Thin red or purple scars which appear on arms, stomach, breasts or thighs usually indicate stretch marks. In time, these scars change to a silvery white color, but they don’t disappear and people with stretch marks spend a lot of time (and money) trying to either hide them, cover them up or remove them completely.

Stretch marks are usually caused by a change in your weight, but hereditary conditions can also play a part – you are more likely to have stretch marks if your mother did. Skin type can also affect the likelihood of you developing stretch marks – dry skin tends to be less elastic so keeping your skin well hydrated can help.

Skin is made up of three layers – the middle layer (dermis) firms the skin and helps it keep its shape. When skin is stretched, it becomes thinner and the blood vessels under the surface show through (this is why stretch marks appear red or purple at first). As the blood vessels contract, the stretch marks fade to a silvery color.

Stretch Mark Removal the most common culprit.

Although stretch marks are most commonly associated with weight gain, lots of people who start dieting to lose weight don’t realize that this can also result in stretch marks appearing. The common sense approach to this is that if you lose weight slowly you can lessen your chances of this happening.

There are an ever-increasing number of remedies and cures offered for stretch marks. These range from surgery through to numerous “home-cures” advertised on the internet. Sadly, however, although some remedies may improve the appearance of stretch marks, getting rid of them completely is another matter.

Removing Stretch Marks lotions and creams.

The appearance of early stage stretch marks can sometimes be reduced with certain moisturizing creams however it’s worth remembering that clinical studies have not proved that these sorts of creams can prevent stretch marks (although they may improve the look of them in the short-term).

Diet and lifestyle can play an important role in reducing the appearance of stretch marks – if you drink plenty of water and maintain a healthy and hydrated skin, it remains more supple and softer and you are less likely to develop stretch marks. A diet including plenty of foods high in zinc, vitamins A, C and D and protein can also help keep your skin more supple.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom – no matter what you think not everyone gets stretch marks!! There’s still a lot of medical speculation about this but the theory is that the hormone corticosteroid plays a part by reducing the amount of collagen produced by the body.

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