Stretch Marks - A Common Problem Yet Can Be Very Embarrassing
Stretch Marks
Stretch marks are a common skin condition that can be faced by both men and women. When most people think of stretch marks, they think of the pregnant women, but the problem affects many people in all age groups and both men and women.
While not dangerous, they are sometimes itchy and embarrassing. Your skin is the largest organ on your body. It's designed to be flexible, but when pushed to its limit, it suffers somewhat of a breakdown.
When it's stretched out rapidly, the skin develops lines called striae that often appear reddish in nature. After awhile, the marks may turn into a whitish color. The most common areas to get stretch marks are your abdominal area, breasts, upper arms, lower back, hips, and thighs - just about everywhere!
Your skin loses its collagen and elastin, which means it no longer has those finely toned lines and fibers. Although this happens beneath the top layer of skin, if the stretch is bad enough, it will eventually show through the top layer.
What's the Cause of Unsightly Stretch Marks?
There are many reasons your skin loses its elasticity.
Pregnancy causes stretch marks to appear because the skin is stretched along with the growing fetus inside a woman's womb. The more the skin stretches, the more prevalent stretch marks will be.
Other causes of stretch marks include gaining and losing a lot of weight (especially if it happens quickly). The skin stretches with the amount of fat that's put on. When a lot of weight is put on and then is shed off of the body's frame, the skin becomes looser and stretch marks will form.
It's also said that hormones play a part in these skin blemishes. Hormones can affect the way the skin's cells function. When that's disrupted, skin blemishes can occur - like the stretch marks. Depression could have an effect on the skin cells as well. Depression causes unnecessary stress and anxiety, which affects a lot of your body's functions - including your skin cells.
A poor diet may also be to blame for stretch marks to appear. Your skin needs certain nutrients to function properly. When it's lacking those nutrients, it can't function and grow as well as it should.
Children who have gone through a sudden growth spurt can sometimes be found to have stretch marks, as well as athletes who continually do the same exercises on certain areas of their bodies. No one seems to be immune to it, but there are ways of quickly getting rid of the look of stretch marks.
Remember that you can not get rid of the stretch marks themselves but you can reduce their visibility.
Pregnancy causes stretch marks to appear because the skin is stretched along with the growing fetus inside a woman's womb. The more the skin stretches, the more prevalent stretch marks will be.
Other causes of stretch marks include gaining and losing a lot of weight (especially if it happens quickly). The skin stretches with the amount of fat that's put on. When a lot of weight is put on and then is shed off of the body's frame, the skin becomes looser and stretch marks will form.
It's also said that hormones play a part in these skin blemishes. Hormones can affect the way the skin's cells function. When that's disrupted, skin blemishes can occur - like the stretch marks. Depression could have an effect on the skin cells as well. Depression causes unnecessary stress and anxiety, which affects a lot of your body's functions - including your skin cells.
A poor diet may also be to blame for stretch marks to appear. Your skin needs certain nutrients to function properly. When it's lacking those nutrients, it can't function and grow as well as it should.
Children who have gone through a sudden growth spurt can sometimes be found to have stretch marks, as well as athletes who continually do the same exercises on certain areas of their bodies. No one seems to be immune to it, but there are ways of quickly getting rid of the look of stretch marks.
Remember that you can not get rid of the stretch marks themselves but you can reduce their visibility.
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