Are you self-conscious about your stretch marks? Do you wish your stretch marks would go away? While stretch marks are most associated with pregnancy, they’re an everyday occurrence in women and men. White, silver, red, and purple stretch marks can be a source of embarrassment, but they can be treated. Read on to find out why stretch marks occur, how to prevent them, and how they can be treated.
What are Stretch Marks?
Stretch marks (also known as striae gravidarum and striae distensae) are scar types that appear in your skin when skin shrinks or stretches quickly. When this happens, the collagen and elastin which support your skin rupture. This process creates an inflammatory reaction responsible for the appearance of red or purple stretch marks. Your stretch marks can be itchy and slightly raised in this early stage. Over time, the colour of your stretch marks will fade, leaving a white or silvery scar.
The most common areas for stretch marks are:
- Chest
- Hips
- Thighs
- Bottom
- Stomach
Pregnancy stretch marks are common, but anyone can develop stretch marks. Changing hormone levels can play a role in stretch marks on the back, the stomach, and the legs. And if a family member is susceptible to stretch marks, you may be at increased risk of developing them.
What are the Risk Factors for Stretch Marks?
You are more likely to develop stretch marks if you:
- Are pregnant
- Have had breast augmentation
- Are female
- Use corticosteroids on your skin
- Have genetic disorders like Marfan syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, or Cushing’s disease
- Have gained or lost weight quickly
Common Types of Stretch Marks
Stretch marks can appear in women, men, children, and teenagers and include pregnancy stretch marks, male stretch marks and weight loss stretch marks.
Pregnancy Stretch Marks
Pregnancy is the most common time when stretch marks are noticeable. They occur when the skin rapidly grows to accommodate a baby. Some medical experts believe pregnancy hormones can make your skin more prone to stretch marks by relaxing the skin. It’s estimated up to 90% of women can develop pregnancy stretch marks, with most appearing in the final trimester.
Male Stretch Marks
While there’s not one single cause of stretch marks in men, a combination of several factors can cause them to develop, including:
- Growth spurts through puberty can result in horizontal stretch marks
- Rapid weight gain and obesity can result in vertical stretch marks on your abdomen
- Hormonal changes
- Changes to skin cells
- Weight training where your muscles rapidly grow, particularly in the shoulder or chest muscles
Male stretch marks can occur anywhere on the body but are more likely in areas where the muscle grows fast. This is usually in the thighs, back, buttocks, and calves. Taking anabolic steroids can also increase your chances of developing stretch marks.
Weight Gain and Weight Loss Stretch Marks
Did you know that most stretch marks aren’t caused when you lose weight but when you gain weight? When your weight increases, your skin will need to stretch and tear, resulting in stretch marks. If you lose weight quickly, stretch marks will appear because of damage to the collagen structure.
Can Stretch Marks be Removed?
Want to know how to remove your stretch marks? Keen to get treatment for pregnancy stretch marks, stretch marks on back, stretch marks on stomach or stretch marks on legs? The following stretch marks treatments that include skin needling can help.
Stretch Mark Gels, Lotions, and Creams
With so many stretch mark products available, it can be hard to determine which one is best. It’s important to note no one product will remove your stretch marks; however, the following tips can help:
- Massage the product gently into your stretch marks
- Apply the product every day for a few weeks
- Use the product as soon as you notice stretch marks, as it will have little impact on mature stretch marks
Self-tanner
Applying self-tanner to your stretch marks can make them appear less noticeable. Self-tanners won’t remove your stretch marks but will camouflage them, so you feel less embarrassed.
Prescription Medicine
Two main ingredients can reduce the appearance of new stretch marks. Tretinoin is a retinoid prescription cream that, when applied regularly, can make them less noticeable. Hyaluronic acid can also improve your skin texture while plumping and tightening the skin. Contact us to find out which treatment would be best for you.
Skin Needling
Skin needling (also known as collagen induction therapy) helps regenerate and enhance skin texture while softening scars. Over the course of three treatments, skin needling uses fine microneedles that penetrate your epidermis and dermis. This process triggers your body’s natural healing process while stimulating collagen production.
Benefits of skin needling include:
- Minimal downtime (2-3 days) with localised redness
- Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive and thin skin
- It can be used on your chest, back, face, hands, and neck
- Generally, well tolerated by most patients
- It can be performed in areas where laser resurfacing isn’t possible
For the best results and noticeable stretch mark improvements, we recommend a course of three skin needling treatments, 4 to 6 weeks apart. Book your skin needling treatment here.
How can I Prevent Stretch Marks in the Future?
One of the best ways to prevent stretch marks from appearing is to maintain a healthy weight. To reduce the risk of stretch marks occurring while treating those you already have, the following may be helpful:
- Stay hydrated: Stretch marks tend to develop if your skin is dry. Drinking enough water every day will keep your skin soft and reduce the risk of stretch marks appearing.
- Eat a nutrient-rich diet: Eating foods that improve your skin health may prevent stretch marks from appearing. Include foods with zinc, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin D.
- Treat stretch marks as soon as they appear: If you notice stretch marks, make an appointment with your dermatologist, skin clinician or doctor to discuss treatment options. They’ll be able to determine what has caused them and help you work out the best treatment options.
When to See a Professional?
Stretch marks are very common and result from changes in your skin. It’s important to note that using home remedies and topical treatments without seeking professional advice may cause more damage to your skin. If you’ve developed stretch marks through pregnancy, you should check with your doctor to ensure the treatment is safe to use.
Treating stretch marks is possible using skin needling. Medical grade chemical peels can also be effective. Unsure which stretch mark treatment will help you? Contact us here.