STRETCH MARKS: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
Have you ever thought about how incredible and amazing your skin is? It has the power to stretch and shrink as you go through different phases of your life. Your skin is like an elastic band; if you pull it, it bounces back. And when this happens, we’re left with stripes called stretch marks. It happens to both men and women and on different parts of the body. But there’s no need to panic. Essentially, a stretch mark is nothing but a scar on your skin that fades over time.
If you’re a part of the “tiger stripe” gang, we’re here to remind you that you are beautiful no matter what. Stretch marks are simply thin stripes that appear when the skin has been stretched to a certain limit. At first, they appear to be red or purple in colour and this means they are quite new. Stretch marks that are white in colour have faded over time. There’s no one area on your body where stretch marks appear, but they tend to be more common around the stomach, hips, upper arms and thighs.
WHO GETS STRETCH MARKS?
Believe it or not, most people get stretch marks at some point in their life. As our body ages, so does our skin.
WHAT CAUSES STRETCH MARKS?
One of the main causes of stretch marks is rapid growth or weight gain. Healthy weight gain can happen after intense training and muscle building, along with improved nutrition. Weight gain can come from being less active while eating too much calorie-dense processed food. Puberty and grown spurts also affect weight. Whatever the cause, elastic fibres in the skin risk tearing when the skin is stretched more than usual in a short space of time, leading to stretch marks.
Pregnancy is another common cause of stretch marks. Some women, often those who use stretch mark cream daily, escape with not a single mark. But many others, especially those in the final trimester of pregnancy, aren’t always as lucky. For these women, stretchmarks are a beautiful reminder of the joy of pregnancy’.
WILL STRETCH MARKS GO AWAY IF I LOSE WEIGHT?
Unfortunately, stretch marks don’t just magically disappear. When you shed excess weight, your skin shrinks after it has expanded. In fact, stretch marks may sometimes appear after rapid weight loss too.
HOW CAN YOU BEST PREVENT STRETCH MARKS?
There is no magical stretch mark treatment that prevents it. You can, however, maintain a healthy diet and exercise regime to minimise your chances of earning some stripes. You can also reduce the appearance of stretch marks by religiously using tissue oil or a moisturising body cream like the Dawn Vitamin E & Argan Oil body cream. It contains skin-nurturing and restoring ingredients like vitamin E and argan oil which can help reduce the appearance of stretch marks.
BE PROUD IN YOUR SKIN WITH DAWN
There's a saying that says: “Your stretch marks are victory stripes” and we couldn’t agree more. Our bodies work hard for us; we need to honour them and, importantly, nurture them. That means accepting and loving the skin you’re in.