Stretch Marks...Does Your Body Look Like a Road Map?

None of us like to talk about them, but oh so many of us have them. Your body looks great one minute and the next you feel like you should just stick a detour sign on you to hide the undesired marks on your skin. We wake up one day and it's like 'oops there it is!' We get them in a variety of places. Stretch marks are often prominent in the buttocks, breasts, thighs, hips and arm areas... Of course they are, why would they be where we can hide them, that would be far too easy. They show up when you really don't want them to and there is no getting rid of them, at least there is no quick fix that I am aware of. Stretch marks also appear on men, and effect people of any age. There is a genetic factor involved, as well as your diet and hydration levels. 

Our skin needs certain vitamins and nutrients, and if your diet isn't adequate your skin wont be as resilient. They affect people with all complexions, in all countries around the globe. Drink lots of liquid...so don't forget the h2O! Now, normally stretch marks are not dangerous to our health, but they can make us feel bad about our appearance and lead to stress. Our skin generally has the ability to stretch to accommodate increase in the size of our body. But when the skin is excessively stretched, its fibers break which cause the scars that we know as the dreaded stretch marks.

This would explain why stretch marks occur when we go through sudden increase in weight. Pregnant women, adolescents experiencing bodily changes, body builders who develop extra muscles and overweight individuals are most commonly afflicted with this. The rapid expansion of the body is too much for the amount of collagen the body can produce, hence resulting to stretch marks.

Heredity could also determine the appearance of stretch marks. If stretch marks run in your family, you are most probably prone to it as well. This is why stretch marks develop in some pregnant women and not in others. I never had them during or after my pregnancy. I piled on the coco butter and my skin was lubricated , smooth, and soft.

Hormones are also a big factor. Did you know that? Yup, this is a big cause for why our bodies change in a variety of ways. If our body produces an excessive amount of the hormone glucocorticoid, this prevents our body from producing proteins like collagen which are responsible for making our skin elastic. Usually, our hormone levels increase during pregnancy, puberty, and obesity, with the resulting increase in glucocorticoid which then lead to the formation of stretch marks.

Age is also a factor. The older we get, the less our body is able to produce collagen and elastin, which makes our skin pliable and strong. This development also causes the appearance of wrinkles in our skin and is one of the main causes of stretch marks on the breasts.

Stretch marks are the result of skin being stretched beyond its natural elasticity. This stretching causes a disruption of the body’s collagen production. Collagen is a special protein that helps keep the skin elastic and, therefore, able to stretch when we gain weight. When this collagen production is disrupted, however, the skin loses its elasticity, which makes it more prone to stretch marks. When you get a stretch mark, you know it. They are usually found in a series as small, indented streaks. They are generally rough and uneven. In women with light skin, they are usually a pink or reddish-brown color. They might sometimes almost look purple. For darker skinned women, stretch marks are usually brown. 

Genetics plays a larger role in whether or not a woman will develop stretch marks. So, if a woman’s family member, particularly her mom or her sister, has stretch marks, she is more likely to get them as well. 

To help avoid getting stretch marks, it is important to monitor weight gain closely. Pregnant women need to put on weight as a natural part of the childbearing process. They should, however, be very careful to not gain more weight than what is recommended by the doctor. Pregnant woman should not, of course, starve themselves in order to avoid stretch marks. They should, however, take care to watch their diets and put pregnancy weight on slowly. This gives the skin more time to gradually stretch to accommodate for the growing baby inside. 

The last trimester of a pregnancy is when women generally put on the most weight. This is because this is when the baby is doing most of its growing. To help avoid stretch marks during this time of the pregnancy, and at any other time, be sure to regularly apply coco butter to the skin. As always though, do check with your doctor first.

Why Lotion? It helps decrease the likelihood of developing stretch marks because it helps keep the skin flexible. Likewise, drinking plenty of fluids helps maintain the skin’s elasticity. Therefore, a pregnant woman should be sure to drink plenty of fluids.

Fortunately, stretch marks generally fade after weight is lost. For women who gain stretch marks during pregnancy, stretch marks usually fade to a slightly lighter color than the surrounding skin, though the etching will always remain.

For women who are bodybuilders, it is important to put on muscle mass slowly. Quickly adding on muscle mass will force the skin to stretch beyond its ability. Therefore, a bodybuilding program should be designed to slowly add on bulk.

For women who are not pregnant and who are not bodybuilders, the best way to avoid stretch marks is to simply monitor your diet and maintain a healthy body weight. Drinking plenty of water is still recommended, as they helps keep the skin more pliable.

Did you know that many women used over-the-counter sunless tanning lotions to hide the marks, or they get a sunless tanning treatment from a salon. These lotions help even out the skin color, since the pigmentation of stretch marks is lighter than the rest of the skin. Getting a real tan, however, does not have the same effect because stretch marks are scarred tissue and scarred tissue does not tan the same as healthy tissue.

Through precautions and a healthy lifestyle, women can avoid getting stretch marks. Some of life’s big life-changes, such as puberty and childbirth, however, can make avoiding stretch marks nearly impossible. Therefore, it’s important to apply lotions and drink plenty of fluids to keep the skin elastic and, if all else fails, cover up those stretch marks and chalk it up as just another part of being a woman. Now we have to deal with our bodies looking like a road map? Isn't that just great?