Stretch marks are normal part of life. Most girls and boys will see the appearance of stretch marks when they begin going through puberty. Stretch marks will appear during this time because this is when children are growing. As they grow and gain weight quickly, they may get fine lines on their body, which are known as stretch marks.

What causes Stretch Marks?

Stretch marks appear when the tissue under the skin is being pulled or stretched by rapid growth or weight gain. The skin itself is fairly elastic but it can only be stretched so far before these lines will appear. When the skin is overstretched the production of collagen is disrupted. Therefore stretch marks will appear.

What do Stretch Marks look like?

Stretch marks themselves vary from person to person. When they first appear they may appear to be reddish in color. These lines will have a different texture than the rest of the skin surrounding that area. Stretch marks do not stay this color forever. Eventually they turn white or clear and in some cases are hard to see. They will almost always disappear over time as the skin adjust and stretches to fit the body correctly.

Fighting back against Stretch Marks

There are various things that people can do to reduce the appearance of stretch marks. One of the most common things today is the use of sunless tanning creams. People are using these creams to tan the skin and hide the appearance of these unwanted white lines on the skin. However, if you apply these lotions and the take tanning sessions the stretch lines will appear even more as they are not likely to tan in a tanning bed. Another possible solution is to use the various types of body makeup that are available today. There are many makeup lines that are being used to hide the appearance of stretch marks, or at least reduce the appearance in some way.