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No matter how beautiful your
skin is today, you will probably develop stretch marks at some point.
Although they are painless, they can be unsightly and embarrassing.
Worse, once you get them, you’re stuck with them for the most part
unless you have expensive laser therapy or perhaps dermabrasion. Why do
stretch marks form in the first place and can they be prevented?
The skin is made up of three layers: the epidermis, the dermis, and the
hypodermis. The epidermis is the outer layer and its main purpose is
protection. It prevents foreign agents from invading your body. The
dermis is the second layer and it is composed of collagen and elastic
fibers that give your skin its smooth appearance. The hypodermis, made
mostly of fat and tissue, is the innermost layer.
Stretch marks, or stria atrophica, are tears in the dermis. They are not
exactly scars, which are composed of fibrotic tissue, but they appear
similar to scar tissue. Unlike scars, stretch marks do not contain
fibrotic tissue.
As noted, the dermis produces elastic fibers. These special fibers allow
your skin to stretch without tearing; they give the skin its elasticity.
Stretch marks form when the skin is stretched faster than the production
of elastic fibers. During a period of rapid growth, the skin's
elasticity is weakened and the connective fibers holding it together
break.
Stretch marks can form even in the absence of rapid growth when the diet
is poor. Improper nutrition can deprive the body of the raw materials it
needs to produce collagen and elastin and maintain healthy skin. Smoking
may also cause the skin’s elasticity to weaken and consequently produce
stretch marks. However, some degree of growth is still necessary for
stretch marks to form under these conditions.
For many women, stretch marks are a common problem associated with
pregnancy because it is a period of rapid growth. Any rapid weight gain
is likely to be accompanied by stretch marks. They are commonly present
in obesity. However, heredity also appears to be a factor, as some
people are more prone to developing stretch marks than others.
While stretch marks can be unsightly and embarrassing at first, as new
stretch marks are reddish, the fact remains that they will fade in time
and are painless. Many adolescents acquire stretch marks when they lose
their baby fat and enter into a period of rapid growth during puberty.
They are nothing to be excessively self-conscious about because we all
have them at some point. The best defense against stretch marks is
eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, following a good skin care regime,
and drinking plenty of water. This will help keep the skin healthy and
prevent rapid weight gain.
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