Stretch marks are reddish, linear, sometimes depressed scars that can stay in your skin for years. Stretch marks occur in the dermis, the elastic middle layer of skin that allows it to retain its form. However, when constantly stretched, the skin can break down leaving behind scars. Dermal collagen is damaged and blood vessel dilation results in the appearance of reddish or purple-colored stretch marks.

When your skin is exaggeratedly stretched during pregnancy, weight changes or growth spurts, stretch marks or striae can show. They can also be caused by some medications, mainly hormones and steroids. Stretch marks occur when rapidly expanding skin is stretched to its limit and small tears show in the supporting layers of skin.

Over time the redness of the original scar can disappear and the lines of the stretch mark can become lighter in color than the surrounding skin. The lines can become take on a shiny, depressed appearanceor develop an abnormal scar like texture.

Men and women can have stretch marks on several areas of their skin, including the abdominal area, thighs, breasts, upper arms, hips, flank or lower back. They afflict 70% of teenage females and about 40% of young men.

Stretch Marks and Pregnancy

Though the nine months of pregnancy are a wonderful time in a woman's life, there are a host of unwanted changes that happen in the skin during this time. Some of these are due to hormonal influences and others are due to the mechanical changes in the body associated with pregnancy.

Stretch marks are one of the most recognized and talked about dermal changes that can happen during pregnancy. They are thought to be a consequence of the thinning of the skin during this time period due to female hormones which alter the protein equilibrium in the skin. Almost 90% of pregnant women will experience stretch marks, commonly developing during the third trimester.

There is an inherited predisposition to developing stretch marks during pregnancy. Many women find the look of stretch marks to be distressing. Fortunately, the removal stretch marks is possible.

How to get rid of stretch marks

There are plenty over-the-counter therapies aimed to prevent stretch marks, such as Strivectin. Sadly no local remedies have been medically demonstrated to enhance the look of stretch marks. RetinA, glycolic acid, alphahydroxy acids have been reported with very little success. Dermabrasion or chemical peels have also been used. The effects of these treatments range from regular to minimal.

Surgical alternatives to deal with these types of lesions, involve removing large areas of stretched skin. In a tummy tuck intervention, for instance, skin below the belly button is removed. This is often an area in which stretch marks are prominent. It also acts by tightening the skin in nearby regions. These surgical techniques are efficient, but are more invasive than other solutions and thus involve longer recovery time.