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Stretch marks are tears in skin that turn into scars. They happen for various reasons, including certain diseases and the use of some medications. However, the most common reason is when skin is overstretched due to weight gain. This happens when you gain weight faster than the skin can accommodate.
Although the skin is usually fairly elastic, overstretching it as a result of tissue growing faster than the skin layers can stretch results in small tears in the underlying layers of the skin. These tears or stretch marks, like any other trauma to the skin, heal with the formation of scar tissue.
As they heal, stretch marks usually turn lighter and become much less noticeable. However they don’t go away and are visible as glossy skin that appears streaked in silver or white with some degree of depression and wrinkling.
Who Gets Them and Where
Men and women can get stretch marks on several areas of their bodies, including the abdominal area, thighs, hips, chest/breasts, upper arms or lower back.
While anyone can get stretch marks, some are more susceptible to them than others. That’s because the susceptibility to stretch marks depends on genetic and environmental factors so that every person and situation is unique. Differences in skin strength and elasticity and ability of the skin to grow causing some people to be more susceptible to stretch marks than others.
In general, however, stretch marks, while more common in women than in men, and in adults, can happen to anyone at any time, with some factors increasing the incidence.
For example, people who are overweight often have stretch marks. So do women who have gone through one or more pregnancies.
Power athletes and bodybuilders are prone to getting stretch marks, mostly around the upper arms, shoulders and chest tie ins, not because of rapid body weight and body fat gain, but because of rapid gains in muscle that these sports can produce. As well, the use of anabolic steroids and even corticosteroids may make them more prone to stretch marks.
What Can You Do About Them?
While not harmful to your health, stretch marks can make you overly conscious of the way you look and can have a psychological impact, in some cases they can even be socially debilitating.
There are two different and complimentary approaches to dealing with stretch marks. One is prevention the other treatment. Cosmetic treatments often try to deal with both while surgical treatments usually deal with trying to get rid of them once they form.
It makes good sense to consider both sides of the equation since stretch marks are in essence scars and are extremely difficult to eradicate completely once they form. This is why prevention is so important.
But what’s the best way to deal with stretch marks?
Although there are many creams and other skin products on the market that claim to prevent and/or heal stretch marks, the truth is that most are pretty useless. That’s because they don’t penetrate deep enough to significantly affect the damaged tissues or to strengthen tissues so that they resist tearing.
The only way to effectively strengthen the skin and the supporting tissues and to increase healing is to supply your body with the means and nutrients to do both. And this is what InsideOut does.
I formulated InsideOut to increase the strength and elasticity of your skin and stimulate the production and regeneration of new skin cells and skin matrix. When you use InsideOut your skin will become stronger and its natural elasticity will be increased. This will significantly aid in the prevention of dermal ruptures that eventually result in stretch marks.
Thanks to its restorative effects InsideOut will also effectively help to fade out and diminish the impact of existing stretch marks while at the same time helping to prevent new stretch marks from forming.
InsideOut can help provide the skin with the essential elements it needs to not only help maintain its maximum elasticity, which helps to prevent stretch marks, but to recover from existing stretch mark scarring.
InsideOut helps stimulate the normal tissue regeneration process that occurs after stretch marks are formed. By strengthening and thickening the layers of the skin if helps to normalize the surface of the skin and diminish the appearance of stretch marks, both old and new.
InsideOut also helps to protect the skin from further damage by maximizing the elasticity and resiliency of the skin.
Cosmetic and Surgical Procedures
Because stretch marks are made up of scar tissue the only way to physically minimize them is through surgical procedures. For that you need the see a dermatologist (a physician who is specializes in dealing with skin problems) or a plastic surgeon.
These doctors may use one of many types of treatments - from actual surgery to techniques such as microdermabrasion and laser treatment - that reduce the appearance of stretch marks.
But even here the use of InsideOut will better prepare the skin for the procedures, improve the results, decrease healing time and help eliminated any side effects.
InsideOut is beneficial to anyone with who is trying to prevent the occurrence of stretch marks, or repair the damage caused by existing stretch marks, regardless of the cause. And because it strengthens and helps heal the skin, it’s also beneficial for anyone who’s thinking of having cosmetic or surgical procedures done to get rid of the stretch marks.
For more information on InsideOut, and my complete line of nutritional supplements please visit my store.
References
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Alexiades-Armenakas MR, Bernstein LJ, Friedman PM, Geronemus RG. The safety and efficacy of the 308-nm excimer laser for pigment correction of hypopigmented scars and striae alba. Arch Dermatol. 2004 Aug,140(8):955-60.
Hernandez-Perez E, Colombo-Charrier E, Valencia-Ibiett E. Intense pulsed light in the treatment of striae distensae. Dermatol Surg. 2002 Dec,28(12):1124-30.
Jimenez GP, Flores F, Berman B, Gunja-Smith Z. Treatment of striae rubra and striae alba with the 585-nm pulsed-dye laser. Dermatol Surg. 2003 Apr,29(4):362-5.
McDaniel DH. Laser therapy of stretch marks. Dermatol Clin. 2002 Jan,20(1):67-76, viii.
Nehal KS, Lichtenstein DA, Kamino H, Levine VJ, Ashinoff R. Treatment of mature striae with the pulsed dye laser. J Cutan Laser Ther. 1999 Jan,1(1):41-4.
Spencer JM. Microdermabrasion. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2005,6(2):89-92.
Touboul D, Salin F, Mortemousque B, Chabassier P, Mottay E, Leger F, Colin J. [Advantages and disadvantages of the femtosecond laser microkeratome] J Fr Ophtalmol. 2005 May,28(5):535-46.
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Dr. Di Pasquale is a licensed physician in Ontario, Canada, focusing on Nutrition and Sports Medicine, as well as a world class athlete for over twenty years... 
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