Preventing and Treating Stretch Marks on Arms & Thighs
Preventing and Treating Stretch Marks on Arms & Thighs
To many, stretch marks are almost synonymous with pregnancy. But stretch marks can form on any body – regardless of sex – given the right circumstances.
Whether you’re a bodybuilder, weightlifter, just went through puberty, pregnant, or you recently lost or gained a considerable amount of weight, it’s normal – albeit unwanted – for your body to develop stretch marks – and often in unexpected places, such as the arms and thighs.
Fortunately, stretch marks don’t have to be the end all to healthy, smooth looking skin. If you’re wondering how to get rid of stretch marks on your thighs or under your arms, read on to learn about effective treatment and prevention methods for these stubborn, undesired marks.
What Causes Stretch Marks on the Arms & Thighs?
Any stretch mark that is formed during periods of fast body expansion or reduction is the result of the body transforming faster than the skin can adjust.
When areas of the body experience rapid growth, the subcutaneous tissues are pulled extremely tight, causing skin tissue to tear. Once this occurs, scars begin to form and stretch marks can become visible.
During a rapid weight loss journey, stretch marks can form for several different reasons, but the main is from losing more than two pounds of weight a week. When this happens, the body releases hormones that interrupt the skin’s collagen production. With a low amount of collagen and elastin, the skin’s support structure is weakened – giving way to the formation of stretch marks.
Stretch Marks on Thighs
During weight or muscle gain, the inside of your thighs are actually very common places for stretch marks to form. Near the knee is another unexpected but typical location for stretch marks.
The inner thigh is an area where some individuals easily gain weight – depending on genetics and one’s physique before weight or muscle gain. If your weight gain is more prevalent on the thighs, then there’s a higher chance of you forming stretch marks on your thighs.
Stretch Marks on Arms
Some women get upper arm stretch marks as early as puberty, as it’s common for them to form during this time. It’s also very normal – often times expected – for stretch marks to form in this area during periods of rapid weight or muscle gain – especially for weightlifters and bodybuilders.
For pregnant women, there’s a lot of growth happening in and around the breasts in preparation for a baby. When the upper arm area expands faster than the layers of skin, stretch marks are almost always inevitable.
How to Get Rid of Stretch Marks on the Thighs & Upper Arms
Understandably, you’re way more concerned with how to prevent or get rid of stretch marks under your arms or on your thighs than you are with why they formed. And we don’t blame you.
Here are the most popular ways to fade stretch marks on thighs and arms:
Home Remedies
Home remedies are popular techniques to try. However, their effectiveness will vary greatly from person to person. It’s a true trial and error process to find the natural solution that works best for you.
With the multitude of home remedy techniques – such as natural oils, honey scrubs, aloe vera, baking soda and lime, and many more – where do you start? If you’re serious about wanting to try a natural solution, take a look at our review of seven home remedy techniques.
Stretch Mark Lotions and Moisturizers
Any source you read about the prevention and treatment of stretch marks will reiterate one important strategy: hydration.
Moisturizers and lotions – such as collagen- and elastin-containing lotion, cocoa butter, shea butter – are great sources of hydration for the skin.
The downside to these well-known products is they lack several key ingredients necessary to truly penetrate the skin and heal damaged cells. In turn, there may not be a noticeable reduction in the size, shape or color of stretch marks.
Cosmetic Procedure or Surgery
Professionally performed medical procedures like microdermabrasion, laser treatment and abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) can be very effective in removing stretch marks. They can also be fairly expensive and result in multiple treatments and a painful recovery process.
Skin Rejuvenating Stretch Mark Therapy
Becoming an increasingly popular method, comprehensive stretch mark therapy has been noted as an easy but powerful two-step process that is effective at significantly reducing the appearance of even the most stubborn of stretch marks.
With stretch marks, the real damage is under the surface of the skin. This is why products that only target the surface of the skin are ineffective. Stretch mark therapy focuses on prepping the skin by first exfoliating to remove dead skin cells. From there, a powerful cream is applied and reaches damaged skin tissue to support the regeneration of healthy skin.
A Proven Stretch Mark Cream for Your Thighs, Arms & Everywhere Else
Providing an answer to the question, “How do I get rid of stretch marks on thighs and under arms?”, ReTone’s Stretch Mark Therapy Kit contains a system of ingredients that significantly reduce the size and color of stretch marks.
