While women all over the world have been embracing them proudly as their ‘tiger stripes’, stretch marks remain a concern for many new mums and mums-to-be.
With the conversation not about to end any time soon, recent scientific research has shed light on exactly what causes stretch marks, and why the various lotions and potions out there on the market may not be working for you.
A team of experts from the University of Michigan examined the skin samples of 27 pregnant women who had just developed fresh stretch marks, or striae gravidarum as they are referred to in the scientific world.
The team examined the stretch-marked areas of skin on the abdomen with less-stretched areas on the hip, only to find that the elastic fibre network in the dermis – the inner layer of skin – was damaged in the former.
Lead author Frank Wang told Yahoo! Parenting that once this elastic property is damaged, it’s hard for your body to repair it.
“Elastic fibres are part of the connective tissue of the skin and help give skin its elastic properties, or its ability to return to its original shape after being pulled or stretched,” he said.
While the body tries to restore your skin to its former state, it is unable to do so, which leaves you with that lax, groove-patterned skin after giving birth.
“There are hundreds of thousands of creams out there, but the problem with a lot of them is that they are not necessarily based on the science behind stretch marks. That’s probably why a lot of them don’t work,” he added.
This is certainly interesting information to know going forward. But we, like many mums out there, are sticking with the ‘tiger stripes’ mentality – we wear our stretch marks proudly!
