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For July, 2008

Jul 28

Teens and Stretch Marks Making Them Less Noticeable

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Teens and Stretch Marks Making Them Less Noticeable
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4254385297 948bfe5b1b m Teens and Stretch Marks Making Them Less Noticeable

If youve been noticing stretch marks on your body, you may be wondering if this is something that is normal. Well, actually stretch marks are pretty normal for both girls and guys that are going through puberty. During puberty teens end up growing rather quickly, both getting taller and gaining some weight. It is very common for stretch marks to show up during this time. When the skin is pulled by stretching or quick growing, stretch marks can occur. While the skin is designed to be elastic, if it gets stretched too much, collagen product may be disrupted and scars that are known as stretch marks can occur.

So, if youre a teen and you are beginning to notice that you have stretch marks, youre definitely not alone. Many girls and women end up with stretch marks, and the often tend to show up on the hips, thighs, buttocks, and breasts. While stretch marks are the most common in girls, guys can end up dealing with stretch marks as well.

Of course puberty isnt the only time when stretch marks develop. They can also appear during pregnancy, as a result of body building, or even due to obesity. Also, there are some skin creams that contain steroids that can result in stretch marks as well. Oral corticosteroids can also lead to stretch marks as well.

When stretch marks first occur, they usually look purple or reddish. The skin may be raised or indented, and feel different then the rest of your skin. Over time usually these stretch marks start to fade and turn quite a bit lighter; however, this may not make you feel much better when you are getting ready to start wearing a bathing suit for a lot of the summer. If you want to make sure that your stretch marks are less noticeable, here are a few tips that can help.

Tip 1 Sunless Tanning One easy way that you can help to cover up those stretch marks is to use a sunless tanning treatment. There are lotions, sprays, and even salon treatments that are great for covering up those stretch marks. Of course you can also get body makeup to help cover them as well; however, if you are going to be in and out of the water, they may not be the best choice.

Tip 2 Suits that Cover You Looking for bathing suits that cover a bit more skin is an excellent option for teens with stretch marks as well. Today there are many great styles of bathing suits that can help you hide your stretch marks. Consider going with boy short styles that will hide any marks on your thighs or even high neck suits that will help to hide stretch marks you have in the chest area as well.

Tip 3 Avoid the Expensive Creams While there are expensive creams out there for stretch marks, teens should usually leave them alone until they get older. However, if you do want to try a stretch marks cream, make sure you talk to your parents about this first and have them help you find a suitable choice.

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Jul 19

Why Do Stretch Marks Form?

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2798812333 db860ebee2 m Why Do Stretch Marks Form?

Inevitably, no matter how beautiful your skin may be today, you will develop stretch marks. Although painless, stretch marks are both unsightly and a potential source of embarrassment. For the most part, you are stuck with stretch marks unless you opt for expensive lazer therapy or perhaps dermabrasion. But why exactly do stretch marks form in the first place?

Your skin is made up of 3 layers. The outer layer is known as the epidermis and its main purpose is to prevent foreign agents from invading your body. The second layer is the dermis and it is comprised of collagen and elastic fibers which combine to give your skin its smooth appearance. The last layer is called the hypodermis and it is mostly made up of fat and various tissues.

Stretch marks, also known as stria atrophica, form in the dermis layer of your skin. In fact, stretch marks are literally tears in the dermis. Now stretch marks should not be confused with scars, although they do appear quite similar when looking at them. Scars are made of fibrotic tissue which is simply not present in stretch marks.

As stated earlier, the dermis produces elastic fibers. These special fibers are what allows your skin to stretchbasically, they give the skin its elasticity. Stretch marks form when the skin grows faster than the elastic fibers can handle. Rapid growth weakens a skins elasticity and can actually break the connective fibers holding it together.

Now it is possible for stretch marks to form even when rapid growth is not present. This happens generally because of poor diet. Improper nutrition will deprive the body of the raw materials it needs to maintain healthy, elastic skin. Smoking is another factor that may cause stretch marks because it will also cause the skins elasticity to weaken. However, some growth will be necessary for stretch marks to form even when poor nutrition or smoking are factors.

