What are Stretch Marks And How Are They Caused?

Getting rid of stretch marks is an all consuming task for many women. They’re a common but unwanted skin condition brought about by the stretching of the skin. They can form on any area of the body apart from face and hands and they’re most often seen on stomachs, thighs, buttocks, breasts and hips. The over stretching of the skin over a short time period is what causes the interconnected fibres within the dermis to break…that’s what those little marks are. They’re tiny tears which allow the blood vessels to show through and upon first appearing the stretch marks are usually red or purple in colour. Gradually as the blood vessels shrink, the stretch marks become silvery in colour and are not as noticeable.

What Causes Stretch Marks?

The most common causes of stretch marks are pregnancy when the abdomen and breasts grow rapidly over a relatively short period of time, puberty when the body is undergoing speedy changes and also during periods of rapid weight gain perhaps brought about by illness or injury when exercise is not easily achieved. There are other causes which are less common and these include Marfan syndrome and inappropriate use of corticosteroid medication.

Stretch Marks In Pregnancy And How To Avoid Them

During pregnancy the body undergoes a huge change and it is in the later stages that stretch marks most commonly make an appearance. 80% of women will suffer from stretch marks after pregnancy and the severity of them varies depending on how elastic your skin is. If you’re lucky you may only sustain a few or even none…but if you’re not so lucky you can find that your body is covered in them.

Keep your skin well moisturized and ensure that you drink plenty of water during your pregnancy. You can seek out a body moisturizer which has added collagen but be sure to check first that it is safe to use while pregnant.

Keeping Them At Bay

In an ideal world we would all avoid sudden weight gain but this is not always practical. Sometimes a period of enforced lack of exercise can cause enough weight gain to bring on the stretch marks. If this happens to you the best way to ensure that you don’t gain too much weight is of course to up your exercise and eat less! But if you’re not able to go to the gym or go running there are other methods including exercises which you can take including Pilates, gentle yoga or swimming.There are also highly effective stretch mark removal treatments which are very cost effective and safe which could be another option.

Watch your diet; make sure that your body isn’t put under undue pressure with weight gain which will eventually affect your skin.