Getting Stretch Marks Can be Avoided Naturally
First of all, to better understand what are stretch marks we must better understand what the skin is.
Collagen and elastin create and form a connected "skin network". It must be emphasized that elastin is a protein that allows the skin to be stretched and unstretched easily. The presence of a stretch mark implies the damage of the elastin.
A scar is what replaces normal skin after an "injury"(any type of damage to the skin). In this case, the scars are built to quickly reconnect elastin and collagen skin fibres. Stretch marks are a consequence of a stretching that wounds the skin because that skin cannot endure the stretching of the skin. The appearance of a stretch mark on the skin, implies the degeneration of the skin network and its components in between the outermost and second layer of your skin. If you look closely, you would be able to tell that in fact a stretch mark is really a type of scar located under the skin and not on top. Another common term for a stretch mark is a linear atrophic lesion.
Now we must understand what's happening at the area of the elastin fibres and collagen network. Elastin fibers (or yellow fibers) are bundles of proteins (elastin) found in connective tissue. These fibers can stretch up to 1.5 times their length, and snap back to their original length when relaxed. Your skin, after being pulled and then molded back into place, may leave a stretch mark visible.
In the end stretch marks are damaged tissue, this stimulates the fibrocytes and end up with the mitosis of fibroblasts.
Once this mitosis comes into action, it may end up with persistent stretch marks. Stretch marks may appear for other reasons than just "stretched skin". One may end up with "stretch marks" because of four factors.
* 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.
We can see now that stretch marks are not merely growth and weight related, but also very susceptible to clinical and hormonal reasons. Stretch marks can appear because of many things, but they are indisputably the same; whitish/pinkish, elongated line that presents itself as tough and annoying as any other scar and just as difficult to remove no matter what stretch marks removal.
Stretch marks are a tricky thing to understand and even trickier to get rid of. Now an amazing product helps get rid of stretch marks naturally.
Published March 1st, 2008
Filed in Weight Loss