What is Stretch Mark?
Stretch mark is scars on the skin, most commonly developing on the abdominal wall in the later stages of pregnancy, and remaining thereafter. They may also appear when the skin is overly stretched by obesity. They accompany the weight gain in ‘Cushing’s syndrome’; overaction of the pituitary glands causing an excess of corticosteroid secretion from the adrenal glands, or in the equivalent condition caused by an excess of medicinal steroid hormone. Symptoms and signs of stretch mark They first appear as reddish or purple lines, but tend to gradually fade to a lighter color. The affected areas appear empty and soft to the touch. Causes of stretch mark The glucocorticoid hormones responsible for the development of stretch marks affect the epidermis by preventing the fibroblasts from forming collagen and elastin fibers, necessary to keep rapidly growing skin taut. This creates a lack of supportive material, as the skin is stretched and leads to dermal and epidermal tearing. If the epidermi
