Not only for young mothers. Where do teenagers get stretch marks?

Where it’s thin, that’s where it breaks.

Stretch marks (or stretch marks) appear due to thinning of the skin and its poor elasticity. For this reason, in those places where the body tissues are stretched the most (on the abdomen, hips and chest), internal tears occur, which are then replaced by connective tissue. Fresh stretch marks are red or purple (due to the presence of blood vessels in the connective tissue). But over the years they turn white, becoming hardly noticeable, but clearly standing out on tanned skin.

Any hormonal changes can cause a decrease in skin elasticity. And since hormonal surges occur very actively during puberty and, moreover, against this background, the skin of young people is also subject to strong tension due to increased growth, the appearance of stretch marks in adolescents is extremely likely. Young people who are growing up too quickly are at greatest risk in this regard. For example, in every class there are girls who grow 10 or even 20 cm in one summer. A sharp increase in bones in a teenager often leads to the formation of cracks in the skin, which are filled with connective tissue.

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Causes

Striae can occur in both adults and adolescents. In adults, stretch marks usually occur due to rapid weight gain and equally rapid weight loss, as well as due to hormonal changes or pregnancy.

In adolescents, stretch marks usually appear on the body at the age of 13-15 years. They can be white, red, pink, purple or brown. The brighter the shade of stretch marks, the less time has passed since their appearance. Most often they are localized on the chest, abdomen, back, buttocks, thighs and legs.

Experts cannot name the exact factors that cause the formation of stretch marks on the skin. But among the potential reasons are:

• Weak immunity - a decrease in the body's protective functions causes a violation of the turgor of the skin, which leads to micro-tears of the skin.
• Genetic predisposition - if among a teenager’s immediate relatives there are people with stretch marks, then such a child has a high probability of developing stretch marks. That is why it is important to take preventive measures to reduce the risk of their occurrence.
• Hormonal disorders - various disruptions in the hormonal system negatively affect human health. With hormonal imbalance, stretch marks in a teenager are usually localized on the hips and butt. Hormones are responsible for the growth of bones and tissues in height and breadth. But in some cases, the body does not keep up with these changes, which leads to the appearance of stretch marks in adolescents and pregnant women. It is during adolescence and during the period of bearing a child that the body does not have time to respond correctly to hormonal changes, which leads to microtraumas of the skin.
• A sharp jump in height or weight - rapid increase in body weight and development of muscle tissue causes thinning of the skin.
• Rapid growth of the mammary glands - in adolescence, active breast growth in girls begins, which causes the appearance of stretch marks in the décolleté area. Suitable dermatological therapy will help to cope with them.
• Deficiency of muscle fibers - this leads to the development of red-blue stripes on the back of a teenager, which must be treated.
• Lack of collagen and elastin fibers - because of this, stretch marks on the butt often occur in teenagers. In places where fat and muscle accumulate, it is the hardest for the skin to stretch. Often, such stretch marks on the body in adolescents occur due to poor nutrition or lack of physical activity.

Will stretch marks in teenagers go away on their own? No, this is impossible, since stretch marks are a microtear in the skin, that is, a kind of scar that remains with a person for life.

And the girl has matured

Stretch marks will not slow down to appear even if a teenager gains weight too quickly. This is not uncommon among girls: it seems like just yesterday she had a big face - skin and bones, and then suddenly in a matter of months it became rounder and acquired feminine shapes. The skin could not withstand such pressure - it cracked, and ugly stretch marks spread across it. By the way, stretch marks appear especially often on the chest - after all, in this area, volume can increase quite significantly in a short period of time, even if other parts of the body have hardly changed.

Removing existing stretch marks is time-consuming, troublesome and expensive. Therefore, it is better to simply not give them a chance to arise. And to do this, you need to adhere to certain rules that help reduce the risk of stretch marks. This is especially true for those teenagers who grow too quickly, as well as those whose parents also got stretch marks at a young age. Hereditary predisposition, although not a 100% threat, is still a significant risk factor, because weak connective tissue can be inherited.

