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Growth holds more or less good surprises. Unfortunately, the appearance of stretch marks is part of the lot. These unsightly streaks affect around 80% of women and 40% of men, leaving little chance of escaping them. And it is worrying when you know that they risk leaving marks for life. However, the good news is that all is not lost: when you are a teenager, there are preventive measures and techniques to reduce or make them disappear. So, what to do to fight against stretch marks in adolescence?

First of all, learn how stretch marks form when you're a teenager. Then, discover all solutions to avoid, fade or remove stretch marks in adolescence.

How do stretch marks develop in a teenager?

Stretch marks can develop throughout life. Yet there is more or less favorable periods when they appear. And one of them is adolescence, especially when you are between 13 and 15 years old. But then for what reasons?

What are stretch marks?

The skin is made up in part of two proteins: elastin and collagen. Stretch marks appear when there is fiber breakage of collagen in the dermis. This therefore forms skin lesions which are then manifested by these large striae, normally not painful. They start with an inflammatory stage months which makes them purple, pink or purplish. Then they go heal and become white and pearly.

It is when the stretch marks are colored that it is necessary to act. When they become scars, it will be very complicated, if not impossible to remove them. And on this point you are lucky, because in adolescence stretch marks are often young. It will therefore be possible to make them disappear.

The factors that cause stretch marks to appear when you are a teenager

There is a high probability that these red streaks will appear in adolescence. And this because all the factors that are responsible for the appearance of stretch marks are combined during this period. So what are these factors that promote the development of stretch marks when you are a teenager?

• Skin that stretches too quickly and too strongly. This is because the dermal tissue can stretch too much for the collagen and elastin, which consequently end up breaking. This stretching of the skin to adolescence, and so the appearance of stretch marks, mainly comes from the growth. But too much distension of the dermis can also result from intensive sport, from a significant gain in mass or from too rapid weight gain or loss.

• The genetic makeup plays a role in the appearance of stretch marks in adolescents. In other words, if your family members have a tendency to have stretch marks, you are also more likely to see them.

• Hormonal changes that take place in the body. The correlation between stretch marks and hormonal modification is strong. During major hormonal upheavals (adolescence, beginning of the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, etc.) stretch marks tend to appear.

• The hormonal level of cortisol which is too high. Cortisol is the stress hormone. It is produced by the adrenal glands which regulate the structure of the skin. In adolescence, many stressors punctuate our life and this will upset the balance of the skin. In addition, a poor diet and insufficient sleep will also boost the secretion of cortisol. The production of this hormone will therefore increase in the body, while the level of elastin and collagen will drop. Result: the skin will be less elastic and less flexible than necessary, especially during this period of growth that is adolescence.

Where do stretch marks appear in adolescents?

Stretch marks in adolescents, can appear in different places of the body. There are differences between girls and boys. More commonly, stretch marks in girls will manifest in the legs (hips and thighs), buttocks, chest, and stomach. For the boys, stretch marks will appear especially on the lower back (the lumbosacral region), on the sides of the stomach and on the buttocks.

Also be aware that if you do weight training, that you have had a very rapid growth or that you are overweight, stretch marks may appear in other places such as the calves, arms, pecs (for boys), the upper or lower back, or the popliteal fossa.

How to avoid or get rid of stretch marks in adolescence?

We have just seen that when you are a teenager, your skin is more likely to see the appearance of stretch marks because it is subject to many variations. But you also have the power to avoid this more easily than adults because your skin has a great capacity for regeneration. You can therefore prevent stretch marks from setting up or remaining permanently etched on your skin.

However, to promote the healing mechanism stretch marks in adolescence, you will need to help your body with simple techniques and tips that we will see now.

How to prevent and reduce stretch marks?

As we have seen, stretch marks first go through an inflammatory stage, where they are purple or purple in color. This is when it is time to act.

