What are they exactly?
Stretch marks are a very common skin condition that chooses nobody. Even celebrities have them too!
It's caused by thinning of the upper layer of the skin called the epidermis and decrease in collagen and breakage of elastic fibers in the deeper layer of the skin called the dermis. They occur due to stretching of the skin usually after pregnancy, growth spurts during adolescence and rapid weight gain.
Will all those creams advertised in magazines actually work?
The truth is.. they won't! At present there are no proven topical treatments to remove or prevent stretch marks. So don't waste your money.. Although, keeping your skin moisturized may improve skin texture for it to appear smoother.
Will they eventually go away?
With time, stretch marks fade but don't completely go away.
What can I do to get rid of them then?
At present, there are no treatments that will completely remove stretch marks to make it look like normal skin.
But there are treatments that improve the texture of the epidermis and stimulate collagen production in the dermis and these may help in reducing their appearance. A word of caution though: expectations should be tempered since results are modest.
Treatments like retinoids, microdermabrasion, radiofrequency and fractional lasers may help in stimulating collagen production. However, it is important to note that these treatments only improve the appearance of stretch marks and do not completely eliminate it.
