Can you get stretch marks from losing weight? Most of your stretch marks come from gaining weight, not necessarily losing weight. When you gain weight, your skin undergoes stretching and tearing. A woman’s skin is prone to stretch marks when she is pregnant because hormones soften the skin. And when a baby grows in the mother’s tummy it stretches the skin in that specific area.
When you gain weight the stretch marks don’t appear, it is when you lose weight where you develop stretch marks. The common body sites where stretch marks appear are in the thighs, arms, shoulders, and butt area.
Can you get stretch marks from losing weight? photo credit: iStock
If you lose weight rapidly you can have excess layover skin and that is the primary cause of stretch marks. That is why it is important to lose weight in a healthy way to avoid excess skin. A healthy weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds per week, and you should try to avoid doing anything exceedingly more than that.
Here Are Some Other Ways To Reduce Stretch Marks
- Maintaining a healthy weight through consistent nutrition and an exercise program can help you minimize stretch marks.
- Staying hydrated eliminates dry skin while minimizing stress marks. Drinking sufficient water helps to keep your skin smooth.
- Research has shown that regular Vitamin D supplementation can lower the risk of stretch marks.
- If you follow a balanced diet that includes foods that are rich in Vitamin D, zinc, protein, Vitamin E it can boost your skin health and collagen production.
The several cases of when you are prone to stretch marks are:
- weight gain
- puberty growth
- pregnancy and lactation
- muscle growth
- Steroid use
- Medical conditions like diabetes.
Some treatments you can do to help with treating stretch marks are topical treatments, laser therapies and microdermabrasion.
One of the more common laser treatments is pulse dye laser. And this can be performed at any dermatology clinic. Some of the possible topical treatments are tretinoin, trofolastin, and alphastria creams. And these are used typically for preventative measure purposes.’
It is important that before trying any topical treatments to consult your healthcare provider. Women tend to get stretch marks more often than men.
Who is at highest risk of getting stretch marks?
- If you are pregnant
- Woman in general
- Significant weight gain
- Have a family history of stretch marks
- Significant weight gain or weight loss
- Have a history of delivering large babies or twins
- Take corticosteroid medications
Stretch marks are very common and up to 90% of people have them so it isn’t something to be sad or depressed about.
“Maintaining a healthy weight through consistent nutrition and an exercise program can help you minimize stretch marks.” Celebrity Fitness & Nutrition Expert Obi Obadike
The Bottom Line is stretch marks appear when you gain a lot of weight or have rapid weight loss. It is more common to happen to women more so than men.
It is common for it appear for adolescent boys and girls that are hitting their growth spurt. Over 90% of people have stretch marks so it isn’t anything to be sad or discouraged about.
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References
- Oakley AM, Patel BC. Stretch Marks. [Updated 2022 Aug 8]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK436005/
- Elsedfy H. Striae distensae in adolescents: A mini review. Acta Biomed. 2020 Mar 19;91(1):176-181. doi: 10.23750/abm.v91i1.9248. PMID: 32191678; PMCID: PMC7569590.
- Brennan M, Clarke M, Devane D. The use of anti stretch marks’ products by women in pregnancy: a descriptive, cross-sectional survey. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2016 Sep 21;16(1):276. doi: 10.1186/s12884-016-1075-9. PMID: 27654661; PMCID: PMC5031338.
