Stretch Marks

Can Stretch Marks Go Away On Their Own?

January 30th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

After nine moths of pregnancy, most new mothers can hardly wait for life to return to normal. After surviving the physical and emotional effects of pregnancy, your body’s hormones and weight will return to a more normal state.

Unfortunately, there are certain aspects of pregnancy that will leave a more permanent reminder of your experience – stretch marks. Most women are left wondering, can stretch marks go away on their own? The answer is – they will need a little help from you.

Are Stretch Marks Really a Scar?

There are a number of medical terms associated with stretch marks. They are: atrophicae, lineae atrophicae, linea albicante, striae, striae cutis distensae, striae distensae, striae gravidarum and vergetures.

Stretch marks can be found on both men and women and can be caused by:

- Some medications such as steroids or hormones,
- Weight gain from bodybuilding,
- Obesity,
- Pregnancy,
- Puberty, and
- Certain diseases, such as Cushing’s Syndrome.

Stretch Marks are actually a type of scarring that occurs when the skin is stretched and the dermis, or middle layer of skin, is torn. Upon the initial occurrence of stretch marks, they appear to be deep furrows of red or purple. Over time, they fade to silver or white in color, with some of the furrowing becoming shallower as the body heals and the skin returns to its original size.

The good news is that stretch marks are harmless and pose no medical issues. Although our cultural quest for the ever-youthful body can cause many to balk at the thought of living with such unsightly skin issues. Dermatologists receive many calls from patients inquiring what can ever be done to make these embarrassing stretch marks go away.

What Can I Do To Get Rid of Stretch Marks Permanently?

The answer to this debated question is a qualified “yes”- but only if you are willing to undergo plastic surgery to have them removed. This is the most radical approach to eliminate stretch marks permanently and can be quite costly and has certain risks involved with the procedure.

A newer treatment on the market is laser treatment which is intended to reduce the visibility of stretch marks that have already formed but cannot make the stretch marks can go away completely. These treatments are being offered in many OB/GYN and urological offices and in health clinics across the country. The medical community scoffs at the claims of manufacturers that their product can “erase” stretch marks. Since stretch marks are actually scar tissue, the only way to erase them would be surgical removal the affected skin.

So, if you are not ready to go under the “knife” to rid yourself of your stretch marks, then a program of topical creams and oils may help you prevent further stretch marks from forming, eradicate current stretch marks, or lessen the appearance of existing scarring.

Can stretch marks go away on their own? With all but the most radical procedures, stretch marks are here to stay. However, you can take a proactive approach and fade scarring through the use of the best stretch mark cream and lotion products on the market. They are both effective and far more affordable than cosmetic surgery or laser procedures.