What exactly is a stretch mark?
A stretch mark (or sometimes known as Striae) is a type of scar that develops when our skin stretches or shrinks quickly such as pregnancy, rapid weight gain, muscle expansion from weights training or during puberty. This rapid skin stretch causes the skin’s supporting collagen and elastin fibres to rupture. As the skin heals, new irregular collagen and blood vessels fill that stretched area and stretch marks which often appear red may appear. It takes months and sometimes years for these striae to die down in colour.
However, not everyone develops stretch marks. Fluctuating hormone levels seem to play a role. You may also have a higher risk if you have a family history of stretch marks and also seem to be more prevalent in darker skin individuals.
External factors that may cause striae include long term application of corticosteroid cream to your skin. Endocrine conditions such as Cushing’s disease or Marfan syndrome may also cause stretch marks on your skin.
Fresh stretch marks they tend to be red, purple, pink, reddish-brown, or dark brown, depending on your skin color. They may also feel slightly raised and can be itchy.
With time, the color fades and the narrow bands sink beneath your skin and if you run your finger over a mature stretch mark, you often feel a slight depression.
Topical treatments, if used, work best on early stretch marks. We recommend medical silicone products such as Stratamark gel to be applied twice a day over the stretch marks.