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Reasons for the formation of stretch marks in adolescence

Striae in adolescents are detected for the following reasons:

1. Hormonal changes in the body during puberty.
2. Intensive physical development. Striae often appear in adolescents in the chest area or on the back precisely because of the rapid development of muscles. In girls, they may appear on the chest as a result of the growth of the mammary glands.
3. Weakening of the body's immune defense against the background of hyperactivity of the body. In some cases, she begins to mistake her own cells for foreign ones. This process contributes to the development of stretch marks on the skin.
4. Unfavorable genetic factors.
5. Weight jumps, that is, intense weight gain or, conversely, too rapid weight loss. For the same reason, stretch marks appear on the skin of those adolescents who do not exercise moderation.
6. Obesity due to the development of hypothalamic syndrome. With this pathology, the processes of glucose synthesis from non-carbohydrates are enhanced, which causes excess weight.
7. Insufficient muscle development, which contributes to the appearance of stretch marks on the back and lower back.

Most often, stretch marks on the skin appear when the normal hormonal balance of a teenager is disrupted. This contributes to a change in the structure of the connective tissue and, as a result, the formation of a scar on the skin.

Return it to how it was

If prevention is no longer relevant and the first barely noticeable stretch marks have already appeared on the skin, active measures must be taken urgently. While the stretch marks are still fresh, you can deal with them on your own. While showering, massage your entire body with a sesal mitten (from bottom to top). This helps improve blood circulation, which helps repair damaged tissue.

After a bath or hot shower, apply a mask of honey, aloe, cucumbers and oats to problem areas. Or compresses with lemon juice, which is rich in vitamin C, which helps accelerate the regeneration of epidermal cells. Or beaten egg white. After washing off the mask, apply nourishing cream to the skin.

Use products based on mumiyo. Dissolve one tablet of the drug in a small amount of water and add to cream or body lotion. This product should be applied to problem areas twice a day.

Regularly apply special stretch mark creams with silicone and collagen to your skin. Such products prevent excessive skin stretching and fluid loss. They create a very thin film on the surface layer of the skin, which makes the epidermis more elastic and elastic. Such remedies are most effective only in combination with exercise and massage.

Important

Stretch marks on the chest, waist, butt and below are an unpleasant, but normal phenomenon. But if pink strands appear on a teenager’s back, it is better to consult a doctor. This may be caused by a lack of muscle mass or diseases of the internal organs. You should start by visiting an endocrinologist.

Lasers

The laser principle of correction, due to increased damage, stimulates fibroblasts, creates conditions for skin regeneration and favors the restoration of the structure of the dermis. The recovery period proceeds with the formation of a crust, rehabilitation takes 3–4 weeks.

Table 2. Recommendations for methods of correcting stretch marks depending on their timing of occurrence

How to reduce the risk of stretch marks

Eat a balanced diet . It is important to get all the necessary vitamins (especially A, C and E) and minerals. Be sure to regularly eat vitamin-rich vegetables and fruits, vegetable oils, sea fish (a source of unsaturated fatty acids), as well as protein foods necessary for the synthesis of collagen and elastin. But it’s better to forget about sweets, fast food, salty, flour and coffee.

Drink enough fluids . Clean water requires at least 1.5–2 liters per day. After all, the epidermis needs to be moisturized not only from the outside, but also from the inside. This will help make the skin more elastic, reducing the risk of microtrauma due to tension. It is good to get into the habit of drinking at least a glass of water before each meal. By the way, this will also help you not to overeat. To live an active lifestyle. This is important not only for the skin, but also for the whole body. But in terms of protection against striae, physical education (especially swimming) is very useful.

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Avoid excessive physical activity. They can cause the very microtraumas of the skin that lead to the appearance of stretch marks. Therefore, during puberty, weightlifting is not the best choice.

Use a contrast shower . It hardens blood vessels, stimulates the immune system and improves skin condition. If you follow this rule every evening, the risk of stretch marks will be significantly reduced. Do pinch self-massage regularly. To do this, apply olive oil to the skin and knead the stomach, thighs, buttocks, and chest until slightly red. You can also use regular moisturizing creams and oils on problem areas.

Methods for treating stretch marks in teenagers

It is advisable to begin treatment of teenage stretch marks immediately after determining the cause of their appearance. With timely treatment, you can completely get rid of these cosmetic defects on any part of the body.

