Stretch marks is one of the most common skin disorders which can be experienced by almost everyone, from children to adults. Many researches show that stretch marks is genetic and is possible to be transmitted over generations in a family. However, just because something is genetic, it is does not mean that you will exactly experience stretch marks if someone in your family does. In fact, there are many other factors which may induce the occurrence of stretch marks in someone’s body. Based on multiple researches, pregnant women and teenagers are prone to stretch marks.
Why are pregnant women and teenagers susceptible to stretch marks?
With pregnancy, the cause of stretch marks occurrence can be easily found out. It is researched that during pregnancy, a woman usually gains more than 30 pounds in only 9 months. This is an excessive weight gain in a considerably short period of time. A rapid weight gain will require the skin to expand while it is possible that the connective tissues beneath this expanding skin cannot catch up. As the result, these tissues are broken and tore, resulting in pinkish streaks referred as stretch marks. Abdomen is usually the most affected area by pregnancy stretch marks. The cause of stretch marks occurrence in teenagers is more or less similar. An excessive amount of growth spurts in early adolescence causes teenagers to gain much weight and height very quickly. Puberty stretch marks usually occur on the upper arms or back. However, since stretch marks is closely related to weight gain, some wonder whether it is possible to get stretch marks from getting taller instead of bigger.
Can you get stretch marks from growing taller?
During puberty, some teenagers grow bigger rapidly, while some others are likely to get taller rather than bigger. Yet, they still experience stretch marks on the back or upper arms. Is it really possible to get stretch marks from growing taller? The answer is yes. You can get stretch marks from getting taller or bigger or both. As researched, stretch marks develop when the body is stretched. Getting taller is definitely causing our body to stretch, possibly beyond the skin capacity to stretch. In puberty, someone may gain height very rapidly, that the skin covering the taller organs does not have more capacity to stretch anymore. As the result, stretch marks are formed on the area where the bones and muscles are growing rapidly, such as legs, back, and upper arms. As stretch marks is also genetically determined, it is not surprising that even if you are slender and slim, you might still get these streaks if your family does, although this is not necessarily definite. Growth spurt is the reason why stretch marks are normal during puberty. Hormonal changes during this early adolescence also triggers the occurrence of stretch marks. This hormonal change inhibits the amount of zinc inside the body during puberty. Zinc is useful for collagen production. Thus, when its amount decreases, collagen production is also inhibited. As a result, skin elasticity is largely decreasing. Less elastic skin is prone to stretch marks because it may not be able to catch up with the excessively expanding skin. Boys and girls are similarly prone to stretch marks, although they have different areas of the body in which those streaks may develop. Boys tend to experience stretch marks on the back, arms, or legs, while girls find the streaks on their hips, buttocks, or thighs. When first appear, in early puberty, for instance, stretch marks are normally very visible. This skin disorder appears in the form of pinkish streaks which cannot tan and thus, are distinguishable from its surrounding. This is actually the period when these scars can be treated and removed almost completely. If left untreated, these marks turn into silvery white streaks with different texture with its surrounding. By this time, it is really hard to remove stretch marks completely and permanently. Therefore, taking or rubbing some vitamin E topically can be done to treat early stretch marks you have noticed. Zinc supplement is also said to be beneficial for teenagers in combating stretch marks which occurs during their early puberty.