Stretch marks are very common problems associated with pregnancy because this is a period of rapid growth for women. Any period of rapid weight gain will most likely be accompanied by stretch marks and they are common factors in obesity. However, it is possible for heredity to be a factor as some people have proven more prone to stretch marks than others.

The discoloring present with new stretch marks will eventually fade. Eventually, a stretch mark will appear almost identical to a scar. However, as stated earlier, stretch marks and scars are very different phenomena and caused by very different factors.

So, while stretch marks can be embarrassing and unsightly at first, the fact remains that they are painless. Many of us acquire these unsightly stretch marks as we lose our baby fat and enter into puberty and a period of rapid growth. Therefore, they are nothing to be overly self-conscious about because we all end up with them at some point. The best defense against stretch marks is eating a healthy, well-balanced diet which should keep the skin healthy and prevent periods of rapid weight gain.

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Jul 04

Stretch Marks Remedies and Removal

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474104846 26b993b66c m Stretch Marks Remedies and Removal

Stretch marks are lines on the skin that start off as raised red lines. They then turn purple, before slowly fading into flat silvery streaks. The medical name for this type of mark is stria. Stretch marks happen when the skin is stretched a lot over a short period of time, such as during pregnancy.

Stretch marks can also occur from prolonged use of oral or topical corticosteroids. They are also a feature of the disease Cushing’s syndrome, where increased adrenal cortical activity i.e. excessive circulating cortisol is implicated in their development. However, different people are affected by stretch marks differently and the severity and development of lesions appear to depend greatly on individual factors. Once again, this suggests a genetic component.

Stretch marks occur in the dermis, the elastic middle layer of skin that allows it to retain its shape. However, when constantly stretched, the dermis can break down leaving behind stretch marks. Stretch marks often appear on the breast and abdomen during pregnancy. The reason is partly hormonal. During pregnancy, hormones have the job of softening the collagen ligaments of the pelvis, so that the tissues can stretch easily during childbirth. Unfortunately, the skin collagen softens as well, allowing stretch marks to form easily.

The true cause of stretch marks is hormones. That’s right, hormonal influences are the cause. How can I support this fact? Well, when people gain weight, our hormones are produced and metabolized by fat cells. Hormones resemble fat and cholesterol, so when we gain and lose weight it affects the hormones in our body, and also the hormones in our skin.

At first, stretch marks may show up as reddish or purplish lines that may appear indented and have a different texture from the surrounding skin. Fortunately, stretch marks often turn lighter and almost disappear over time. But the fact that stretch marks usually fade and become less noticeable over time can be little consolation if you plan to spend most of your summer in a bathing suit.

So pregnant women are the most obvious candidates for stretch marks, but the next groups at risk are teenagers undergoing growth spurts during adolescence and women who have put on a lot of weight rapidly. Pregnant women start to develop marks on the abdomen during the second half of pregnancy as the skin stretches to accomodate the growing baby. However, besides the abdomen, stretch marks commonly occur on the hips, breasts and buttocks due to either gaining or losing weight in these areas.

Regardless of their causes, all stretch marks follow a natural course of progression. Active lesions are the early lesions that consist mainly of fine elastic fibers. As the stretch marks age, the fibers become thicker and there is a decrease in the thickness of the dermal layer of the skin.

Some recent research has tried to link stretch mark formation to a group of steroids called glucocorticoids. The most common glucocorticoid is cortisol. Research has proven that with elevated levels of cortisol in your body, your body tends to gain weight. This is because when your body senses that it is under stress, it releases more cortisol. Things that can cause your body to stress include not only your normal every day work and life stresses, but also pregnancy, adolescent growth spurts, and weightlifting. Improper nutrition, excessive caffeine intake and smoking are additional causes of body stress.

Creams containing vitamin E are often recommended, and in the Caribbean cocoa butter is used to remove scars with varying levels of success. Creams are available from the pharmacist or health and beauty shops.

Cosmetic surgery to remove stretch marks is available. However, this can be uncomfortable and is usually expensive. There’s no guarantee that it will solve the problem either.

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