Stretch marks are reddish, linear, sometimes depressed scars that can stay in your skin for years. Stretch marks appear in the dermis, the elastic middle layer of skin that allows it to retain its form. However, when constantly stretched, the skin can break down leaving behind marks. Dermal collagen is ruptured and blood vessel dilation results in the appearance of red or purple-colored stretch marks.

When your skin is exaggeratedly stretched during pregnancy, weight changes or growth spurts, stretch marks or striae can show. They can also be produced by certain medications, including hormones and steroids. Stretch marks appear when rapidly expanding skin is stretched to its limit and small tears show in the supporting layers of skin.

Over time the redness of the original scar may fade and the bands of the stretch mark may become lighter in color than the surrounding skin. The bands may become depressed and shiny in appearanceor acquire an abnormal scar like texture.

Men and women can have stretch marks on several areas of their bodies, including the abdominal area, flank, thighs, hips, breasts, upper arms or lower back. They affect 70% of adolescent females and nearly 40% of young males.

Stretch Marks and Pregnancy

Though the nine months of pregnancy are a wonderful time in a woman's life, there are a host of undesirable alterations that occur in the skin during this time. Some of these are due to hormonal changes and others are due to the physical alterations in the body linked with pregnancy.

Stretch marks are one of the most well known and talked about skin alterations that can occur during pregnancy. They are believed to be a consequence of the thinning of the skin during this time period due to female hormones which disrupt the protein equilibrium in the skin. Almost 90% of pregnant women will experience stretch marks, commonly forming during the last trimester.

There is a genetic predisposition to forming stretch marks during pregnancy. Many women find the appearance of stretch marks to be distressing. Fortunately, the removal stretch marks is possible.

How to get rid of stretch marks

There are plenty over-the-counter therapies aimed to prevent stretch marks, like Strivectin. Sadly no local remedies have been scientifically proven to improve the appearance of stretch marks. RetinA, glycolic acid, alphahydroxy acids have been reported with very little success. Dermabrasion or chemical peels have also been used. The effects of these therapies vary from regular to minimal.

Surgical options to deal with these types of lesions, imply removing large areas of stretched skin. In a tummy tuck procedure, for instance, skin below the belly button is retired. This is usually an area in which stretch marks are prominent. It also works by tightening the skin in surrounding regions. These surgical techniques are effective, but are more invasive than other solutions and thus imply longer recovery time.

The best solution to get rid of stretch marks and other skin blemishes comes now in the shape of a new skin care product, elaborated with the best natural components to regenerate your skin.