If you are a woman and you have had a baby, take a look at your breasts, your stomach, your thighs or your buttocks. Chances are that you have at least some skin striations. You may not have heard this term before, but maybe you will recognize this one – stretch marks. That’s right, skin striations are indeed the dreaded stretch marks!Stretch marks are scars, they are damage to the skin, and appear as parallel grooves, etched in the skin. In most cases, they appear on certain parts of women who have had babies – on their breasts, around their belly button, across their abdomen, their buttocks, their thighs, and even their upper arms. Wherever a woman grows during pregnancy is where the stretch marks may appear.
These striations, or stripes, are damage not to the outer layer of skin, but to the dermis which is just below. During pregnancy, parts of the body grow so quickly, that the skin races to keep up. It has a job to do – to cover the body beneath – but when it can’t stretch any further, the cells die and let the skin go on its own. These ridges of dead cells become stretch marks and are almost irreversible.Stretch marks are not only ridges, but they are generally a different color than normal skin. People of color have the hardest time with stretch marks because of the marked difference in color. People with a very light skin tone may have stretch marks and never even see them!The treatments for stretch marks vary, but in most cases, people choose to simply over-moisturize their skin. By applying all sorts of lotions, they hope to soften up that stretched skin and pray it goes back to its normal state. Of course, that can’t happen. Skin cells, once broken down, will not be repaired, at least not just with a lotion.There are new treatments evolving, both as lotions or creams, and involving trips to the dermatologist that hold hope for people with severe stretch marks. Laser treatments are becoming popular because they are painless and quick. They can be dangerous, of course, so if you are choosing this route, make sure your practitioner is thoroughly trained, certified, and has a good reputation. Beware of high-priced stretch mark creams that claim to fully repair stretch marks. No matter how good they claim to be, and how much they cost, the likelihood of them working is slim.
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