6 Myths About Stretch Marks You Should Not Believe

Stretch marks, medically referred to as striae or striae distensae, are discolored scars that appear on different parts of the body when the skin in those areas is either overstretched or shrinks too quickly.The deeper layers of the skin (the dermis) consist of several interconnected protein fibers, mainly collagen, elastin, and fibrillin along with some others, that keep your skin tight and elastic. This elasticity is basically your skin’s ability to stretch under mechanical stress without tearing and then returning to its original shape.

When you grow taller, heavier, muscular, or slimmer, the skin slowly expands or shrinks to adjust to your changing body shape. But if these physical changes occur rapidly or suddenly, your skin may not be able to restructure itself fast enough to fit your body, leading to the appearance of stretch marks.

# Stretch Marks Occur Only in Women

Stretch marks affect women much more than men, but they are not limited to any one gender.

This increased prevalence is mainly on account of pregnancy, as nearly 90% of all childbearing women develop stretch marks when their belly expands to accommodate the growing fetus. These stretch marks usually occur during the sixth or seventh gestational month.

Plus, women are prone to forming stretch marks around their breasts, whereas men are mostly unaffected by this.

Not only are women more prone to stretch marks, but they are also more stressed or disturbed by them. It has been suggested that stretch marks pose as a source of significant psychological or cosmetic distress among women more often than in men.

# Stretch Marks Are Caused Only by Stretching of the Skin

Stretch marks are so called because they are typically caused by the overstretching of the skin, but to think this is the sole reason for their formation is a myth. Other factors can contribute to their development as well.

# Stretch Marks Only Occur on the Stomach

As mentioned earlier, nearly 90% of all childbearing women develop stretch marks over and around their abdominal area. Plus, these pregnancy-related stretch marks are much deeper, more visible, and more extensive than those that occur due to extreme fluctuations in body weight, bodybuilding, or rapid physical growth during puberty.

This is why a lot of people only take into account the pregnancy-related stretch marks that develop on the stomach but ignore the rest.

Like many other myths, the assumption that stretch marks only occur on the stomach is based on the fact that those are the ones that get most of the attention. Stretch marks on the stomach may be the most commonly and easily observed ones, but they affect other body parts as well, just not to that extent.

# Losing Weight Will Help You Get Rid of Stretch Marks

Rapid weight gain, bodybuilding, and pregnancy lead to a dramatic increase in body mass due to the increased deposition of fats in the adipose tissues or the rapid growth of muscles. Thus, your skin naturally has to expand to accommodate the growing body, but it can only do so at a gradual pace.

When you gain too much fat or muscle too fast, the skin on top is unable to match this growth rate and becomes overextended to the point of tearing. The dermis experiences such extreme mechanical stress from within, which causes its connective fibers to stretch beyond their elastic capacity and break.

This leads to the development of stretch marks, especially in areas that are experiencing a rather accelerated expansion in volume.

Moreover, people who are extremely overweight or obese have excess body mass that puts a lot of strain on the overlying skin, resulting in the formation of stretch marks. This has led to the assumption that losing weight can automatically reduce stretch marks of all types.

# Skinny People Cannot Get Stretch Marks

This myth is founded on the belief that stretch marks occur on the bulky parts of the body due to the rapid buildup of fat or muscle that stretches the overlying skin to the extent that it tears internally.

Precisely speaking, the bigger or fatter you grow, the more susceptible you are to the development of stretch marks, leading to the assumption that staying slim can help you avoid them.

# Tanning Removes Stretch Marks

Different types of stretch marks vary in shape and color. Most of them start lighter than the surrounding skin but often with a pink, red, brown, or purple hue. These scars gradually lose their color and turn white or silvery.

A lot of people mistakenly assume that tanning can help undo this hypopigmentation and make the stretch marks blend in with the rest of the skin.

Exposure to the UV radiation of the sun or artificial sources such as tanning beds can darken the skin by increasing its melanin content (pigment that gives the skin its color). This has led many people to believe that tanning treatment can help restore color to the hypopigmented skin of stretch marks, thereby removing them entirely. However, this is completely untrue.