Stretch Marks – Why Do You Get Them and How Can You Make Them Less Visible on Your Skin?

Stretch Marks – Why Do You Get Them and How Can You Make Them Less Visible on Your Skin?

Looking for a way to get rid of your stretch marks?

They affect most men and women at different stages of their life, developing in areas which may or may not be visible to others. Cases vary in severity. Some marks are barely noticeable.

Others, though, are extreme enough to affect a person’s self-confidence for years.

But you don’t have to just accept your stretch marks. You can take a stand against them and reduce their visibility with cutting-edge treatments.

In this post, the experts from our medical spa in Brampton explore why we get stretch marks, who they tend to affect, and how to make them less visible.

Identifying Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are often easy to spot, though they tend to vary in appearance.

Generally, stretch marks stand out because they contrast with the surrounding skin — they may be pink, red, dark blue, or even pale enough to resemble scars. You should be able to feel the variation of texture between stretch marks and unaffected skin, too.

Stretch marks usually appear on:

• Stomach

• Arms

• Buttocks

• Shoulders

• Hips

• Breasts

• Back

You may be able to hide your stretch marks under clothing when they form on the back, stomach, hips, or buttocks. But covering them up on the arms can be more of a challenge in hot climates.

Yet it’s not so simple, is it? Even stretch marks confined to areas you can cover up can still affect your self-image.

You might feel self-conscious taking your clothes off in front of other people, limiting your freedom to go to a beach or swim in public. Several stretch marks, with deep coloring, could make any existing self-confidence issues more difficult to cope with.

Fortunately, popular treatments can reduce their visibility — and their effect on your wellbeing.

Why Do You Get Stretch Marks on Your Skin?

Stretch marks are a type of scarring caused by stretching of the skin.

Anyone who loses substantial weight within a short period is likely to develop stretch marks in the areas most affected. Why?

It’s simple. Your body can’t produce enough elastic and collagen (which help to keep flesh smooth and firm) quickly enough to cope with the change in size. This means the skin struggles to stretch as required, leading to tiny tears in the flesh’s deeper layers.

And these take shape on the skin as stretch marks.

Who is Most Likely to Develop Stretch Marks?

While a significant change in body shape can create stretch marks, this isn’t the only reason — far from it.

Pregnancy

Research shows 90 percent of pregnant women develop stretch marks, as their skin is placed under immense strain in a relatively short space of time. Pregnancy is one of the most common reasons for stretch marks, along with rapid weight loss or gain.

Adolescence

The body starts to develop in new ways and take on a slightly different shape during adolescence, as male or female attributes become more prominent.

It’s incredibly common for boys and girls to notice stretch marks on their skin over a few years. In fact, 70 percent of girls and 40 percent of boys gain stretch marks by the end of their adolescent phase.

And any boy and girl who goes through a massive growth spurt is likely to develop stretch marks that are much more noticeable. Sadly, this can make a period that’s already difficult and tough on young people’s self-confidence even worse.

Weight Training

But the body’s growth may not be down to adolescence or gaining weight through an unhealthy lifestyle — male and female bodybuilders get stretch marks, too.

Lifting heavy weights and building a lot of mass in a short time can make muscles grow more quickly than they might otherwise. The skin struggles to stretch as it should to cope with the changing shape.

In bodybuilders, stretch marks tend to appear on the chest, shoulders, arms, or other parts of the body that might be trained to the extreme.

Breast Augmentation

Women might see stretch marks forming on their chest after undergoing a breast augmentation procedure.

As you might imagine, this is down to the sudden growth in breast size — especially if the implants make the breasts far bigger than their natural shape.

Marfan Syndrome

Marfan syndrome is a genetic disease which weakens skin fibers, though it affects the eyes, lungs, and bones, too.

Stretch marks will form in the usual areas, but there may be more of them.

How can You Reduce the Visibility of Your Stretch Marks?

Stretch marks are nothing to worry about. They cause no physical harm to your body. They’re not a sign of ill health or poor lifestyle choices.

As we’ve already established, the majority of women will develop them during pregnancy, while most teenage boys and girls have their own share, too.

But just because your stretch marks have no impact on your health doesn’t mean they can’t have a negative effect on your life. In extreme cases, you might feel your stretch marks affect your entire appearance — and leave you more self-conscious than you would be without them.

At our medical spa in Brampton, our expert team offers two treatments for stretch marks:

Microneedling

You’ve probably heard of microneedling. It’s become popular in the past few years, as it’s non-invasive and works on different areas of the body.

Microneedling stimulates the body’s organic healing ability by pressing or rolling tiny needles against the skin. This encourages the production of fresh elastin and collagen naturally, rejuvenating the skin to be smoother and healthier. Stretch marks should become far less visible after multiple treatments.

But microneedling doesn’t just help with stretch marks. It’s also known to improve the appearance of:

• Fine lines

• Sagging skin

• Acne scars

• Pigmentation problems

• Cellulite

Laser

Laser treatments project beams of intense light on one or more areas of the body. This removes the skin’s outer layer, and the new skin that grows in its place will benefit from a smoother look and feel.

This helps to make stretch marks less visible over time, even in extreme cases.

Stretch marks can be difficult to live with — but you can take action against them.

Our microneedling and laser treatments are safe and effective. Both options are suitable for different skin types, but we’ll discuss your treatment in detail at our medispa in Brampton. This is crucial to help you choose the right one for you.

Want to book a stretch mark treatment for yourself at Astra Medi Spa? Have any questions for our team?

Just give our medical spa in Brampton a call on (657) 496-0646 now!