Common Causes of Stretch Marks and How You Can Fade Stretch Marks

Where can you get stretch marks ?

Stretch marks can form anywhere and in especially in areas that your body stores fat in the most such as buttocks, thighs, back of arms, stomach, breasts, ''love handles'', back of legs e.t.c

Most people find stretch marks to be very unpleasant to look at. Fear not, there are many ways to which you can fade stretch marks and eventually reduce the appearance of stretch marks on skin through effective treatments such as Dermology Stretch Mark Prevention Cream and Trilastin. It's now possible to easily fade stretch marks by using products with proven ingredients.

So What Cause Stretch Marks

Stretch marks occur because the skin has been overstretched beyond its limit, what remains behind is the scarring from where the skin was stretched. The scarring itself occurs in the dermis, which is the middle layer of the skin, which allows the skin to retain its shape due to the dermis's elasticity.

Whenever the dermis is constantly stretched, it will at one point finally break down from this kind of expansion, thus leaving behind stretch marks. At first, stretch marks may appear on the skin as purple or dark red lines, however overtime, such lines fade into a lighter brown or white color depending on the person's skin tone.

Reasons why you may get stretch marks:

Sudden growth such as weight gain and growth spurts are amongst two of the most common causes of stretch marks. Growth spurts mainly happen to teens during puberty, partly due to the influx of hormones and the growth associated when the skin's tissue is rapidly growing or stretching. As a matter of fact over 90% of women will get stretch marks in their lifetime, of this number, 70% of the stretch marks women have are formed during adolescence. Pregnancy, bodybuilding or using steroids will cause stretch marks as well.

With pregnancy, stretch marks are a high possibility, due to the way the stomach stretches above and beyond with the growing baby, stretch marks tend to occur during this time. With pregnancy comes the surge of fluctuating hormones, which tend to change the skin's protein balance, thus altering the skin and making it thinner than before, this increases the expecting mother's likelihood to develop stretch marks.

Stretch marks can show up anywhere and can range from mild, moderate to sever stretch marks. The severity level of stretch marks usually depends on the person's elasticity of the skin and how fast the growth or weight gain occurs. It's been proven that over 90% of women will develop stretch marks while pregnant.

Crushing's syndrome can also be the cause of stretch marks, many people aren't aware of this. With this syndrome, your body will produce high levels of the hormone cortisol for a prolonged amount of time, this cause you to gain weight rapidly and quickly, which can lead to the formation and development of stretch marks on breasts, hips, thighs etc.

There are many aspects of being pregnant that women find miraculous, amusing and welcome, however, chances are pregnancy stretch marks do not fit into this category. Well known by dermatologists as striae, the scarring that forms due to the tearing in the dermis is what has become know as stretch marks discolorations.

Pregnancy is a time of rapid change and expansion not only of the belly area, but of other areas such as the thighs, breasts etc. The formation of stretch marks is neither painful nor is it harmful to one's health. The only thing about stretch marks is, many women find them unpleasant to look at and as a result seek methods to fade stretch marks and eventually reduce the appearance of these annoying skin formations.

If you are expecting a baby, you are likely very aware about the importance of maintaining a healthy, well balance diet in order to ensure your health, as well as that of your baby. Are you aware that good nutrition, such as drinking your requirement of water everyday has been shown to reduce the likelihood of the severity of stretch marks that could form during pregnancy ? This means, by keeping your skin properly and well hydrated, you will be able to avoid the chances of developing severe stretch marks during the course of your pregnancy.

Other helpful hints to avoid severe stretch marks during pregnancy:

• Drink lots of water, this provides you with soft, supply skin that is less susceptible to stretch marks

• Limit your caffeine intake

• Consume foods high in zinc such as nuts

• Eat plenty of vitamin A and C rich vegetables and fruits such as carrots, citrus fruits, and milk

• Don't forget, adequate protein is important, this can be found in egg whites and beans.

You are probably wondering whether or not there are surgical ways to remove stretch marks or eliminate them altogether. In this case, it's wise to consult with a trained medical professional such as a dermatologist, or plastic surgeon in order to discuss more options such as chemical peels, dermabrasion, or even laser surgery. Keep in mind however, that health insurance usually doesn't cover such procedures, since insurance companies considers them to be of a strict cosmetic nature. There are options out there if you have severe forms of stretch marks, with the right procedure, you may not entirely get rid of your stretch marks, but you can significantly fade stretch marks and reduce the appearance of any stretch marks that you may have.