Studies show that about 70% of female adolescents suffer from some form of stretch marks or another.
Stretch marks are caused by poor skin flexibility and loss of skin’s collagen. In stretch marks, skin is pulled more than usual, breaking down cells and tissue fibres, leading to skin scarring.
Causes of stretch marks
There is no exact explanation of how stretch marks are formed, but many factors contribute to the condition. There are several causes of stretch marks, but pregnancy, breastfeeding weight gain, growth spurts, hormonal imbalance, and prolonged use of steroids are the common culprits. However, they are not harmful and do not pose health risks.
On the other hand, one hormone that has been identified to be the cause of stretch marks in pregnant women and adolescents is the Glucocorticoids which, at that particular point in time, the hormone is secreted in a very high concentration. The hormone is also said to prevent collagen formation.
Differentiating Red and White Stretch Marks
Stretch marks can be red or white streaks in colour. At the start, stretch marks appear as red or purple marks until they become lighter after time. The colour changes depending upon how long you have had them. Stretch marks are purple or red at the outset and then finish up in thin silvery lines. In other words, red stretch marks are fresh and are typically less than a year old. They are fresher lesions, so they are much easier to treat.
Red stretch marks are also more amenable to medication. They are common on body parts with the most stored fats, such as thighs, hips and abdomen.
Red marks can be quite common in teenagers. They often appear around the stomach and legs. Any stretch marks that are slightly older and more mature turn white. White stretch marks indicate chronic inflammation.
Are stretch marks permanent?
Stretch marks are tough to remove. While most of them are permanent, stretch marks are easier to get rid of, especially the red ones. Laser therapy is the sole permanent solution for stretch marks. However, the effect of laser therapy varies from person to person.
What are these stretch marks on my back?
One body part that is commonly affected by stretch marks is the back, especially the lower part. Whether you are pregnant or not, men and women, thin or obese, are still most likely to get stretch marks. Unlike other body parts such as hips, thighs and bust, stretch marks on the back body part are not much to worry about, but this is because they are usually covered. Stretch marks are not severe at all. They are neither contagious nor harmful.
Who can have stretch marks?
The following are some of the identified contributing factors to stretch marks.
- Hormonal imbalances – pregnant mothers, breastfeeding mothers
- Growth spurts in adolescents
- Obesity
- People who use Corticosteroids, or those affected by Cushing’s Syndrome
Why do stretch marks exist on your back?
So why do people have stretch marks on their backs? The back part of our bodies may not have as many stretch marks as the thighs and hips have; nevertheless, they remain as unpleasant marks on the skin.
Affecting any region of the body, stretch marks exist due to distress in the dermis. It is where collagen fibres seated that allows the skin to stretch and return to shape. However, this is not always the case. Older people did not have the quality of collagen that they had when they were younger.
At some point in our lives, these fibres break down and form scars. The disfigurement appears in the upper layer of the skin. Whenever muscles are overstretched, the dermis layer (at some point) cannot withstand such over expansion, so it ends up tearing the skin.
What are stretch marks on your bum?
If you are a woman, lady or teen, you are probably grumbling about stretch marks, mainly when they occur on your butt cheeks. Especially those who love to wear bikinis and shorts, stretch marks continue to be the dilemma of many women. Though they are painless and not harmful, they are just ugly to see. I mean, it would be the perfect thing if you had a great body and flawless skin, particularly around your butt area, right?
There is no exact cause as to why stretch marks occur on this part of the body. When you see stretch marks on your bum when looking in the mirror, you may have noticed that they have silvery linings but are neither infected nor inflamed.
Stretch marks on the bum appear as wrinkled lines or streaks, usually at the bottom of the cheeks. This is one of the familiar places for stretch marks because the skin in that area is stretched many times during the day. The skin draws out when we sit, stand, exercise and walk. The result is irregular, fine lines that are slightly indented.
Nearly all women have stretch marks on their bum, and yet, stretch marks do not deter many women from wearing a bikini or swimsuit – it’s just that they know how to hide their skin imperfections fashionably!
Stretch marks treatments
While many see different kinds of stretch marks during regular body changes, many find these body scars aesthetically unpleasant. There are many topical preparations for stretch marks in the forms of lotions, creams and balms, exfoliation and even chemical peels.
The goals of these methods are to keep skin moisturized and supple and facilitate skin cell renewal. While they may be helpful, procedures and surgeries are most likely to improve their appearance. For dermatologists and experts, red stretch marks are easier to treat because they are still in the process of healing.
How to improve stretch marks?
It is a fact that stretch marks are permanent once they appear. Topical solutions and other balms only help to lighten the scars somewhat. Nonetheless, without laser treatment or surgery, these scars can be lessened but limited.
To try and improve the appearance of stretch marks, you can follow some of these tips:
- Drink lots of water to hydrate the skin. Skin affected by stretch marks lacks moisture. That is why dermatologists advised using lotion and creams rich in Cocoa butter and Vitamin C and Palmer Cream to prevent skin from drying out. Dry skin is not suitable for collagen fibres as it needs to be kept moisturized.
- Maintain a healthy weight – being overweight is likely to produce more lines the more the skin is stretched.
- If you are working out, take it slowly. Allow cells time to adapt to changes in the skin which will help prevent unwanted stretch marks.
- Have a massage – using virgin coconut oil or even mashed avocado to rub into the skin while having a massage is beneficial. Massaging allows increased circulation to the body, thus keeping cells healthy and regenerated.
- Avoid scratching the areas where you have stretch marks, as this may cause further damage to cells.
Laser therapy treatment
Laser treatment is probably by far the best way to improve the appearance of stretch marks on any part of your body; although agreed, probably not everyone can afford this procedure.
It works by penetrating the epidermis and dermis to stimulate new tissue growth and collagen production. In time, the marks disappear entirely, and the odds against infection after the treatment is highly uncommon. However, the procedure is costly, and there is the need to have repetitive sessions to acquire a satisfactory result.
Some of the more natural remedies for stretch marks on parts of the body are Vitamin E oil, Aloe Vera, Cocoa Butter Lotion, Avocado Oil, Rose Oil, to name but a few. Creams, unfortunately, do not penetrate the skin that deeply. However, they help make the scars lighter in appearance (approximately after three months of use).
Unfortunately, stretch marks on the bum appear to be the hardest of all to reduce invisibility – unless, of course, you have surgery. Some people prefer not to go under the knife, so they are more inclined to use creams or lotions.