Getting Help With A Skin Condition

Posted on: 12 March 2018

Stretch marks are a common problem, especially for women. Even if you have always been a healthy weight, some people are genetically predisposed to have them. Depending on the condition of your body, there are a few options to make stretch marks less obvious.

Build Muscle

The combination of building muscle and having a lower body fat percentage can work well for hiding stretch marks. Many bodybuilders have stretch marks as a result of pregnancy or gaining muscle mass, but you might not know it when you see them on stage. Building muscle can help fill-out small amounts of loose skin. As your body fat decreases, your skin will look tighter because there is less subcutaneous fat, and muscle is taking up space. The added bonus is any stretch marks are easier to conceal when the skin contracts around the muscle.

Try Procedures

Cosmetic dermatology clinics like Florida Dermatologic Surgery & Aesthetics Institute may have procedures available to reduce the appearance of stretch marks. The options available can depend on your skin tone and the age of your stretch marks. When stretch marks are new, they are generally reddish in color. This is the ideal time for a treatment such as microdermabrasion. The procedure removes the upper layer of skin to reveal deeper, newer skin. With multiple treatments, you may notice your stretch marks are visible but less obvious to those around you. For older stretch marks, laser treatments work better. Lasers might also help if your stretch marks are highly textured, creating indentations in the skin. The laser can make the area smoother and help fade obvious marks.

Skin Removal

If you have significant amounts of loose skin with stretch marks, having skin removal surgery will give you the best results. Of course, you will need to consider how you feel about trading in your loose skin for a scar, especially if you have skin removed from your arms. The scar associated with skin removal from the abdomen is generally easier to hide under panties or a bathing suit. When the skin is removed from anywhere on the body, the stretch marks on that area are also removed. If you have residual stretch marks after skin removal surgery and are uncomfortable about their appearance, you can try using a cosmetic procedure to minimize the remaining marks.

Stretch marks are a normal, common issue that makes many people uncomfortable about their appearance. Although there is no way to eliminate stretch marks, there are some ways to reduce their appearance and improve your confidence.