The Biology of Stretch Marks

Stretch marks; appear as white or red depressed lines on the skin over specific parts of body, occur often after pregnancy, puberty and significant weight gain or loss. These marks are such an aesthetic bane that never improves on their own. There are many advertisements that claim to improve or remove these marks but the fact indicated by the researches and studies is that only sheer number of treatments, if any; are effective in eliminating them so far. The anatomical design of these stretch marks describes the reason of behind being these scars untreatable that the stretch marks are anatomically different from the normal skin. The red stretch marks occur due to reduction and reorganization of the elastin fibers and structural changes in the collagen while, on the other hand; the most common seen white or pale stretch marks appear due to epidermal atrophy and densely packed thin collagen bundles arranged horizontally, parallel to the surface of the skin similar to a hypertrophic scar. The changes appeared due to stretch marks on the skin remain irreversible and permanent by today’s technology.