How to Get Rid of Stretch Marks

While they are not harmful and do not require medical treatment, many people find them unattractive and want to know how to get rid of stretch marks. But what are they? Stretch a rubber band far enough and it will get little lines across it. A similar thing happens when our skin is stretched. We call the little lines on our skin stretch marks. Stretch marks, or striae, are indented streaks on the skin.

About 90 percent of women in the United States have stretch marks, which start out red, brown, pink, or purple and turn white or silver.  Their appearance varies according to skin color, and they are more common in white women than in Hispanic or black women.

Stretch marks are most common on the belly, hips, thighs, lower back, buttocks, and breasts. Weight lifters may get them on their upper arms. Stretch marks over large areas of the body may indicate a medical condition and should be discussed with a doctor.

Why We Get Stretch Marks

Stretch marks appear when the skin stretches at the same time the body experiences an increase in the cortisone. Cortisone, a hormone, can weaken the skin's elastic fibers. When the elastic middle layer of the skin, the dermis, is stretched the connective tissue breaks down, inflammation occurs, and scars form as the inflammation heals. These are the stretch marks we see.

Stretch marks most commonly occur after rapid weight gain or lose, usually due to:

• Pregnancy;
• Delivery of large babies;
• Extreme dieting;
• Obesity;
• Growth spurts in adolescence;
• Weight lifting;
• Poor nutrition;
• Medications, especially corticosteroid creams, lotions, and pills and chronic use of oral or systemic steroids;
• Medical conditions including Cushing's syndrome, adrenal gland disease, Marfan syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and other disorders; or
• Heredity. If your mother had stretch marks, there is a good chance you will have them too.

How to Prevent Stretch Marks

Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent stretch marks. Maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding diets that result in rapid weight gain and loss can help keep stretch marks at bay. Eating well and exercising during pregnancy can help prevent excessive weight gain.

Keeping the skin hydrated during unavoidable periods of weight gain such as adolescence and pregnancy may help minimize stretch marks. Some women have found that products that contain shea butter or cocoa butter are effective when massaged deep into the tissues of the breasts, belly, hips, and buttocks three-to-four times a day.

Drinking more water and less coffee may help prevent stretch marks.

Eat foods that promote healthy skin, including nuts and fish (high in zinc); carrots, citrus, and milk (high in vitamins A and C); and eggs and other high protein foods.

How to Get Rid of Stretch Marks

While it is not possible to get rid of stretch marks completely, a number of treatments are available that may make them less noticeable. Treatments tend to be more effective early on, before the striae become white or silver.

If you are pregnant or nursing it's important to check with your doctor before starting any treatment for stretch marks. Your doctor can tell you which of the following medications and procedures (if any) are safe for you and your baby. Consulting with a cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist is a good idea for anyone who is considering treatment for stretch marks.

For bodybuilders, stretch marks can result from a rapid increase in muscle mass from weight lifting. Some bodybuilders suggest reducing the intensity of exercise of the muscles in the affected parts of the body (most commonly under the arms where the upper chest and front shoulder muscles meet).

The following treatments may help make stretch marks less visible. According to the Mayo Clinic, none of the treatments listed below is consistently more effective than the others.

• Tretinoin creams such as Retin-A or Renova. These prescription medications may reduce stretch marks when the marks are still colored, before they fade to silver or white. They may irritate the skin and should not be used during pregnancy.
• Pulsed dye laser therapy. Light waves stimulate new growth in the dermis—the underlying skin. This method is more effective on new stretch marks, but may help with older ones. Pulsed dye therapy may alter skin color on darker skin.
• Fractional photothermolysis. This treatment also uses light wavelengths to stimulate cell growth in the skin.
• Microdermabrasion. This treatment involves blowing crystals onto the skin to gently remove the top layer and polish the skin.  By removing the skin's epidermis, microdermabrasion aims to encourage the growth of more elastic skin. It may work on older stretch marks as well as new ones.
• Excimer laser. This laser treatment stimulates melanin production to recolor the skin. Making the stretch marks similar in color to the surrounding skin makes them less visible.  Excimer laser treatments may be more effective than other treatments for older stretch marks.

Staying out of the sun when you have new stretch marks might help minimize them. You can also try suntan lotion to hide the marks.

Exercises for Stretch Marks

Exercises may be part of the answer to how to get rid of stretch marks. Toning and firming exercises that tighten the skin could help prevent or minimize stretch marks. Possibilities include:

• Walking
• Abdominal crunches
• Lunges
• Leg lifts and scissor leg lifts
• Planks
• Swinging your arms

Remember, you can't prevent them and you can't completely get rid of them, but you may be able to minimize stretch marks.