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All you need to know about Striae Distensae

About

Stretchmarks, also called striae distensae/gravidarum are red/purple/silver indented streaks appearing on the skin. They commonly appear on the stomach, chest, hips, bottom, and thighs.

Stretch marks are common in pregnancy, and even apart from that. About 80% of the population have stretch marks because of drastic growth, weight, or hormonal fluctuations.(1)

- Self-diagnosed
- Treatment options available
- Laboratory tests not generally required
- Resolves generally within a few weeks

Stretch marks can appear because of various reasons such as pregnancy, family history or genetic reasons, overweight, quick weight loss/gain, using corticosteroids, breast augmentation, genetic disorders such as Cushings or Marfanâ€™s syndrome.

Symptoms

Appearance of red/purple/silver indented streaks on the skin.

Treatment

Self-care:
- Keep your weight in control by exercising daily and eating healthy.
- Detox heavily by staying hydrated as regular water intake keeps skin from becoming dry. Dry skin is more susceptible to stretch marks. Reduce caffeine intake or balance it with lots of water/herbal drinks.
- Have a nutritious diet full of vitamins C, D, E, zinc, and protein. Vitamin C helps to reduce wrinkles and improves collagen thereby should prove helpful for striae distensae as well.
- Treat them soon as they appear.

Medication:
Retinoid cream- A topical medication from vitamin A that helps rebuild the collagen. It is applied on relatively fresh marks but is advised to not be used during pregnancy.

Laser therapy- Helps stimulate collagen in the skin to grow thus reducing visibility of marks.

Glycolic acid- Helps lessen the appearance of existing marks, but this expensive treatment does not ensure prevention of future stretch marks.

Specialists- Stretch marks fade with time, and there is no possible prevention. Consulting the dermatologist shall help understand what treatment one can take to reduce it. If after doing all of the above self-care process, you notice an increase in the marks or they cover a large area, consult your doctor to help figure out what is causing them and suggest treatment options. At mfine, you will receive a holistic treatment plan for optimum health.