What Are Stretch Marks?

Stretch marks are fine lines that appear on various parts of the body mainly on arms, hips, thighs and stomach. These lines appear when there is a quick weight gain which causes the skin to get stretched. Skin has its own elasticity which helps it to get stretched, but after a particular limit overstretching of the skin results in disruption of the collagen formation and thus stretch marks appear in the form of scars. These marks are generally found on the skin of girls and women but men are also not spared by them.

The main reason of getting stretch marks is sudden weight gain. When a person becomes obese these marks appear on the skin. Various other factors that results in their formation are pregnancy, bodybuilding, puberty and many others. In the initial stages these marks appear in the form of purple and red lines which have different texture as compared to the skin of the surrounding areas.

The middle layer of the skin called dermis is the place where these marks occur. This layer is responsible for retaining the shape of the skin. Until there is a support inside the dermis there will be no appearance of stretch marks. The direction of stretching is also an important factor in formation of stretch marks. Though these marks can appear on any part of the body but they are mostly found in the areas having stored fats.

With the passage of time these marks also gets faded but if you wish to treat them effectively so that they disappear from your skin , then use a good quality cream.