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

When your skin is excessively stretched during pregnancy, weight changes or growth spurts, stretch marks or striae can show. They can also be produced by some medications, mainly hormones and steroids. Stretch marks appear when quickly 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 can disappear and the bands of the stretch mark can become lighter in color than the surrounding skin. The bands can become take on a shiny, depressed appearanceor acquire an aberrant scar like texture.

Men and women can have stretch marks on several patches of their bodies, including the abdominal area, thighs, hips, flank, upper arms, breasts or lower back. They afflict 70% of adolescent females and about 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 number of undesirable alterations that happen in the skin during this time. Some of these are due to hormonal influences and others are due to the mechanical alterations in the body associated with pregnancy.

Stretch marks are one of the most recognized and talked about skin alterations that can happen 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 balance in the skin. Almost 90% of pregnant women will experience stretch marks, commonly developing during the last trimester.

There is an inherited predisposition to developing stretch marks during pregnancy. Many women find the appearance of stretch marks to be distressing. Luckily, 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, such as Strivectin. Sadly no local remedies have been medically demonstrated to enhance the appearance of stretch marks. RetinA, glycolic acid, alphahydroxy acids have been reported with very little success. Dermabrasion or chemical peels have also been tried. The results of these therapies vary from regular to minimal.

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

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