Stretch Marks: 4 Things People Get Wrong About It

Source: Stretch mark photo from BCOG.com

Oh sweet, sweet stretch marks. They’re large and coloured in bold shades of red, purple or white. They hang around on tummies, thighs and hips permanently. They’re reliable little scars because they’ll always be there on your body even when you don’t want them to.

Stretch marks are basically the best self-esteem destroyers, especially when beach season rolls in and everyone’s half naked. Tons of people have them and I could say without real statistical evidence that they all despise them. I’m sad to say that stretch marks cannot be rid of permanently. But there are ways to reduce the look of it. Before seeing how you can treat stretch marks, learn more about stretch marks before you try to conquer this annoying problem.

Stretch Marks Are Usually White or Silver

When stretch marks are just starting to appear on your body, they can look red or purple. Purple or red stretch marks occur when your skin is expanding and when there are micro tears in the skin’s collagen and elastin. With more blood vessels in your injured skin, that’s why stretch marks appear red or purple. These colours could last for months or years after the stretch marks first showed up (Awesome. Not.)

If you have older or mature stretch marks, they look white or silver. This happens after blood vessels fade and when there’s no longer an inflammatory response. More mature stretch marks have less collagen and elastin compared to non-affected skin.

Getting a Good Tan Removes Stretch Marks

Tanning won’t remove your stretch marks. White and silver stretch marks don’t tan the same way as unaffected skin. The first layer of your skin turns darker, but your stretch marks will stay the same. The colour doesn’t change, so white stretch marks stand out even more against tanned skin.

Plus, if you are basking in the sun, make sure you’re wearing SPF sunscreen. Too much sun exposure can damage your skin’s collagen and that’s’ the last thing you want if stretch marks are your concern.  

Weight Loss Gets Rid of Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are considered scars so they’ll still be there when you drop pounds. Stretch marks usually occur due to a few things that cause the skin to stretch: pregnancy, weight gain and weight loss.

Thin People Are Immune to Stretch Marks

It doesn’t matter how big or small you are—people of all sizes can have stretch marks. When people go through puberty, a stage where hormones are rapidly changing, stretch marks can form. Even if a thin person has an impossibly fast metabolism and never gains weight, hormonal imbalances causes stretch marks.

Body builders who are notoriously fit and built can also sport some stretch marks. These marks are usually seen on the upper chest or shoulder areas.

Source: SpaMedica

Reduce Your Stretch Marks With These Treatments

Physcians use fractional lasers and radiofrequency devices such as Enerjet. During this treatment, the Enerjet applicator is applied on the skin where the stretch marks are. The Enerjet propels solubilized soft tissue fillers like Restylane and Juvederm across the skin.

This product is evenly distributed within and under the stretch mark to make them smooth and tight. There aren’t any needles used and there’s no pain. It’s a 30-45 minute treatment depending on how much needs to be treated.  

Different methods and devices are used to reduce the looks of stretch marks. A series of treatments need to be performed for the best results. These programs usually take 3-6 months to finish since each treatment is separated by a few weeks. Expect to see 30-75% improvement in your red, purple or white stretch marks.

Curious for more information? Read more on stretch mark reduction treatments.