Stretch Marks

Stretch marks refer to the thin white marks which appear on the skin or become visible because of excessive stretch of the skin. The skin stretches when a person becomes obese or when a lady becomes pregnant. After some time its possible that they may diminish but they never disappear. The emergence of stretch Marks can be due to puberty, pregnancy or rapid weight alteration. In pregnancy, the stretch marks appear usually on the stomach and also on breasts, hips, thighs, lower back and buttocks. Though many creams are available to prevent stretch marks but effectiveness of these is questionable. Body building can also result in stretch marks. Commonly red and white stretch marks are found. Red stretch marks appear on the skin because the skin is distressed so it becomes little red or purplish in color whereas hypopigmented stretch marks appear white or silver.

Onset of stretch mark is often marked by appearance of red stripes which can be attributed to the blood vessels on skin.This early stage marks can be managed by restoring collagen through various topical creams. Pulsed dye laser therapy can heal the stretch marks by renewing the cells and fading the scars.

Treatments like Microdermabrasion can help to improve the texture and give a polished look.There is also another treatment which helps in restoring colour which is Excimer Laser. Another treatments like IPL and Fraxel helps to improve the texture and fade the colour. But the results of all these treatment may not be the same. It may vary from person to person. Its not perfectly curable as these are stubborn scarring on the skin.

Greek romans used olive oil and Ethiopians used frankincense to prevent from red and white stretch marks. These marks causes burning and itching sensation and also causes emotional distress in which the person affected does not feel good and fresh. He or she remains emotionally distressed all time. It has been observed that young women are mostly affected for having stretch marks.

Some ways to get rid of stretch marks are- Sugar, Aloe, Alfafa, Shea butter, Lemon juice, Oils, Egg whites and drinking water.Various efforts have been put for the treatment of stretch marks like laser treatment, glycolic acid and microdermabrasion but inspite of all these there is no useful treatment to prevent the stretch marks. There is also a medical terminology of the name stretch marks like striae atrophicae, vergetures, stria distensae, striae cutis distensae, lineae atrophicae, linea albicante or simple striae. There is no cure to vanish stretch marks specially when the stretch marks are white.

Reference- The Retrieved, Britannicca.