Stretch marks…

the word strikes fear in the hearts of pregnant women everywhere. Striae gravidarum, or striae for short will affect between 75 and 90 percent of pregnant women. The majority of stretch marks will appear in the later stages of pregnancy from about 7 months onward, and be concentrated on the lower abdomen. However, stretch marks can also appear on the thighs, hips, buttocks, lower back, breasts and arms of women. They tend to be concentrated around the areas that store the most fat and do the most stretching. Stretch marks are caused by (as the name implies) stretching of the skin but can be influenced by many factors.

What are Stretch Marks

Our skin is composed of 3 layers: the epidermis (the outer layer), the dermis (middle layer), and the subcutaneous stratum (innermost layer). Stretch marks occur in the dermis, the resiliant middle layer that helps skin retain it’s shape. As a result of this layer being constantly stretched over time it breaks down and and becomes less and less elastic and the small connective fibres within it break. The result is what we know as stretch marks.

Stretch marks are most noticible in the beginning when they are raised, pink, reddish brown or dark brown lines that later turn to a brighter purplish or a brisk red. They then gradually flatten and fade out to a less noticeable silvery colour. Eventually they will become a few shades lighter than your natural skin tone.

New stretch marks that are common in later pregnangcy. These striations range in width from one-tenth of an inch to four inches. This inflamed condition persists for a few months until the body starts the healing process and their fierceness is reduced to a less noticeable silvery white colour. This entire process takes approximately one year.

Who gets Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are not a very well understood skin condition. You might be surprised to know that pregnant women aren’t alone in being susceptible to stretch marks. Adolescents undergoing rapid growth spurts, atheletes and men too can be susceptible to stretch marks. There are many factors that determine if you will, or more importantly, will not, get stretch marks:

Genetics – 15 to 20 percent of the population is genetically “stretch mark free”. A good way to determine if you will get them is to ask your sisters and your mother if they have them.

Skin Condition - Dry skin tends to be less elastic than well nourished or oily skin. (Keep using your moisturizing creams!)

Nutritional Status - Part of keeping your skin healthy and well-hydrated is keeping your body healthy by following a sensible diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables and leafy greens. Heathly skin will stretch better and will also bounce back quicker with less damage.

Weight gain - Try for a slow and steady weight gain; rapid or excessive weight gain will only compound the problem of stretch marks and likely cause you to have more in the end.

Ethnicity - Darker skinned people tend to get less stretch marks than fair-skinned people.

Prevention

Many of the reasons stretch marks appear are beyond our control but there are some preventative measures to help reduce the appearance of stretch marks:

Massage your skin with a glove or a massage brush to increase circulation; eat foods that contribute to the overall health of your skin, such as those high in vitamins C and E, zinc and silica. Zinc is especially important because it is required for growth. Excersise regularly and aim for a slow and steady weight gain during pregnancy; Apply a nourishing cream to the affected area on a daily and nightly basis to keep your skin supple-emu oil has shown some promising results as has vitamin E oil. Vitamin E oil assists the skin in general healing and conditioning and is a major component in Emu oil. Vitamin A is also a good overall moisturizer, butnot as effective as Tretinion, or Retin-A which helps exfoliate the skin and form healthy new cells.

Treatment - If you already have stretch marks-here’s what you can do about them.

Stretch marks will never entirely go away. The key, however, is in finding ways to reduce their appearance. The sooner you begin treating stretch marks, while they are still reddish or purple, the more likely you will be able to diminsh their appearance. Once they flatten down and become more silvery they are more difficult to treat. There are several treatments on today’s market that range from all-natural creams to invasive surgical measures.

Natural creams and oils: Vitamins A and E; Emu oil, these are all natural, non-invasive treatments.

Retin – A acid cream or Glycolic acid-these acid creams slough off the top skin layers and stimulate the production of new collagen and elastin fibers below-but be sure not use the high concentration facial formulas during pregnancy as some test indicate they may be harmful. Special stretch mark creams contain levels of Retin-A far below concentrations considered possiby harmful.

Microdermabrasion - a promising new treatment that can help with both old and new stretchmarks. A dermatologist administers a stream of fine, chemically inert crystals onto the the skin to exfoliate the outer most layers of the epidermis.

Laser therapy - a tiny pulse is emitted from the laser and is absorbed by the blood vessels in the affected area below the skin. Blood vessels rupture, bruise and recover in an accelerated healing process.

Cosmetic Surgery - usually used as a last resort, for the most severe scarring from stretch marks. A tiny incision is made along the length of the stretch markd and the affected area is removed and then stitched together.