Stretch marks: growth marks on your body

If you grow quickly in a short time, for example during puberty, through a lot of training or during pregnancy, you can get stretch marks. These are growth streaks. Innocent, but a thorn in the side for many.

Growth stripes are thin stripes a few centimeters long and a few millimeters wide. They arise when the subcutaneous connective tissue is pulled apart by rapid growth. But also under the influence of certain hormones, such as the pregnancy hormone and male sex hormone.

Tense skin

Taking anabolic steroids can cause stretch marks, too. These drugs mimic the effect of the male sex hormone. The stripes usually occur in areas where the skin is most tense: on the abdomen, buttocks, thighs, groin and around the nipples. Many women suffer from it to a greater or lesser extent.

Growth streaks occur when you grow faster than your skin can keep up. For example with strong weight gain, growth spurts in puberty, pregnancy or if your muscles develop too quickly. There is too much tension on the skin, causing the subcutaneous connective tissue to tear. Streaks then appear, which leave scars. At the level of the stretch marks, the body hairs have disappeared and no sebum or sweat is secreted. In the beginning the stripes have a red or purple-red color. Then they become paler and form lines. These can be a few centimeters long and a few millimeters wide.

Growth marks are difficult to treat, because they are actually scars. Therefore, it is not effective to have them treated surgically. That would lead to new scar tissue. Unfortunately, there is no single treatment that completely removes stretch marks. There are, however, various methods with which you can fade the stripes. Beauty salons and dermatologists have various treatments. There is the Skin Peeler, a dermabrasion device that removes the outer skin layers. Microcrystals grind the skin off at the desired places. This is done layer by layer. At the same time, the used crystals and loosening skin cells are sucked away. Various creams are available at pharmacies, drugstores and beauty salons that reduce stretch marks and ensure that the streaks are less 'purple'. A Incidentally, the growth stripes are less visible when you are brown. So enjoy the sun or go under the solarium. Make sure you have good protection against the sun: after all, the skin is stretched and thinner than in the places where there are no growth streaks. Incineration is therefore faster than you think.

As with anything, prevention is better than cure. Make sure to keep your skin elastic during pregnancy or rapid weight gain. Lubricate your skin with an oily cream or almond oil every day. Excessive washing and exposure to dry air will dry out your skin, so avoid this Healthy food also keeps your skin supple: you need to drink enough water and eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. Drinking water ensures that your skin does not dry out and stays elastic. Fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants. They make waste products harmless and counteract the aging process.