What are stretch marks?
Stretch marks are sinuous scars, red-violet and whitish in color, which are formed in the connective tissue, skin tissue. They are caused by a rupture of the elastic and collagen fibers and are observed by transparency of the epidermis which is the most superficial layer of our skin.
The exact cause of their appearance is not really known at present, but stretch marks affect women 2.5 times more often than men.
The body areas where they are most common are: breasts, abdomen, hips, buttocks and arms.
Types of stretch marks
Depending on the cause that originates them and their color, there are several types of stretch marks:
By their color:
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Red or purple. They are very recent with less than a year of appearance, and they look reddish because they are still vascularized. That is, they are still irrigated by the circulatory system. They are the type of stretch marks that can still be treated with very positive results.
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Pearly whites. These stretch marks are more than a year old, they are older and the vascularization is no longer the same. For this reason there are no effective treatments for their disappearance.
Because of their cause:
- Hormonal alterations:
- In the puberty rapid growth occurs, therefore, it is very common for mild stretch marks to appear at this stage when the skin is stretched.
- This is a very normal symptom in pregnant women by the skin distention suffered by certain areas (abdomen, hips, thighs, etc.). It also adds to the great hormonal change that women undergo during this period.
>> We invite you to read:
Skin care for pregnant women.
- It is a very common cause to which you can add any of the other causes. In this case it is important to take into account if in our family there is presence of stretch marks, then we will have to take good care of our skin so that it does not add to our genetic factor.
- It is very important that our skin is properly hydrated. A skin with lack of water tends to be much more fragile and to break, in this case, in addition to moisturize properly, cosmetic care is essential.
- Sudden changes in weight. With consequences very similar to those of pregnancy, weight changes cause the skin to suffer a distension and as a result the rupture of dermal fibers, producing stretch marks in areas that gain volume quickly. We invite you to read: How to eliminate cellulite.
- Atrophic stretch marks. The rapid muscle development in these people also causes the dermal fibers to break, producing stretch marks.
Stretch marks prevention
There are several points to keep in mind in order to keep the skin healthy and minimize the appearance of stretch marks.
If your idea is to stay
pregnantwhich is one of the most common causes of stretch marks. You should emphasize several aspects of your daily care.
Maintain hydration and exfoliate your skin.
It is essential that you keep your skin well hydrated to provide adequate elasticity and flexibility to the skin dermis. In this way you will avoid the rupture of elastic fibers that causes stretch marks.
It is very important the application of moisturizing cosmetics, try our
Sensory Nature Stretch Marks Preventive and Healing CreamIt is advisable to apply it at least twice a day.
From 5 months of pregnancy apply very very soft maneuvers..
Active ingredients to be taken into account when choosing the preventive treatment.
- Collagen and elastin hydrolysate
The
collagen delays the natural aging of your skin and thus benefits it by maintaining its natural elasticity for longer.
The
elastin is a protein that gives resistance and elasticity to the skin. Excellent to avoid skin ruptures and flaccidity.
-
Centella Asiatica: Among its properties are its healing, soothing and collagen-forming precursors.
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Alpha tocopherol. Vitamin E: this vitamin is a potent antioxidant. It has been shown to reduce the appearance of stretch marks and even some scarring.
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Hyaluronic Acid: Noticeably improves hydration and oxygenation of the dermis.
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Rosehip: natural collagen regenerating oil, antioxidant, moisturizing, repairing.
Other substances that have been recently applied to treat stretch marks and with which very positive results have been observed are the
retinoic acid y
glycolic acid which are absolutely prescribed by a doctor.
In addition, it is important that
exfoliate your skin once or twice a week.In this way you will slightly refine the most superficial layer and there will be a better penetration of the moisturizing active ingredients.
And finally the big question: How to remove stretch marks?
You have to keep in mind that the stretch mark is a very difficult lesion to remove because it is a real
scar.
So rather than eliminating it we are going to focus on
preventing or treating it.
The ideal time to treat it is at the beginning of its formation, when it is reddish and still very vascularized, after the stretch mark becomes pearly-white and loses its blood supply there is little to do to avoid it.
Our advice is to be cautious, to take good care of your skin and if you see new stretch marks appear... do not let time pass, always, always. always, always try to act in advance.
