What Are Stretch Marks And How Do I Beat Them?

What are stretch marks? Stretch marks are a frustrating and embarrassing dilemma for many people. They affect nearly 90 per cent of women at some point in their lives and though not to the same extent, some men as well. Stretch marks can form on the skin as fine white lines or vivid purple or reddish painful looking scars. Commonly found on the hips, stomach, arms, breasts or buttocks, red stretch marks are normally recent ones and white stretch marks tend to older mature marks.

A common misconception about stretch marks is they are caused by the over-stretching of the skin. This is not entirely true. The underlying reason is changes in the body's hormones that are often seen with large weight fluctuations, puberty and pregnancy. Hormones closely resemble fat cells in the body. So, when there are rapid changes in the amount of fat added or lost, hormonal changes occur. The hormonal changes in turn affect the production of collagen and elastin which make up the support network of the dermis layer of the skin. When the skin cannot produce enough collagen and elastin, the skin becomes less elastic. When the skin is stretched beyond it's ability to regenerate properly, linear "thin areas" form that become stretch marks.