Top 6 Myths About Stretch Marks

If you have stretch marks, do you believe any of these top six myths about them?

What is the truth about stretch marks? There are quite a number of myths about these marks and it’s time to clear up some things about them.

MYTH #1

You get them from scratching any area that is rapidly expanding either due to pregnancy or weight gain. Odd as it seems women, especially pregnant women, are often cautioned not to “scratch” itchy areas for the fear of developing stretch marks. This is simply not true. Stretch marks may be caused by a number of things but scratching simply isn’t one of them. These marks, medically known as striae, may develop due to constant pressure on the skin through rapid stretching. The skin is normally very resilient when it comes to stretching but when coupled with hormonal changes in the body the collagen fibers may become vulnerable enough to break. In the case of pregnant women, the hormones that are responsible for softening the ligaments in the pelvic region to allow passage to the baby are also the same hormones that make the collagen on your skin more prone to breakage. The collagen breakage then leads to small microscopic tears on the dermal layer that now develop into stretch marks. Read more