Stretch marks are reddish, long, sometimes depressed scars that can stay in your skin for a long time. Stretch marks appear in the dermis, the elastic second layer of skin that allows it to retain its form. However, when continually stretched, the skin can break down leaving behind marks. Dermal collagen is ruptured and blood vessel dilation results in the appearance of red or purple-colored stretch marks.

When your skin is excessively stretched during pregnancy, weight gain or growth spurts, stretch marks or striae can show. They can also be caused by some medications, mainly hormones and steroids. Stretch marks appear 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 bands of the stretch mark can become lighter in color than the nearby skin. The bands can become depressed and shiny in appearanceor acquire an aberrant scar like texture.

Men and women can get stretch marks on several patches of their bodies, including the abdominal area, thighs, upper arms, flank, hips, breasts or lower back. They afflict 70% of teenage females and nearly 40% of young males.

Stretch Marks and Pregnancy

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

Stretch marks are one of the most recognized and talked about dermal changes that can occur during pregnancy. They are believed to be a consequence of the thinning of the skin during this time period due to female hormones which alter the protein balance in the skin. Almost 90% of pregnant women will suffer stretch marks, usually forming during the last trimester.

There is an inherited predisposition to forming 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, like Strivectin. Unfortunately no local remedies have been medically proven to enhance the look of stretch marks. RetinA, glycolic acid, alphahydroxy acids have been prescribed with very little success. Dermabrasion or chemical peels have also been tried. The results of these therapies range from regular to minimal.

Surgical options to deal with these types of lesions, imply removing large patches of stretched skin. In a tummy tuck intervention, for instance, skin below the belly button is removed. This is usually an area in which stretch marks are prominent. It also works by toning the skin in surrounding regions. These surgical procedures are effective, but are more invasive than other solutions and thus imply longer recovery time.