Stretch marks usually occur after weight gain from either pregnancy or eating too much. Stomachs are prime stretch mark areas, but stretch marks can also show up on your arms, breasts, thighs and buttocks. They can be few and far between or cover large areas of your skin. Although weight gain might have caused the stretch marks, losing weight will not magically make your skin snap back into perfect shape.
Direct Answer
Losing weight will not reduce stretch marks, nor will a number of other so-called remedies on the market. Most creams, lotions, ointments and other topical treatments won't reduce stretch marks despite their ingredients and claims. The only cream that may make a difference is tretinoin cream, also known as Retin-A, which sometimes makes the marks less visible.Tretinoin cream only works on stretch marks acquired within the previous past that are still deep in color. Stretch marks eventually fade over time and become less visible, turning from deep red, purple and pink into a lighter silver color.
Causes
Stretch marks come about when your skin stretches beyond its normal capacity and the tissues beneath it rip. When your skin is stretched beyond its normal limits, your body increases its production of the hormone cortisone, which further weakens your skin's elasticity. Your body also produces an excess of collagen in the skin, which leads to the scar-like appearance and color of the stretch marks. Stretch marks often appear due to weight gain, pregnancy, bodybuilding or a growth spurt in children.
Treatments
Stretch marks are a matter of aesthetics and not a health concern. Insurance generally won't cover treatments that get rid of stretch marks since they are cosmetic procedures. Treatments such as pulsed dye laser therapy and fractional photothermolysis work by encouraging the new growth of collagen and elastin in your skin. Eximer laser works by stimulating your skin's melanin production, which produces pigmentation that color in the stretch marks to match the surrounding skin. Microdermabrasion bombards your skin with small crystals that rub off the top layer of your skin so new, more elastic skin can take its place.
Considerations
Although treatments to reduce the appearance of stretch marks are available, MayoClinic.com notes the results are not always 100 percent effective. Treatments can be costly and take several sessions to administer. Not everyone who experiences a weight gain, pregnancy or other growth period ends up with stretch marks and not all stretch marks come about from weight gain or growth. Stretch marks are sometimes a side effect of using systemic steroids or corticosteroid pills, creams and lotions or because of medical conditions such as Cushing's, Marfan or Ehlers-Danlos syndromes.
