How to get rid of stretchmarks
Stretchmarks (or striae as they are referred to in dermatological terms) develop when your skin is stretched rapidly over a short period of time : to be precise, the skin’s second layer (the dermis), becomes torn due to over stretching. Stretchmarks are most common around the stomach, breasts, thighs and hips. Both women and men can suffer from striae (the technical term for stretch marks) and they affect a lot of the adult population. Luckily, stretch marks don’t affect our health and only blemish the skin. However, As it becomes warmer, and we wear fewer clothes, our concerns about stretch marks increase.
This Stretching happens when the body grows at a high rate so that the skin doesn’t stretch fast enough to keep up with it. Stretch marks are generally associated with pregnancy however, they also develop during puberty: Body building or quick weight gain can also cause stretch marks.
Although the skin is usually fairly elastic , when it is overstretched, the normal production of collagen is disrupted. collagen to keep skin tight and supple. There are some external factors which affect the collagen levels produced naturally by the skin such as diet or smoking Collagen levels 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 can look red and/or purple and be very visible. They appear indented and maintain a different texture to the surrounding skin. after a while, the reddish purple colour subsides, turning a lighter colour, generally silver,and fade away slightly. However they very rarely heal on their own.
Removal of stretch marks
To remove stretch marks you must first understand how they are caused and how the body can be aided to heal them. Stretch mark treatments range enormously in price and effectiveness, treatments range from creams purchased over the counter to expensive surgical procedures for many individuals, stretch marks cause a lot of embarrassment and can make people feel very self conscious, but this is overcome or greatly reduced by treatment to remove stretch marks.
Creams and oils are sold over the counter and are the chepest form of stretch marks removal but, only a small amount of the creams is absorbed into the skin overall, creams are not the best stretch marks treatment. However, using creams with techniques such as micro-dermabrasion, results in a much higher percentage of cream absorbed by the skin so this method is probably the best method for many people.