How To Reduce Stretch Marks From Weight Lifting?

In this article, We learn How To Reduce Stretch Marks From Weight Lifting? Today we share with you some tips which help you How To Reduce Stretch Marks From Weight Lifting.

How to avoid stretch marks from lifting weights

Most people associate stretch marks with a sudden change in the body during adolescence or pregnancy.

It is also very common to relate the formation of stretch marks to a significant weight gain or loss in a short period, but few people can associate them with exercise.

A rapid increase in muscle mass caused by active physical work such as weight lifting is a very common cause of stretch marks (especially in men).

Stretch marks caused by exercise or bodybuilding commonly appear on the biceps, shoulders, and thighs, but they can appear on any area of ​​the body that is susceptible to increased muscle mass.

Why do stretch marks form during exercise?

Stretch marks are deep scars in the skin tissue that forms when a certain area of ​​the body grows faster than the skin is capable of supporting.

This means that the skin exceeds its point of elasticity, leaving a mark. When the mark appears for the first time, the tone it presents is usually reddish.

Gradually this purple tone is diluted until it acquires a more whitish color and that is the color that characterizes the stretch mark.

In the case of weightlifting, the training plans are quite strict and intense, and as a result, they lead to a rapid increase in muscle area in the biceps and thigh areas.

How to Prevent Stretch Marks From Forming During Exercise

The nature of bodybuilding establishes a series of training programs that usually contravene most recommendations on the prevention of stretch marks.

However, if you are willing to postpone the results of your physical exercise, or prolong them for a longer period, you will achieve the same results you were looking for while reducing the risk of stretch marks.

Avoid rapid weight gain or loss

This is the most difficult advice to follow when you are following a training program.

However, gradually gaining weight will give your skin more time to adjust to the changing muscle mass, which means it will naturally gain elasticity and therefore reduce the risk of exceeding its stretch limit.

have a nutritious diet

Following this advice can be exhausting, but in particular, you need to make sure you’re eating foods that contain nutrients that strengthen your skin.

These foods that you should eat must have a high content of vitamins, zinc, and anti-oxidants.

Maintaining the health of our skin from the intake of healthy foods favors the strengthening and elasticity of our skin and makes it more resistant to the formation of stretch marks.

moisturize the skin

There are plenty of products available in the market that helps prevent, reduce and remove stretch marks.

In addition to maintaining the health of your skin endogenously by eating a healthy diet, it is also advisable to maintain it from the outside, keeping it hydrated.

Products that contain ingredients like vitamin A and E, shea butter, and cocoa butter are the most effective, but if you want something stronger you can ask your doctor for a retinoic treatment.

This treatment must be prescribed by a dermatologist, retinoids should not be used during pregnancy as they can cause difficulties for the unborn baby.

If you prefer an oil-based product, you can try Bio-Oil, which contains porcelain oil, which has been used successfully by many people to prevent, reduce and remove stretch marks and other scars.

Alternatively, you can use natural oils such as coconut oil and olive oil, which contain many nutrients and antioxidants that the skin will absorb.

How to get rid of stretch marks when we increase muscle mass?

Continue using preventative methods

If stretch marks have already begun to appear on your skin, what interests you is to try to find a solution to reduce them or even eliminate them.

Try to follow the methods that we have been discussing. If you decide to use a cream or topical, the sooner you start with the treatment, the more effective you will achieve.

Use an anti-stretch mark cream

If you haven’t made up your mind yet, don’t wait any longer and use an anti-stretch mark cream as soon as you start to see the formation of a reddish mark on your skin.

When these first stretch marks begin to appear in the form of a stretched purple mark, this is the best stage to apply a cream because it is the phase to which the skin responds best.

With what physical exercises stretch marks are removed?

Stretch marks are a skin problem that can affect many women -and even men- due to gaining and losing weight or going through a physical process in which the skin stretches more than it can withstand, such as, in pregnancy. Stretch marks usually appear on the belly, breasts, thighs, or arms, and are in the form of elongated marks or scars.

Are there physical exercises to remove stretch marks?

No exact exercise can eliminate or reduce stretch marks, but if you practice regular exercise and take into account the area where you have stretch marks, you can prevent these stretch marks from developing or increasing in size. In addition, healthy exercise can regulate and reduce weight gain, something totally necessary so that stretch marks do not appear due to gaining and losing weight in a short time. Sport is never too much in people’s lives.

In addition, exercise can also help you improve circulation, it can also make your skin more elastic and flexible and therefore your skin stretches or shrinks more easily without breaking. Some exercises, such as lifting weights, can cause stretch marks on your skin by stretching it for muscle growth.

There are many treatments on the market that are sold to overcome stretch marks, but the only thing you will achieve with some of these lotions is to improve the hydration and elasticity of the skin, so if it spreads they will not come out… but if you already have them, they are useless much because there is no remedy in the world that ends stretch marks or makes them disappear completely –unless you want to go under the knife to undergo surgical removal of the skin with a tummy tuck, and it would not be completely sure-. You can read more articles similar to Can I Eat Everything And Still Lose Weight?

Stretch marks

What are stretch marks?

Stretch marks are fine lines that form on the skin when rapid growth or rapid weight gain dilates or stretches the skin (which can occur during puberty). And the consequence of this excessive stretching of the skin is the appearance of stretch marks. 

At first, stretch marks may appear as red or purple lines that may be jagged and have a different texture than the surrounding skin. Stretch marks often become lighter and almost disappear on their own over time. 

How can stretch marks be made to disappear?

Dermatologists or plastic surgeons are the doctors capable of treating stretch marks. They are specialized in treating the skin. To reduce stretch marks, they can use prescription creams, microdermabrasion, or laser treatment. But doctors don’t usually recommend these treatments to teens because they’re still growing. Therefore, new stretch marks will appear and the old stretch marks will most likely fade over time. In addition, these treatments can be expensive and are not usually covered by health insurance. 

