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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 shape. However, when constantly stretched, the skin can break down leaving behind scars. Dermal collagen is damaged and blood vessel dilation results in the formation of red or purple-colored stretch marks.

When your skin is excessively stretched during pregnancy, weight changes or growth spurts, stretch marks or striae can appear. They can also be caused by certain medications, mainly hormones and steroids. Stretch marks appear when quickly expanding skin is stretched to its limit and tiny tears appear in the supporting layers of skin.

Over time the redness of the original scar can fade and the lines of the stretch mark can become lighter in color than the surrounding skin. The lines can become depressed and shiny in appearanceor develop an aberrant scar like texture.

Men and women can get stretch marks on several areas of their skin, including the abdominal area, hips, thighs, flank, upper arms, breasts or lower back. They afflict 70% of adolescent females and about 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 period. Some of these are due to hormonal changes and others are due to the mechanical changes in the organism associated with pregnancy.

Stretch marks are one of the most recognized and talked about skin 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 a genetic predisposition to forming stretch marks during pregnancy. Many women find the look of stretch marks to be distressing. Luckily, the removal stretch marks is possible.

How to get rid of stretch marks

There are several over-the-counter treatments aimed to prevent stretch marks, like Strivectin. Unfortunately no local remedies have been medically proven to improve the look of stretch marks. RetinA, glycolic acid, alphahydroxy acids have been reported with very little success. Dermabrasion or chemical peels have also been used. The effects of these therapies range from fair to minimal.

Surgical alternatives to deal with these types of lesions, involve removing large areas of stretched skin. In a tummy tuck intervention, for instance, skin under the belly button is retired. This is often an area in which stretch marks are prominent. It also acts by tightening the skin in nearby regions. These surgical procedures are effective, but are more invasive than other solutions and thus involve longer recovery time.