Reduce the visibility of stretch marks on the breasts
Are you bothered by stretch marks on your breasts? In that case you are far from alone. Stretch marks on the breasts are a common problem that many people have to put up with.
Here we explain what stretch marks are, what causes stretch marks on the breasts - and what you can do to minimise their visibility.
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Care of stretch marks on the breasts
Stretch marks are not dangerous. But they can be a major cosmetic nuisance for the person affected. That's why many people want to minimise their visibility. And how exactly do you do that?
Unfortunately, there is no miracle cure for stretch marks on your chest, but there are several different options, which you can learn more about here.
Good, natural, nourishing skin care
A good and natural way to reduce the visibility of stretch marks on your breasts is with the help of a nourishing skincare regime.
Body Oil is a nourishing oil based on active ingredients such as Tea Tree Oil, Almond Oil, Squalane and Sunflower Oil. This unique combination helps to counteract bacteria, moisturise and provide vitamin E, all of which are important for improving the appearance of stretch marks on breasts and elsewhere on the body.
Skin that is moisturised and nourished is healthy skin, making it easier to smooth out cracks and stretch marks in the skin. And as many as 75% of test subjects who used the oil saw an improvement in the appearance of their stretch marks.
Apply a few drops of oil to your breasts and massage well into the skin. The oil is easily absorbed into the skin and dries quickly - without being greasy. But make sure you let it dry completely before getting dressed.
The oil is not a miracle product that works overnight. Therefore, it takes patience and diligence to reduce the visibility of your stretch marks on your breasts. Use the oil 1-2 times a day for a few weeks before the first results start to show.
Laser for stretch marks
Another method to reduce the visibility of stretch marks on your breasts is by using a laser. This is a less natural treatment, but can be effective for some.
With a fractional laser, small controlled 'injuries' are made to the skin's connective tissue. This forces the skin to renew itself and the tissue to vaporise. The laser beam treats the skin in points so that the surrounding skin is not affected and it does not create any wounds on the skin's surface.
This means that there is no recovery period afterwards.
Other tips for preventation
The best way to treat is always to prevent. But with stretch marks, this can be difficult. Your skin doesn't give you any warning that you're getting stretch marks, so they can be hard to avoid.
However, through a number of preventive measures, you can try to keep stretch marks on your breasts at bay.
- Use a good skin care product. There is no scientific evidence that creams or oils can keep the skin on your breasts free of stretch marks. Not even during pregnancy. However, many women find that when their skin is cared for and moisturised, it feels more elastic.
- Exercise daily. Being physically active and exercising will help you avoid obesity. At the same time, you help your skin to tighten up, which can have a beneficial effect.
- Avoid smoking. Smoking can affect your skin and its elastic fibres, which can appear more lax. Smoking also gives your skin poorer conditions for healing - for example, smokers experience twice as wide scars after surgery than non-smokers. This tells you something about the effects of smoking on your skin.
What are stretch marks?
Stretch marks are lesions in the subcutaneous tissue of your body. In medical terms, they are called striae. Stretch marks are initially pink or blue-violet in colour, but as time goes by, the colour fades and becomes more whitish or like the surrounding skin.
The skin cracks, so to speak, creating the characteristic stripes or bands across the skin. Stretch marks are a form of scarring and will be your companion for the rest of your life. However, that doesn't mean you can't do anything to improve their appearance.
We'll guide you through that later, but first, let's look at why you get stretch marks on your chest in the first place.
Why do stretch marks on the chest occur?
If you get stretch marks on your chest, it doesn't happen out of nowhere. It is because the elastic fibres in your skin are overloaded. The skin and its fibres are generally very strong and elastic and can withstand a lot of stretching without cracking.
But in some cases, it can become overloaded and compressed to such an extent that the elastic fibres can no longer keep up. Imagine, for example, an elastic band. It can be stretched a long way, but will eventually snap if it is stretched too much.
When the fibres in the skin are overstretched, they lose their elasticity. And once they lose it, the damage is done - and they can't regain it. That's why you're going to live with stretch marks on your breasts to one degree or another once they appear.
But what are the real reasons why the skin fibres are overstretched?
Rapid weight gain
If you gain a lot of weight in a short period of time, the elastic fibres will not be able to keep up and they will overstretch, which shows up as cracks in the skin. This can typically be associated with pregnancy, where the breasts grow rapidly as the baby grows in the belly.
But it can also be during a period when you live on an unhealthy diet, which shows up in your weight.
Rapid weight loss
You can also get stretch marks on your breasts if you lose a lot of weight in a short period of time. In the same way, the elasticity of the fibres cannot keep up and the skin cracks.
Rapid growth
For many people, growing in your teenage years happens at lightning speed. This rapid growth overloads your skin and you can get stretch marks across your breasts.
The same can happen if you exercise a lot and intensively - for example, with heavy weights that rapidly increase muscle mass.
Hormonal changes
Especially for teenagers and pregnant women, hormonal changes occur that can affect the elastic fibres of the skin
Genetics
Some people get stretch marks, others don't. This is due to genetics, skin type and the skin's ability to be elastic. Some families have more elastic skin than others.
Who gets stretch marks on the breasts?
Both women and men can get stretch marks on their breasts. However, in the vast majority of cases, it is women who suffer from cracked skin on and around the breasts.
Many of these cases are due to pregnancy, where hormonal changes cause skin changes that show up as stretch marks.
