Stretch marks can be quite irritating, and can even affect your self-esteem. They are very common, and affect a great percentage of women.
They are scar tissues in the dermal layer of the skin, that result from rapid growth or weight gain. As such, these lesions, which can be found crisscrossing the breasts, abdomen, hips, thighs, buttocks, and arms, occur in females and males, particularly as a result of adolescent growth spurts, pregnancy, obesity, and rapid muscle growth.
In these instances, collagen and elastin are not produced quickly enough to accommodate the expansion, rendering the normally elastic dermis less flexible. This creates the marks that you see.
Initially, these dermal alterations present as pink, red, or purple lesions. The lesions, if untreated, become white, and the texture of the lesion may change from swollen to flattened or moderately depressed.
A high proportion of teenage girls as well as pregnant women have them. Fortunately, there are options which can be used to treat them, and even prevent them from occurring.
For individuals who are pregnant or experiencing adolescent hormonal changes, moisturizing regularly, three to four times daily, is recommended. Skin becomes more pliant and elastic when well hydrated.
Moisturizers that contain cocoa butter, or shea butter as a prime ingredient are the best. To increase their efficacy, such formulations should be massaged deep into the area.
Identifying the formation early on is crucial. Patients should be advised to seek treatment when marks are still red or purple.
The condition is most likely to respond to at-home products and in-office peels at this stage. Once they are white, the treatment becomes more difficult and less successful.
In an early study of retinoids for the treatment of this issue, sixteen to twenty patients with these symptoms due to various causes completed the study. Fifteen of them exhibited significant clinical improvement.
Retinoids promote collagen and elastin production. When retinoids are massaged in the area nightly, the appearance and texture can become much better.
In another study evaluating the effects of a retinoid, twenty women applied this cream to their affected areas. Over three months, the efficacy of the daily applications was assessed by analyzing a pre-selected lesion.
Researchers observed marked improvement after three months, with a twenty percent reduction. Vascular lasers can also offer outstanding results.
Because vascular lasers are designed to work with dilated blood vessels, which are characteristic of stretch marks, they present a potent treatment option. They help to increase collagen production, and elastic remodeling.
Most often, three to six sessions are required. In a recent study, investigators treated twenty patients using the laser, which has been successfully used to foster dermal collagen synthesis.
Subjective evaluations were made by patients, and the investigators used before-and-after photos to assess treatment efficacy. Forty percent of the doctors considered the results to be excellent.
Overall, the investigators found this laser to be an effective option for treating the issue. Overall improvement was termed "good and very good" by most of the participants in the subjective evaluation.
In addition, nine patients were biopsied, with the level of collagen fibers shown to be increased in each sample. The investigators concluded that this issue can be effectively treated in darker skin types with the combination of the laser treatments.
Keeping your skin hydrated is the key. You can even use vitamin E oil to keep the epidermis moist and pliable.
Exercising can help quite a bit, as long as one does not increase their size too quickly. For those who are body builders or take steroids, these irritating lesions can quickly develop.
Just make sure that you are not rapidly gaining weight. If you are pregnant and it is unavoidable, do not worry-if you have a loving husband, he will not mind in the least.
After all, you can view them as "battle scars," and proof of the many sacrifices you have made for the love of your child. You can try as many different things as you like, but when it comes down to it, sometimes they just do not go away.
Sometimes the best thing you can do is to love your body, and allow it to have a few "flaws" here and there-better yet, do not see them as flaws at all. They are merely natural symptoms of a growing body, and a healthy baby.
Author Resource:-
Terry Daniels has been a plastic surgeon for over 20 years and has written hundreds of articles relating to plastic surgery. He recommends breast augmentation Utah for your plastic surgery needs.
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