Stretch mark treatment
ALMOST every woman gets stretch marks, but not a single woman wants them. Everyday I meet women who come in with stretch marks and tell me how much they hate them and want them off their skin.
The medical name for stretch marks is striae, and from the beginning I must state that although stretch marks have no effect on the physical health of a woman, they certainly will have an effect on a woman’s psychological health and on her self-esteem.
Stretch marks are usually associated with pregnancy and over 60 per cent of women develop stretch marks when they are pregnant. People also get stretch marks if they gain or if they lose a lot of weight quickly. Also, at the time of adolescence, when the child is maturing into adulthood, if there is a growth spurt where the child puts on a lot of weight, stretch marks may appear. Boys may also develop stretch marks, especially body builders, and some people who use bleaching creams do so too.
In pregnancy the woman’s body produces hormones which keep the baby in the womb. These hormones have glucocorticoid effects, that is they stimulate the conversion of proteins into carbohydrates. But they also affect the fibroblast in the skin. These are cells in the dermis — the deeper layer of the skin — and these hormones slow down the production of elastic tissue and of fibrous tissue in the dermis. Since less of these fibres are produced, but at the same time the skin is continuously being stretched by that developing baby, the dermis lacks support and tears appear. These tears are called stretch marks.
The usual sites for stretch marks are the belly, around the belly button, around the buttocks, on the inner thighs, on the breasts and on the arms.
In the old days women would use olive oil to massage their tummies once they got pregnant. Today olive oil or Vitamin E is used to massage the tummy and this is recommended as a good practice for expectant mothers. Cocoa butter has also been used, as has been cornstarch.
The treatment of stretch marks is difficult. Until recently we had no really effective treatment, then along came the Retin-A cream. This has to be used for at least a year and it will help the appearance of stretch marks.
Retin-A acts as a gentle exfoliant, removing a little of the stratum corneum — the topmost layer of the epidermis — everyday. This effect stimulates the fibroblast to lay down extra collagen and elastin deep in the dermis.
Glycolic Acid preparations are also used. These have the same effect as Retin-A and in my practice I use a mixture of Retin-A and Glycolic Acid which I find gives the best results.
Chemical peels have also been used by some doctors, but personally I have found the use disappointing. However, some patients swear by them. Several peels will be necessary over a prolonged period of time and this should be combined with Retin-A treatments as well.
My treatment of choice is microdermabrasion. In this process a pen-like instrument is used on the stretch marks. Again there is gentle exfoliation which results in the laying down of extra collagen and elastic tissue in the dermis.
Retin-A treatments are used both before and after the microdermabrasion. Several treatments may be necessary. This is usually painless and it is a very relaxing procedure.
Dr Persadsingh is a skin specialist and author of Acne in Black Women and The Hair in Black Women. He can be contacted at 960-2797.