Mesotherapy is the best way to combat stretch marks in teenagers on the back, buttocks, legs and other areas of the body. During this absolutely safe procedure, a special medicine is injected under the skin, which improves metabolism and restores damaged skin areas. A course of mesotherapy is usually carried out over six months. To completely restore the skin, you need to undergo at least 12 sessions.

Today there is a large selection of cosmetic products that help the disappearance of stretch marks in teenagers. Special gels or creams contain elastin, silicone, collagen and other ingredients that nourish and moisturize the skin. After applying such products, an invisible film is formed on the skin, which prevents moisture loss. It is advisable to use any cosmetic products in combination with sports and massage. To obtain visible results, all procedures for stretch marks in adolescents must be carried out daily.

If cosmetic preparations do not help with stretch marks in teenagers, then laser resurfacing would be the best option. With the help of resurfacing, teenage stretch marks can be eliminated after just one procedure. High cost is a significant disadvantage of laser resurfacing.

Traditional methods of treating stretch marks in teenagers

Some folk remedies also effectively get rid of stretch marks in teenagers on the back, chest, buttocks and other parts of the body.

To prepare a cream mask for stretch marks in teenagers, you will need five tablespoons of honey, five tablespoons of aloe pulp and about one hundred grams of water.

All ingredients must be mixed until smooth. Some of the mixture can be frozen in ice cube trays. After taking a shower, it is advisable to apply a scrub to problem areas, and then a pre-prepared mixture, and wrap yourself in plastic wrap.

After an hour, thoroughly rinse off the mask and apply any moisturizer. In the morning, you can take a frozen cube of raw material and wipe the damaged skin. After the paste has completely dried, you need to take a shower and apply cream to your skin. Such procedures must be done daily for a month. After a week, you can repeat the course of treatment.

Fresh stretch marks on teenagers' legs can be removed with a cucumber-oatmeal mask. To prepare the product, five to six tablespoons of oatmeal should be mixed with the same amount of sour cream. After taking a shower, apply the mixture to the stretch marks and then massage these areas of the skin for about half an hour. After the massage, the mixture should be washed off and the skin covered with moisturizer. The course of treatment is about a month.

Before carrying out procedures with these masks, you need to make sure that the teenager is not allergic to the ingredients they contain.

Treatment of stretch marks

To treat fresh stretch marks (striae), various external medications are sometimes prescribed that improve the metabolism of connective tissue. However, today there is not a single cream that completely eliminates this defect, so we recommend combining external agents and hardware technologies.

The GEN87 clinic has a whole range of techniques that cope well with this problem. Treatment of stretch marks on the thighs is no different from treatment of other areas.

• Micro-needle fractional RF lifting Infini provides local stimulation of the dermis and leads to the formation of new collagen and elastin fibers, increasing elasticity and restoring skin structure.
• Fractional laser resurfacing iPixel on the Harmony device delicately “evaporates” micro areas of the skin. By affecting 20% ​​of the tissue, the same effect as traditional sanding would be achieved. Laser treatment for stretch marks is recognized as one of the most effective. The technique makes the skin incredibly smooth. The tissues contract, the stretch marks narrow and become almost invisible. Stimulation of collagen production improves skin turgor and restores its elasticity and healthy color.
• Another technology for treating stretch marks and stretch marks with laser is fractional CO₂ exposure. The NanoPixel procedure is an absolute innovation. This is the most powerful and at the same time delicate laser that literally revives the skin. There is no trace left of stretch marks.
• Laser treatment of stretch marks is perfectly complemented by mesotherapy aimed at improving skin microcirculation. After the introduction of vitamins and microelements, the skin receives the necessary impetus for regeneration and restoration.
• Before or after active hardware procedures, we recommend taking a course of PRP therapy (or plasmolifting), which increases the effectiveness of the effect by 2 times. A unique drug is created from the patient’s own blood to treat stretch marks on the body. It stimulates skin renewal by replacing old damaged collagen and elastin fibers with new ones. Firm, elastic skin is much less susceptible to the appearance of stretch marks in the future.