Striae: What causes Stretch marks?

. Striae, the dermatology term for stretch marks, are a purple, silvery or red demarcation on the skin surface, usually caused by rapid weight gain or growth. Rapid growth can create an actual tearing of the upper dermis that can occur anywhere, but shows up primarily on the abdomen, breasts, arms, legs, thighs and hips.

Collagen and elastin often break down when body parts grow too fast, causing the striae. Once they occur, striae can be extremely hard to remove.

Striae removal can occur however, and many of the methods can range from the very expensive to the insanely cheap.

Every year, thousands of dollars are spent trying to get rid of striae as numerous women, teens and bodybuilders accumulate the unattractive stretch marks on their bodies and seek to be rid of the hard-to-remove striae.

Striae treatment

Just what method you choose will depend on the severity and the freshness of the scarring and your disposable income.

Laser surgery

Laser surgery for stretch marks will not work if the marks are old and have gone silver. While the high priced procedure can give results if the scars are old, optimum results are reached faster when striae are new.

Micro dermabrasion or abdominoplasty (tummy tucks)

Micro dermabrasion for stretch marks or abdominoplasty (tummy tucks) surgery to remove stretch marks can also be effective, but again, this depends on your weight, body type, severity and age of the scars.

Striae Stretch Mark Crème

What may surprise you is that prior to the above striae removal procedures, doctors will often ask you to apply a striae stretch mark crème. More often than not, these creams have cocoa butter in them. Most patients notice that a simple striae stretch mark crème is effective in striae minimizing.

Since these topical creams and lotions can produce results on their own, it would appear to make sense to use a striae stretch mark crème in lieu of surgery. Considering that the cheapest tube of cocoa butter lotion in around five bucks, it may be a logical way to get rid of striae and save thousands of dollars.

Striae Removal – Final Word

Sure, a topical striae stretch mark crème takes longer than a surgical treatment, but if you want to look great and save money, a cream may be the best way to obtain striae removal. Look here for best stretch mark cream information.