What can I do to make my stretch marks less noticeable?

Here are some things to keep in mind if you want your stretch marks to be less noticeable: 

• Some people have found that self-tanning creams work to cover some stretch marks. But this is not true when it comes to getting a tan from sun exposure or using tanning beds because stretch marks are less likely to tan, so they may end up looking more after sun exposure or using a tanning bed. Plus, both the sun and tanning beds do your skin more harm than good when it comes to long-term health. 

• Try to use body makeup that matches your skin color to cover up your stretch marks. 

• Wear long swimsuits, boardshorts type, or fabrics against chafing that protect from the sun, rashguard type. Bathing suits that cover more parts of the bodywork well to hide stretch marks on the buttocks, upper thighs, and chest. 

There are many creams and other skin products sold with claims to remove stretch marks, but the truth is that most of them don’t work and are expensive. Generally, it’s best to be patient because stretch marks tend to fade over time. If stretch marks continue to bother you as an adult, you can see your doctor or see a skin doctor for treatment.

Stretch Marks: Causes And Possible Diseases

Stretch marks occur when the connective tissue is overstretched and the elastic fibers of the subcutaneous tissue (subcutis) tear. Such overstretching can have different causes.

 Stretch marks often appear in women during pregnancy (especially in the second half of pregnancy) when the elasticity of the skin is severely strained by the growing child. 

Changes in hormone levels also play their part in the development of stretch marks: blood cortisol levels are higher during pregnancy – and since the adrenal hormone reduces the elasticity of the skin, it is more liable to tear and pull marks arise.

Such pregnancy-related stretch marks are known by experts as striae gravidarum. In the vernacular one speaks of stretch marks. Women with sensitive, light skin who put on a lot of weight during pregnancy, were already overweight, or have weak connective tissue are particularly susceptible to this.

But stretch marks can also develop outside of pregnancy, regardless of gender and age, for example, due to

• prompt fat gain
• Strong muscle build-up (e.g. through bodybuilding)
• a hormone treatment
• prolonged use of cortisone (glucocorticoids)
• day of puberty
• Obesity (obesity) with disturbed hormone production (endocrine disorder; striae obesitatis, striae rubrae)
• Infections such as typhus, typhus, tuberculosis (striae infectiosae
• Cushing’s syndrome (a consequence of abnormally increased production of the adrenal hormone cortisol)

Home remedies for stretch marks

Stretch marks are relatively stubborn and dig into the tissue like small scars. A vitamin A ointment can make them recede a bit. However, you should not use ointment during pregnancy and breastfeeding, as it could harm the (unborn) child.

Home remedies to relieve stretch marks are partly the same as for prevention:

Regular massage: The classic plucking massage, in which small rolls of skin are gently pulled upwards with the thumb and forefinger, is intended to stimulate blood circulation and do the connective tissue well. 

Caution: Pregnant women should avoid the area above the pubic bone, as the massage could irritate the uterus and cause contractions. Four weeks before the birth you should only be oiled and no longer massaged.

• Oiling: Used daily, care oils should make the skin supple. Various products are available in drugstores and pharmacies; some are also specifically declared for use during pregnancy. Warm castor oil or calendula ointment is also said to help repair skin cracks as home remedies for stretch marks. And of course, you can try to strengthen your connective tissue with special cellulite oils.

• Microneedling: Sounds bad, but it’s usually painless. With this treatment, you pull a roller with fine needles over the strips. It pricks microscopic holes in the skin, whereupon the body releases collagen to close the wounds. Among other things, this protein stabilizes the skin, which is said to reduce stretch marks. You can have needling done at home or with a beautician, but no more than once a week.

• Self-tanner: If all else fails – and that’s possible since the body of research on the effectiveness of home remedies for stretch marks is scarce – you can try to conceal the marks with a self-tanner. It evens out the color of the skin and fine cracks. Follow the application instructions for the respective product.

Stretch Marks: When to See a Doctor?

You don’t need to see a doctor for stretch marks. The striated, painless skin changes are solely cosmetic and not a health problem. 

However, some of those affected suffer greatly from the stretch marks and feel restricted in their everyday life, for example, because they no longer dare to show themselves in a bikini. In such cases, you should consult a dermatologist (aesthetic medicine) and seek advice on treatment options.

Stretch marks: what does the doctor do?

Even with modern methods, stretch marks can often not be completely removed, but they can be reduced. Promising therapies include:

• Laser therapy: various laser methods for wrinkle smoothing, skin tightening, collagen regeneration
• chemical peeling: microdermabrasion, glycolic acid, trichloroacetic acid, fruit acid
• Mesotherapy: Micro-injections of medication directly into the deeper layers of the skin (active substance depot)
• Carboxytherapy: Injecting carbon dioxide directly into the scar area improves blood circulation
• Surgical cryotherapy: Tissue is specifically destroyed by cold (liquid nitrogen).
• Local dynamic micro-massage ( LDM ) with high-frequency ultrasound

With some laser methods, “fresh” striae, in particular, i.e. reddish streaks, can be treated more effectively than older, pale striae. In dark-skinned people, however, hyperpigmentation can easily occur – the treated skin areas then appear darker than the surrounding healthy skin. 

In addition, the skin urgently needs careful care before and after laser therapy. This is the only way the wounds can heal optimally and side effects can be avoided.

Health insurance companies usually do not cover the costs of medical treatment for stretch marks. If you are still interested, you should first consult an experienced dermatologist or plastic surgeon: Have them explain the different methods of removing stretch marks and ask about the costs, benefits, risks, and side effects of each.