IMPORTANT FACT ABOUT STRETCH MARKS AND ITS TREATMENT
Stretch marks are irregular areas of skin that
look like bands, stripes, or lines. Stretch marks are seen when a person grows
or gains weight rapidly or has certain diseases or conditions.
The medical name for stretch marks is striae.
Stretch marks are a result of skin
stretching and an increase of cortisone in your system. Cortisone is a hormone
naturally produced by your adrenal glands.
However, having too much of this hormone can make your skin lose its
elasticity.
Stretch marks are common in certain
circumstances:
- Many
women experience stretch marks during pregnancy as the skin stretches in
numerous ways to make room for the developing baby. This continual tugging
and stretching can cause stretch marks.
- Stretch
marks sometimes appear when you rapidly gain or lose weight. Teenagers may
also notice stretch marks after a sudden growth spurt.
- Corticosteroid
creams, lotions, and pills can cause stretch marks by decreasing the
skin’s ability to stretch.
- Cushing’s
syndrome, Marfan’s
syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos
syndrome, and other adrenal gland disorders can cause stretch
marks by increasing the amount of cortisone in your body.
What medical treatments are available for
stretch marks?
Stretch marks often
fade with time. If you don’t want to wait, there are treatments that can
improve their appearance. However, no treatment can make stretch marks
disappear completely.
There are several ways to
improve the appearance of stretch marks:
- Tretinoin
cream (Retin-A, Renova) works by restoring collagen,
a fibrous protein that helps give your skin elasticity. It’s best to use
this cream on recent stretch marks that are red or pink. This cream may
cause skin irritation. If you’re pregnant, you shouldn’t use tretinoin
cream.
- Pulsed
dye laser therapy encourages the growth of collagen and elastin. It’s best
to use this therapy on newer stretch marks. Darker-skinned individuals may
experience skin discoloration.
- Fractional
photothermolysis is similar to pulsed dye laser therapy in that it uses
a laser.
However, it works by targeting smaller areas of your skin, causing less
skin damage.
- Microdermabrasion involves polishing the skin with tiny crystals to reveal new skin that’s under the more elastic stretch marks.
- Microdermabrasion can improve the appearance
of older stretch marks.
- The
excimer laser stimulates skin color (melanin) production so that stretch
marks match the surrounding skin more closely.
Medical procedures and
prescription medicines aren’t guaranteed to cure stretch marks, and they can be
expensive.
What
can I do to treat stretch marks?
There are many products and
procedures that promise to remove stretch marks, but there aren’t any that have
proven effective so far. Moisturizing your skin may help to relieve the itchiness of
stretch marks. Applying self-tanning lotion to your stretch marks is a
temporary way to minimize the difference in color between your normal skin and
your stretch marks.
How can I
prevent stretch marks?
There’s no way to prevent
stretch marks completely, even if you regularly use lotions and creams.
However, keeping your weight in a healthy range by eating well and exercising
regularly can help to prevent stretch marks caused by sudden
weight gain or loss.
While it’s healthy for you and
your baby to gain weight when you’re pregnant, ask your doctor how much weight gain
during pregnancy is right for you.
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