Do You Know the Real Cause of Stretch Marks?
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Have you ever wondered why you formed stretch marks during your last pregnancy, or perhaps during a period of weight gain? To be sure, stretch marks are not restricted to just women. Many men sport these same skin defects from weight gain or body building activities. So, what can you do to get rid of these unsightly stretch marks?
What Causes Stretch Marks?
Understanding the real cause of stretch marks will be your first step in addressing this skin problem. The medical term for stretch marks is striae, and medical researchers have determined that there are several causes for stretch marks.
Extensive studies have been conducted on the cause of stretch marks and the findings were quite interesting. It was determined that the general cause of stretch marks is scarring of the skin. The process of overstretching the skin and then the later contraction of the skin leaves the appearance of a long depression, sometimes red in color. Over time, the scar will generally turn silver-ish in color, but will still be quite visible.
So, the real culprit and main cause of stretch marks is the stretching of the skin beyond its normal tolerances.
Stretch Marks Result from Lifestyle Changes
The stretching of the skin due to pregnancy is recognized as one of the primary causes for the development of stretch marks. When a woman is pregnant, her skin is stretched due to the fetus growing in her body. The skin contracts when the baby is born. Stretch marks appear after the skin is no longer stretched. This is one scenario where the skin is stretched beyond limits over the abdomen area over a relatively short period of time.
The skin can also be over-stretched due to obesity. As you know, the skin can be very forgiving when stretched for a short period. But when the stretching occurs over a longer time period, such as a significant weight gain, skin damage generally occurs in the form of stretch marks.
Also, it is not uncommon for bodybuilders to experience stretch marks as they continually enlarge their muscle mass. Once again, the cause of stretch marks in this case is not due to weight gain as much as the increase in muscle. The causes of stretch marks are basically the same for the people involved; the reasons for the stretch marks are different.
The Causes of Stretch Marks are Often Unavoidable
The cause of stretch marks comes from the composition of the human skin. There are layers to the skin, and one of these layers ensures that skin will retain its shape. Without this skin layer, skin would just sag after even the slightest of weight losses.
Stretch marks are more apparent in some people than in others, depending on the consistency of their skin. Stretch marks usually appear worse in people who repeatedly stretch their skin and let it contract. These individuals who repeatedly go on a diet then gain the weight back are at high risk of developing stretch marks.
Stretch marks most often appear on the arms, thighs and abdomen. Stretch marks often appear in the areas of the body that store fat. The good news is that stretch marks are not unhealthy or considered a health risk; they are just unsightly.
So if you are ready to do something about the appearance of your stretch marks, there are a number of fine products that can help fade or dramatically reduce their appearance.
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February 19th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
[…] Stretch marks most often appear on the arms, thighs and abdomen. Stretch marks often appear in the areas of the body that store fat. The good news is that stretch marks are not unhealthy or considered a health risk; they are just unsightly. So if you are ready to do something about the appearance of your stretch marks, there are a number of fine products that can help fade or dramatically reduce their appearance. […]