Why Do I Have Stretch Marks From Working Out?

Intense workouts help you maintain a toned body, improve oxygen consumption, and generally improve your overall health. Alongside these benefits, they can also increase your chances of getting stretch marks. This is due to the rapid increase of muscle mass in specific points such as arms and shoulders.

Why do stretch marks appear?

By definition, a stretch mark is a type of scar that develops when your skin stretches or shrinks rapidly. As a result, the abrupt change causes collagen and elastin to rupture, and as the skin heals, stretch marks appear. 

Depending on your skin color, stretch marks can either be red, purple, pink, light brown, reddish-brown, or dark brown stripes which feel slightly raised and itchy at first. With time, the color becomes less pronounced and the narrow bands sink beneath your skin.

Although stretch marks, like any other scar, are permanent, there is treatment available to alleviate the itch and make them less noticeable. Please note that no single treatment works for everyone. If you want to prevent getting stretch marks, however, there are some methods that have been proven to work.

How to prevent stretch marks

Maintain a workout routine

 Most workout plans are designed to get you from one point of fitness to another, as fast as possible, with the best results as your goal. Weight loss and bodybuilding all follow the same principle. However, rapid weight loss and muscle gain can cause stretch marks to appear. To prevent these stretch marks, it is important to make your progress slow and steady. Gradually increase your growth because your skin may fail to keep up with the rapid changes. 

Watch your diet

Eat a nutritious diet to ensure that your skin is healthy. Foods that are rich in zinc, antioxidants, and vitamins are especially good for the health of your skin. Your diet should be packed with healthy proteins, fruits, and nuts.

Keep your skin moisturized

Moisturized skin is more elastic compared to dry skin. It is therefore important to keep your skin moisturized by drinking at least 2 liters of water daily, or using moisturizing lotions, cocoa butter, shea butter, and products with vitamin A and E.

How to make stretch marks less noticeable

Stretch marks are a normal part of growing, so they are not uncommon. While it is good mental hygiene to love our bodies regardless of any features that we may perceive as flaws, it is also not frowned upon to want to look and feel better in your own skin. If you want to make your stretch marks less noticeable, you have a number of options to choose from:

Stretch marks creams, gels, and lotions:

When using stretchmark creams, gels, and lotions, it is important to note that not every product works the same for everyone. It is a hit or miss treatment. Researchers have found that some of these creams, gels, and lotions do not work at all. However, there are some hacks that have proven to be helpful:

• These products are less effective on mature stretch marks, so it is crucial to use them on early stretch marks if you want to see a significant difference.
• Instead of simply applying the product, gently massage it into the problem areas to ensure that your skin fully absorbs it.
• Results may take weeks to be noticeable, so you will need to be consistent in the application for weeks if you want to see any changes.

Prescription medicine

Research has shown that two ingredients seem to fade stretch marks, tretinoin and hyaluronic acid. Using hyaluronic acid on early stretch marks makes them less noticeable. The same applies to tretinoin. Tretinoin is a retinoid that offers visible results after about 24 weeks of consistent application. Other retinoids like retinol can also effectively fade stretch marks.

To make stretch marks less visible, dermatologists may perform the following procedures:

• Laser therapy
• Chemical peel
• Microdermabrasion
• Radiofrequency
• Ultrasound

These procedures do not completely fade stretch marks. However, dermatologists may use more than one procedure in order to give you the best results.

With all these procedures, side effects are possible. To be on the safer side, it is better to work with a board-certified dermatologist. Although redness and swelling is expected after a procedure, it disappears after a few days or hours. Your dermatologist should notify you of any expected side effects so that you can make an informed choice on the kind of procedure you want to procure.

Factors like age, health, and how long you have had the stretch marks will determine the kind of treatment that is most suitable for you.

When to seek a dermatologist’s help

Before using any active agents on your skin, it is advisable to seek expert help. The moment you start considering using retinoids or chemical peels, you need to speak to a professional in order to use these products as they are supposed to be used, without causing more damage to your skin.

Some of these products are available without a prescription, but when used without caution, it can be more expensive than getting a dermatologist's help. Seeing a board-certified dermatologist saves you time and money and offers visible results. Dermatologists can also offer you new products or procedures that may otherwise be unavailable to you in online stores.

Bottomline

Stretch marks are completely normal. In order to prevent them, it is important to act as soon as they start appearing. However, if you’ve had stretch marks for a long while, using professional dermatologist services may be more helpful. In every situation, it is important that you embrace your body and appreciate what your body does for you. This will give you a positive outlook into your physical appearance and help you make the best decisions for your body.

References

Stier MF and Hirsch RJ. “Rejuvenation of scars and striae.” In: Hirsch RJ, et al. Aesthetic rejuvenation. McGraw Hill Medical, China, 2009:224-9.

Ud‐Din S, McGeorge D, et al. “Topical management of striae distensae (stretch marks): prevention and therapy of striae rubrae and albae. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2016; 30(2): 211–22.

https://www.healthline.com/health/are-stretch-marks-on-shoulders-normal#treatment