Though many people have stretch marks, there is a lot of confusion surrounding what they are. You might have noticed stretch marks appearing during pregnancy or after weight gain, or even after you started working out and building muscle. Some people get stretch marks because of rapid growth in childhood or after a teenage growth spurt, or simply because the shape of their body changed over time. You might have a lot of stretch marks or only a few, and you will struggle to find someone that doesn’t have at least one. They are a natural part of growing and changing, but that doesn’t mean that you have to like them.
Though stretch marks are not harmful or dangerous, they can lead to low self esteem and a lack of confidence. This is especially true if you have a lot of stretch marks or if they are in noticeable places, such as the arms and thighs, which are less likely to be covered during the summer months. In this blog, we explore what are stretch marks, how to get rid of stretch marks and the impact PlasmaPen can have on their appearance.
What are Stretch Marks?
Stretch marks are long, narrow lines that appear on the skin. They are often slightly indented and they can be red, purple, pink, white or silver in colour. As they differ in colour from normal skin tones, they can be extremely visible. They can change colour over time and fade, but they don’t disappear on their own once they have formed.
Stretch marks appear when an area of the body changes shape in a short amount of time, which is why stretch marks are most commonly found on areas that are prone to change – for example, when you gain weight and the amount of fat in that area increases, such as during pregnancy – such as your stomach and thighs. This is also the reason why you generally don’t tend to find stretch marks on ‘bonier’ areas, such as your forearms, face, hands and feet.
Why Do Stretch Marks Appear?
When the body changes shape quickly, the skin can struggle to keep up with this change, which is when stretch marks appear. This happens because the skin isn’t able to provide enough collagen in the short amount of time it has, which is needed to ensure that the skin has enough elasticity to stretch. Without the collagen and elasticity, the skin can tear and become damaged as the body changes shape. This stretching also leads to the skin becoming a lot thinner and more transparent, allowing blood vessels to show through. It’s the blood vessels that are responsible for stretch marks looking red or purple to begin with, though this colouring does tend to fade over time as the blood vessels become smaller.
Is it Possible to Remove Stretch Marks?
It’s difficult to remove stretch marks completely, but there are treatments out there aimed at reducing their appearance, such as PlasmaPen. There are also things that you can do to reduce the chances of them appearing in the first place, such as maintaining a healthy weight. Weight gain and weight loss are two of the most common causes of stretch marks, and they are less likely to appear if you maintain a healthy weight, and if any changes to your body happen gradually.
Keeping your skin hydrated also helps to reduce the chances of stretch marks appearing, as hydrated skin has an easier time at stretching. This is also why moisturising your body is so important, as moisturised skin is less likely to become dry, and therefore it’s less likely to tear when stretched. It’s impossible to prevent stretch marks completely, and some people are more prone to developing them than others, but there are treatments available to improve their appearance.
How Can You Treat Stretch Marks?
If you scour any beauty store or chemist, you will find an array of creams, lotions and gels that all claim to treat stretch marks. These often contain ingredients such as retinol, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E or cocoa butter. These products focus on helping moisturise the skin and improve its elasticity, which can sometimes reduce the visibility of stretch marks over time. However, the results are not guaranteed, and it requires a lot of time, effort and continuous use.
By darkening the skin, fake tan can help to make stretch marks less noticeable, and this is a technique that a lot of people with stretch marks rely on. The darker colour of the tan will darken the lighter colour of the stretch marks, making them blend in more with the surrounding skin. Though this is a somewhat effective way of reducing the appearance of stretch marks, it’s by no means a permanent solution, and the results will fade just as quickly as fake tan does.
One of the most effective ways of treating stretch marks is with fibroblast treatment, which is done using a PlasmaPen device. Fibroblast treatment is a non-surgical procedure that delivers small amounts of controlled damage to the skin’s surface. This process stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, which are essential proteins for skin elasticity and texture, improving the appearance of the skin’s surface and reducing the signs of stretch marks. While fibroblast treatment is primarily known for its application in skin tightening and wrinkle reduction, it can also help improve the appearance of stretch marks. It does this by smoothing, tightening and rejuvenating the skin.
At PlasmaPen, our experts are always on hand to offer help and advice about fibroblast treatment, and how it can be used to treat stretch marks. Get in touch today to find out more.
