A lot of individuals suffer from stretch marks and don't know the reason. In the beginning they are light purple or red marks; a high number of women get them on their breasts and belly-button when being pregnant. Actually, everybody can get them, even slim, young people. They appear practically anywhere the body stores larger amounts of fat. The skin around the mark feels soft to the touch and the stretch mark itself feels like a dent in the skin. Those indentations can get more profoundand longer if the skin is stretched more. With time, they tend to gradually fade to a lighter color, but the dent and the change of color never go away completely.

The Formation Of Stretch Marks

Even though it is obviously the main reason, stretching is not the only cause. The problem is the skin support within the dermis, the resilient middle layer of the skin. The skin's firmity when growing is given by fibroblasts which form collagen and elastin fibers. Glucocorticoid hormones like cortisol are vital for our body as they keep up many important functions, but they are also responsible for stretch marks because they avert the fibroblasts from forming collagen and elastin fibers.

The epidermis AND the dermis get torn when the skin is lacking supportive materials - stretch marks will then appear. A stretch mark is a kind of scar tissue, this means the skin is irrevocably destroyed and can't be regenerated again naturally. We should feel lucky this natural healing process exists, but unfortunately scar tissues do not fulfill the same functions as original, healthy skin. And scar removal is difficult and often involves surgery.

Pregnant Women Are More Apt To Get Them

It's well known that pregnant women at times go crazy over nothing. This phenomenon is associated with their hormones. The continually high hormone level and the fast growing breasts and belly cause stretch marks. Besides stretch marks, scientists also associate cellulite with the change in the hormonal balance. Once they appear, according to current studies, it's not possible to perfectly cure them. It is possible though, to prevent them by applying moisturizing cream and exfoliation of the skin, for instance with a massage bar after taking a bath.

Treatment Of Stretch Marks

So, what can be done about those nasty marks? Like cellulite treatment or anticellulite creams, stretch mark treatment consists solely of symptom treatment, the real cause cannot be extinguished. Moisturizing creams against stretch marks can be compared with cellulite creams; they do not help in every case. Some people, probably due to their hormonal condition, are just more apt to get stretch marks.

In TV reality shows you can often see people who undergo surgery to get back their perfect looks. Lasering, injections, tummy tuck surgery - don't you find it horribly unnatural? It's more advisable to try out natural skin care lotions which include special ingredients to regenerate skin cells and give the skin its elasticity back. They do not cost a lot, show no side effects and above all do not hurt.