as the damage to the skin is in the lower layers, but products containing the Vitamin A derivative, retinol, have been proved to be very effective in firming and improving the texture of the skin, thus disguising the marks, and there are surgical techniques that are expensive but effective, such as cosmetic or laser surgery.
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