Stretch marks
To begin, we must look into the skin itself before moving directly to stretch marks.
The skin of composed of a connective network formed by elastin and collagen. The main thing to understand is that elastin is a protein that allows our skin to be stretched to a certain degree and then snaps back to normal. The presence of a stretch mark implies the damage of the elastin.
Normal skin, during or after an "injury"(any type of damage to the skin), is replaced by a scar. Stretch marks are built by the body to quickly reconnect collagen and elastin skin fibres. Stretch marks are a consequence of a stretching that wounds the skin because that skin cannot endure the stretching of the skin. A stretch mark is a result of a weakening of the "skin network", which includes the cells and the connective fibre tissues in between the first and second later of skin. A scar is a mark that may appear to be on your skin's surface but is really underneath it. This type of scar is also referred to in some cases as a linear atrophic lesion.
It is also necessary to understand what occurs at the level of the elastin fibres and collagen network. Connective tissue is made up of elastin fibers, among other things. The fibers have the ability to stretch up to 1.5 times their initial size and then to mold back to normal. But when the "stretching of the skin", snaps back, it may leave what we call a stretch mark.
Tissue damage, which is what stretch marks really are, stimulate fibrocytes and induces the mitosis of fibroblasts.
Once this mitosis comes into action, it may end up with persistent stretch marks. stretched skin is not the sole reason one can have stretch marks. There are actually four factors that can cause the dreaded deep "stretch marks".
* Firstly, there is a mechanical factor that plays a role in the skins fragility properties. This has to do with weight gain, pregnancy or growth.
* Secondly, there is an endocrine factor that is mostly due to the malfunction of the pituitary-hypothalamic complex. This, consequentially, leads to a disregulated cortisol behaviour, which gives us a weaken collagen network.
* Factors that are induced clinically are related to the use of corticoids treatments.
* The factor that is metabolic has to do mostly with a sugar metabolism disorder or glycation, this interrupts the biosynthesis process leading to problems with proteins such as collagen. This easily leads to a reduction in the skin's elasticity, which in the end reduces the skin elasticity.
So hormones and hormonal production can cause stretch marks as much as weight gain or growth. The ways you can get a stretch mark are many yet, but the outcome is the same; a pale, elongated line under your skin, that shows itself immune to most stretch marks removal.
Most stretch mark products swear that they know how to prevent stretch marks, but that isn't always true. However there is an amazing product that contains biological enzymes for stretch marks treatment capable of eliminating and erasing those unattractive scars.
Published March 1st, 2008
Filed in Women