Your dreams of a spotless glowing skin can get perennially elusive with the occurrence of stretch marks on your body that leads to disfigurement of your skin robbing it off its natural sheen. Termed as striae in medical terminology, stretch marks are likely to occur when there is a sudden stretching of the skin owing to pregnancy, obesity or any other hormonal imbalances. As a result of this, the collagen enriched middle layer of the skin known as dermis gets damaged irreparably, with its repercussion in the form of stretch marks in the visible top layer of the skin-epidermis. But the question that all exasperated sufferers asks is how to get rid of stretch marks?
A lot of medical treatments and therapies available in the market claim to prevent and eliminate the marks entirely. Medications can reduce the intensity of the stretch marks considerably with the scar slowly fading off with time.
A lot of causes can be attributed to the causal factor of stretch marks. The most common of them all is pregnancy with statistics showing 70-80% new mothers-to-be suffering from pre-natal and post-natal scars in the abdomen область, hips, thighs, breasts, back portion and other parts of the body.
It is important to note that ailment has nothing to do with age. A lot of teenagers who experience rapid body growth at the time of puberty, sudden expansion of muscle tissues in cases of athletes, people suffering from obesity or other weight-related issues etc can get afflicted with these marks. Being health conscious can also backfire sometimes with muscle tensions during bodybuilding or weightlifting being responsible for the indelible marks.
Defying the skin stretching theory, some scientists also suggest that the expansion of the upper layers of skin are a result of shooting levels of glucocorticoids hormone secretion during all the situations like pregnancy, adolescence, obesity etc to which the body is susceptible to stretch marks. The hormone also restricts the formation of collagen leading to rupture of dermis. Certain medication or steroids can also be hold responsible for causing stretch marks due to anomalies in collagen formation.
Many of the therapies and treatment claims to provide instant cure and short cut formulas about how to get rid of rid of stretch marks. Various ointments and lotions, prescription drugs with presence of retinoid and Glycolic acid and consumption of Vitamin C supplements are some of the measures to ward off this problem. For more severe cases, surgical procedures like Dermabrasion, chemical peel, laser treatments etc can work wonders in alleviating and treating the ailment.
Different home remedies can also help to provide relief from the stretch mark menace in the long run. Drinking plenty of water, cutting down on caffeine and following a balanced nutritious diet will help you keep your overall system healthy thus reducing the risk of getting affected. Ingredients like wheat germ oil, jojoba oil, cocoa butter, shea butter etc in herbal lotions and creams also works wonders for your skin.
If you are unsure how to proceed with treatment consult your dermatologist first before adopting any form of treatment.