1 - Cosmetic products to avoid or reduce stretch marks in adolescents

To prevent the appearance of stretch marks in adolescence, or to help healing of those already appearing, the winning trio will be collagen + elastin + hydration. Indeed, these are the three components that make your skin elastic and supple and therefore prevent skin damage. For this, it will therefore be necessary to boost the design of collagen and elastin fibers, and provide the necessary hydration thanks to effective and natural external contributions.

And because health is as important as beauty, we prioritize 100% natural cosmetic products. Indeed, there are many manufacturers offering creams at exorbitant prices which are nevertheless full of chemical ingredients, toxic to the body and without any real effectiveness. They can sometimes even be dangerous for health because they contain chemical preservatives, endocrine disruptors, synthetic fragrances, and major allergens. To check your cosmetics we recommend the application incibeauty ou Yuka.

2 - Vegetable oils: the best allies against stretch marks

The skin needs to be nourished by the cutaneous route of natural ingredients and what better than vegetable oils to do? These have absolutely incredible properties for the skin. They nourish it, hydrate it and regenerate it in depth. They therefore make it possible to both prevent, reduce and in the best case to make stretch marks disappear in adolescence.

The best vegetable oils for stretch marks at the teenager are sweet almond oil et rosehip oil.

However, be careful, for these vegetable oils to be effective on stretch marks in adolescence, choose one certified virgin, cold pressed and if possible organic to be sure that it does not contain any harmful components. We advise you almond oil  et rosehip oil of Bioflore which both meet these conditions and which are one of the cheapest on the market.

Recommended use: to apply in massage, at least once a day between 5 and 10 minutes on the places sensitive to the appearance of stretch marks in the teenager.

3 - A healthy lifestyle against the appearance of stretch marks in adolescents

• drink at least 1,5l of water per day to hydrate your dermis and avoid stretch marks in adolescence.

• Eat a balanced diet rich in vitamins (especially vitamins E and A), minerals, essential fatty acids (omega 3 and omega 6), and antioxidants.

• Practice physical and sports activity against stretch marks in adolescence. Sport makes it possible to fight both against weight gain but also against stress, which as we have seen can promote the development of skin cracks. In addition, by toning your figure, you may see an improvement in the appearance of your stretch marks.

• Keep a healthy weight. When you are a teenager, your body changes and experiences variations in size and weight. Be aware that too much weight gain or loss will put a strain on your skin. To limit the risk of stretch marks appearing, it is essential not to stretch your skin too suddenly and therefore to ensure that you maintain a healthy weight. When on a diet, the recommended rate of weight loss to stay healthy and avoid stretch marks is 0,5 to 1 kg per week.

4 - Corrective treatment against established stretch marks

Chances are, if you are reading this article, some stretch marks have already appeared on your body during adolescence. In these cases, it will be necessary to act quickly. Indeed, with stretch marks it is better to be safe than sorry! In addition to the products recommended above, you can use a corrective care developed especially for recent stretch marks - therefore still in the inflammatory stage - very visible, thick, and deep. It will allow you to limit the spread of stretch marks and improve their appearance so that they are less visible.

Medical techniques for removing stretch marks in adolescence

The preventive methods and cosmetic products seen above do not always show results that meet our expectations. Sometimes, stretch marks that appeared in adolescence are too old, too deep or the stretch is too intense to resist the crack. In these cases, you will only have medical treatment solutions. They are done in specialized centers, they can be more or less heavy and more or less expensive.

In all cases, you will need the advice of a specialist to use it. Plus, depending on your age, they may be unauthorized. If you are a minor, your parents' authorization will be required.

Treatments that aim to remove or reduce stretch marks are :

• Prescription vitamin A-based creams that will act on cell regeneration.
• Laser treatment, which works above all on fair skin, which allows you to restore elasticity to your skin by promoting the production of collagen.
• LED light pulses that stimulate skin elasticity without attacking the skin (for fair skin).
• Peeling to exfoliate the skin and correct imperfections.
• Reconstructive surgery to remove stretch marks and tighten the skin (heavy treatment).