Stretch Marks: Causes, Treatment and Prevention

If you have stretch marks, you definitely want them to disappear because, although the lines and indentations on your skin are not a danger to your health, they are not at all aesthetic and they create discomfort. Stretch marks can appear on the abdomen, chest, hips, thighs or buttocks and affect both women and men, and sometimes even children.

Whether we are talking about recent or older (mature) stretch marks, they remain a subject of research and a challenge for medicine. With revolutionary treatment methods, such as those you can find at Cronos Med, they can be improved and even cured.

Stretch marks are a type of scarring that occurs when the skin stretches or shrinks suddenly, i.e. when you gain weight rapidly or lose a lot of weight suddenly, during pregnancy, during puberty (growing taller) or due to a genetic predisposition. These abrupt changes cause stress to the skin, which contains collagen fibres (which keep the skin firm) and elastin fibres (which give elasticity). The fibres break down and scars appear in the deep tissues of the skin, and the surface of the dermis looks like white- or pinkish-purple lines. As a result of these breaks, the skin tries to recover and stretch marks appear.

One of the first signs of stretch marks is a change in the appearance of the skin, which begins to thin and turn pink. In some cases irritation or itching may occur. Also, streaks and lines in the skin change colour over time. They may fade or disappear, but this is a long-lasting process. Not all stretch marks look the same. Their appearance varies depending on how old they are (recent or long-standing), what caused them, the area of the body where they appeared and your skin type.

Among the most common issues they can have are:

• recesses/ditches or lines;
• pink, red, black, blue or purple indentations;
• light-coloured ditches;
• dimples/lines in the abdomen, chest, hips, thighs and buttocks;
• indentations and lines covering large areas of the body;
• vertical stretch marks (e.g. if there is a rapid accumulation of pounds);
• horizontal stretch marks (e.g. sudden increase in height).

Stretch marks are not painful and can disappear on their own or with the help of a treatment recommended by your doctor. It is advisable to consult a doctor if you are concerned about the appearance of stretch marks or if they extend over large areas of skin. Only the doctor, after a close examination of your skin and on the basis of your medical history, can give you a correct diagnosis and recommend a treatment or therapeutic procedures suited to your needs.

Only your specialist can make a correct diagnosis, after careful examination of your skin and based on your medical history. It is very important to give your doctor all the information he or she needs in order to make a correct diagnosis and recommend the right treatment. Here are some of them:

• when you first noticed the stretch marks;
• if there are any symptoms other than streaks and indentations on the skin;
• if you take other medicines;
• if you frequently use cortisone-containing creams.

Thus, the specialist will be able to figure out the possible cause of the stretch marks, what the treatment options are (with advantages and disadvantages) and what results you can expect.

TREATMENT OF STRETCH MARKS

Although they remain a subject of study and continue to be a challenge for medicine, stretch marks can be treated and even visibly smoothed with the latest technology. After a specialist consultation, your doctor may recommend several types of procedures, depending on your needs.

It is very important to know that you can't always prevent stretch marks (especially if it is genetic), but there are, however, some steps you can take to reduce the risks:

• try to maintain a normal body weight;
• avoid drastic diets;
• eat foods rich in vitamin A and C to maintain healthy skin;
• control your weight during pregnancy;
• consume enough fluids to keep your skin hydrated.

At Cronos Med, before determining the right treatment method for you, we will always do a health assessment. The specialist doctors will explain to you what each recommended procedure entails and only then will you be able to decide whether or not to go ahead with it. In addition, the latest medical means and technologies guarantee risk-free therapies.