While stretch marks can be persistent, this stretch mark kit delivers a simple and straightforward process that is easily integrated into everyday routines.
Above all, the combination of powerful, proven, and, most of all, safe, ingredients, will give anyone the confidence to reduce the appearance of their stretch marks the healthy, natural way and still achieve optimal results.
5 Things You Should Know About Stretch Marks from Lifting
5 Things You Should Know About Stretch Marks from Lifting
“A stretch mark is really an absence—basically a hole in your dermis,” says Michael Swann, MD, a dermatologist.*
Bodybuilding is one of the most common causes of stretch marks because muscles are growing at a faster rate than the surrounding skin – causing the dermis to tear. When the dermis tears, it opens a “hole” to the layer of skin below which houses your blood vessels. That’s why bodybuilding stretch marks first appear red, pink or purple.
Bodybuilding stretch marks typically occur on proximal arms – the front of the shoulder, by the biceps and armpits, but can also be found on chests, backs and upper thighs.
Before you create a bodybuilding plan, you should carefully consider how you might be affected by stretch marks. Listed below are 5 things to keep in mind when preparing to lift.
#1 Bodybuilding Stretch Marks Can Be Prevented
Bodybuilding stretch marks can be prevented with proper skin care and diet. Here are a just a few great ways you can take care of your skin:
- Use self-tanning lotion or spray tan over a tanning bed.
- Drink lots of water.
- Eat foods that promote collagen development like green vegetables, berries, fish and lean meats.
- Add a stretch mark prevention cream or body oil to your daily skincare routine.
With the right ingredients – combining a fusion of herbs, essential oils, and vitamins – to reach beneath your skin and support strength, elasticity and firmness, certain body oils prevent scars and stretch marks while also helping your skin fight aging and maintain its youthful glow.
Learn how body oil targets the layers where common problems – such as stretch marks, scars and wrinkles – exist and prevent future damage: How prevention stretch mark body oil works.
#2 The Younger You Are, The More Likely You Are to Develop Muscle Stretch Marks
Just like bodybuilding, adolescent growth spurts are one of the most common causes of stretch marks. When growth hormones – estrogen and progesterone – are more prevalent and bodies are rapidly growing taller, bigger, wider, stretch marks show up. Therefore, young athletes and bodybuilders are highly prone to developing stretch marks.
Older men, whose hormone levels are not the same and whose growth has slowed, have a harder time increasing muscle mass in the same amount of time as younger men. Therefore, they’re much less likely to develop stretch marks from the same activity.
#3 You’re Less Likely to Develop Stretch Marks from Lifting if You Gain Muscle Mass at a Gradual Rate
If you bulk up too quickly, your skin will not be able to keep up with the rapid muscle growth. Therefore, one of the best ways to avoid stretch marks is to gradually ease into a training program. This allows your skin to adjust to the muscle growth instead of tearing when being asked to stretch in a much smaller time frame.
Similarly, you can minimize your stretch marks by breaking up your workouts. Instead of training all in one area, focus on multiple muscle groups and give each group periodic breaks.
#4 Performance Enhancing Drugs & Supplements Contribute to Stretch Mark Development
Steroids and supplements interfere with the formation of collagen.* Collagen is a naturally occurring protein in your body that helps skin to maintain its elasticity and to repair itself when damaged. A loss of collagen leads to a loss of skin elasticity and a greater tendency to develop stretch marks.
Steroids and supplements can also cause hormone imbalances which make you more likely to develop scarring, or stretch marks.*
If your skin has developed stretch marks from weightlifting and the use of performance enhancing drugs and supplements, there is a way to significantly reduce the appearance of stretch marks and support your skin’s natural regeneration of collagen and elastin. See how simple the process actually is.
You Can Reduce the Appearance of Your Bodybuilding Stretch Marks
If you’re entering body building competitions, or simply want to feel more comfortable in your own skin, you can take measures to reduce the appearance of your stretch marks.
Avoid painful or expensive treatments while still getting significant results by trying ReTone. This common sense approach works with the natural renewal process of your skin.
Read more about the ReTone Method and start reducing the appearance of your bodybuilding stretch marks today.
*Source: https://www.mensfitness.com/styleandgrooming/grooming/how-prevent-stretch-marks-weightlifting-and-bodybuilding