WANT TO GET RID OFF THOSE STRETCH MARKS? PUT YOUR HANDS UP AND SAY AYE! then click LIKE by: Tom Scheve Normally, when you pinch your skin and release, it doesnt stay pinched for very long -- and thats a good thing, or visits to grandmas house would be pretty hard on the cheeks. The elastic nature of your skins middle layer, the dermis, allows it to return to its normal form after being pulled, pinched or squeezed. However, when skin undergoes rapid or extreme stretching, it doesnt bounce back. Its because theres a threshold to the elasticity of the dermis, and when the elastic fibers in your skin snap, your skins once-springy appearance suddenly looks sprung. When excessive skin-stretching occurs, it can result in the appearance of indentions, streaks or stripes, often pink or purple, on the skin. These are stretch marks, also known as striae. When stretch marks first form, they start off with pretty intense coloration but fade over time. The somewhat mottled texture, though, wont fade away. Stretch marks frequently appear on the thighs, buttocks, arms (usually near the armpit), abdomen and breasts. Before trying to get rid of stretch marks, the first step is determining whats causing your stretch marks to appear in the first place: - Pregnancy - Rapid weight gain or weight loss - Prolonged use of corticosteroids - Growth spurts, especially during adolescence - Large increase in muscle mass, especially in arms and legs - Genetic disorders, such as Marfan syndrome or Ehlers-Danlos - Prolonged steroid use Keep in mind that aside from causing self-consciousness, stretch marks are harmless and dont require medical or cosmetic attention. But if youre self-conscious or embarrassed by yours, can you get rid of them? Keep reading to find out. Treating Stretch Marks: Making Amends with Your Skin? Now well look at some of the ways you can treat stretch marks. Relatively new stretch marks can be treated with tretinoin cream, which helps rebuild collagen and can help your skin heal, but only in the first six weeks of developing stretch marks. If youre a pregnant woman considering this option, dont -- the effects of topical tretinoin on a fetus arent yet fully understood. Pulsed laser therapy promotes growth of collagen and elastin and can help retexture stretch marks when theyre still relatively new. These treatments of high-intensity light pulses dont affect the outermost layers of skin, but instead cause intentional and controlled damage to chromophores -- colored chemical compounds within molecules -- located in the dermis. There are number of creams -- such as cocoa butter, shea butter and vitamin E -- that you can use at home that may help. The creams will keep the skin lubricated and may speed the fading of the color. Some people claim to get results with these applications, while others see little or no change. Other common topical treatments include castor oil, olive oil, fruit acids, seaweed wraps and other holistic or herbal remedies. (The jury is still out on these products.) You can diminish stretch marks with creams, and depending on a number of factors, you may be able to come pretty close to getting rid of them through surgery.
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 06:00:39 +0000
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