Scars and stretch marks are a concern for many, regardless of gender. However, everybody having them does not necessarily stop us from feeling insecure about them. Having scars that you perceive as unsightly can really dent your confidence, while stretch marks can even make partners of many years feel uncomfortable undressing around each other. But what are both of these perfectly natural physical phenomenon? How are they formed and, more importantly, can we do anything about them? Read on to find out.
Scars
Scars can be formed when the skin repairs itself after an injury, often manifesting itself as one of a number of different scar types depending on the nature of the wound. Scars can be caused by anything from acne to burns, and can appear as anything from flat, red marks to raised, white scratches.
Stretch marks
Stretch marks are, in fact, also a kind of scarring. As their name suggests, they are caused by the skin stretching rapidly, often as a result of significant growth or weight gain (for example during puberty or pregnancy). Although they are incredibly common and, like most scars, do fade over time, they often cause a great deal of self consciousness in those that have them.
Treatment
As previously mentioned, both scars and stretch marks get fainter as time passes. Surgical procedures such as skin grafts and laser surgery are sometimes used in more severe cases of scarring, but generally these options are only given to those with seriously disfiguring scar tissue.
The non surgical and far more common way to deal with scarring is to obtain and use special creams or oils that help the skin to heal, and while they are often marketed to specific groups they can generally be used on all kinds of scarring. The Sanctuary stretch mark oil, for example, is primarily aimed at mums to be, but this does not mean it cannot be used to prevent other kinds of stretch marks just as effectively. Another popular brand of scar and stretch mark healing product is Bio Oil, although reviews appear to suggest that it is more effective at dealing with the former than the latter.
As with any skin condition, prevention – if possible – is generally better than cure, although exfoliation has also been shown to help with the lessening of scarring and stretch marks. However, using scar or stretch mark oils or cream certainly does appeal to help, and are definitely worth it for the confidence boost.
Sue Dale swears by stretch mark oil; despite having had two children, she claims hers are hardly visible today.
