A better understanding of the skin will provide us with a better understanding of stretch marks.

Collagen and elastin create and form a connected "skin network". It is fundamental to understand that elastin is a protein that permits the skin to be elongated to a certain point and then to go right back how is was. Once stretch marks have appeared it actually means that the elastin has been damaged.

A scar is what replaces normal skin after an "injury"(any type of damage to the skin). To quickly connect collagen and elastin fibers, the body leaves us with stretch marks. Stretch marks are a consequence of a stretching that wounds the skin because that skin cannot endure the stretching of the skin. The appearance of a stretch mark on the skin, implies the degeneration of the skin network and its components in between the outermost and second layer of your skin. A stretch mark is a scar that, even though it may seem as if it were ON your skin, is actually found UNDERNEATH it, in other words a stretch mark is a linear artophic lesion.

It is also necessary to understand what occurs at the level of the elastin fibres and collagen network. Elastin Fibers are an important part of the skin network. The fibers have the ability to stretch up to 1.5 times their initial size and then to mold back to normal. Your skin, after being pulled and then molded back into place, may leave a stretch mark visible.

The Formation of Stretch Marks

In the end stretch marks are damaged tissue, this stimulates the fibrocytes and end up with the mitosis of fibroblasts.

Once this process takes place, the stretch marks could incline themselves to the result of a persistent stretch mark process after they have appeared. stretched skin is not the sole reason one can have stretch marks. In fact there exist many reasons for the appearance of "stretch marks".

* The mechanical factors that are usually related to the skin's sensitivity are weight gain, pregnancy and growth.

* Another factor is also the endocrine. This factor is due to malfunction of the pituitary-hypothalamic complex. This may lead to a dis regulation of cortisol, which is what causes the collagen network to weaken.

* Artificially induced factors are those that have to do with corticoids treatments.

* There exists a metabolic factor that presents itself as glycation or a sugar metabolism disorder. This factor inhibits the biosynthesis activity of the fibroblasts also known as "the Millard reaction", which leads to the reduction of skin elasticity.

So hormones and hormonal production can cause stretch marks as much as weight gain or growth. Stretch marks radicate from many sources, but the consequence is undeniable; an uncolored, stretched line that ends up being as stubborn as any other scar and impossible to remove no matter what stretch marks removal you use.