Stretch marks are fine lines on the body that occur from tissue under your skin tearing from rapid growth or over stretching.It is a common condition that does not cause any significant medical problem but can be of cosmetic concern for some people.

CAUSE OF STRETCH MARKS

● Genetic predisposition

● Weight loss/weight gain

● Body building/weightlifting/athletes

● Pregnancy

● People using steroid containing skin  creams/ointments(e.g.hydrocortisone)

● Intake of oral corticosteroids for months or longer

● Adolescents undergo growth spurts.

COMMON SITES OF STRETCH MARKS

Stretch marks occur in certain areas of the body where skin is subjected to continuous and progressive stretching. These include:

●Abdomen and breast in pregnancy ladies

●Adolescent undergoing growthspurts (thighs,buttocks,breasts)

●Shoulders in body builders.

SYMPTOMS

Stretch marks start as red lines on the skin that are slightly raised. Stretchmarks usually appear in parallel lines. Skin is thin and silvery and often looks scar like.

TREATMENT

Stretch marks are permanent in the sense that the skin in these areas will never be completely normal. However,after a time they will contract to some extend.

Treatments given are

●Microdermabrasion

●Peels (higher concentration)

●IPL therapy

●Excimer laser (striae Alba)

●Superpulse Radiofrequency

●Surgical-Tummytuck/abdominoplasty

●Micromesotherapy

●RF fractional.   It takes about 3 to 4 months to achieve desirable results with these treatments

Systemic:  It involves adequate protein diet,which should be rich in vitamin E,vitamin C,vitamin A

PREVENTION

●It is important to maintain a healthy weight

●Lose weight the right way (0.5kg/week is ideal)

●Massaging your skin everyday with moisturizer can help improve blood circulation which encourages new tissue growth.

●Balanced diet rich in vitamins especially  vitamin E and vitamin C

●When pregnant,weight gain should be slow and gradual.  

 One can reduce reduce stretch marks, diminish white marks,improve texture and make them look better so that you cannot see them very easily.   No procedure can make a stretch mark go all the way back to looking like normal skin.