Working Out and Stretch Marks

Have you ever seen such marks on your skin? Some white, pink, or purple streaks or linear scars appear on your body parts. You feel nothing unusual and do not cause pain when touching them. Actually, these marks are a very common phenomenon called Stretch Marks. How exactly do they appear and what causes them? Let's dive in with ABEGET.

Causes of Stretch Marks

Stretch Marks can occur on people of any gender and age. The cause of it is the stretching of the skin. Here are several common reasons:

• Rapid growth in height or weight during adolescence.
• Pregnancy.
• Exercise training.
• Hormonal changes.
• Effects of medication.

You may be familiar with stretch marks if you are a sports enthusiast who regularly does strength training (resistance training), such as weightlifting and hip thrusts. Some people may wonder: Why can working out cause stretch marks? This happens because when you perform exercises involving hard stretches, your skin moves along with the motion. When it is stretched forcefully, stretch marks can appear. Therefore, it’s common to have stretch marks during working out.

Will Stretch Marks Disappear?

Stretch Marks are essentially a type of scar that gradually fades over time. However, the specific duration varies from person to person. Some people's scars may linger for a long time, while others disappear quickly. There are also some who will choose to use methods to accelerate the elimination of Stretch Marks, such as:

Massage with creams or oils: Some products on the market contain ingredients that help scars fade, which are widely popular. Applying them evenly on Stretch Marks can aid in speeding up recovery. In addition to manual massage, you can also use a hand held massager. The massage tools can help fade scars while enjoying a massage, achieving two goals at once.

Laser therapy: The energy from the laser improves the production of collagen and elastin, which are essential for skin elasticity and repair. So therapists or dermatologists will use this way to treat stretch marks.

Microdermabrasion: It is a cosmetic procedure. The therapist uses a handheld device to gently move across your skin, helping to remove dead skin and smooth the surface. This process can make stretch marks fade and improve the condition of your skin.

How to Prevent Stretch Marks

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Stretch marks can be due to rapid weight gain or loss. Control your take in of food quantity and do regular exercise.

Avoid Excessive Range of Motion

During sports training, such as fast shoulder workouts or arm stretches, there's a possibility of developing stretch marks. Warm-up exercises before workouts help maintain muscle flexibility, preventing excessive stretching of the skin.

Stay Hydrated

Drinking plenty of water helps make skin elastic, and avoid being stretched too far.

Eat a Nutritious Diet

In addition to quantity, the quality of food is also important. We recommend you add the following foods to your diet, which improve your skin condition:

1. Foods are rich in vitamins, such as salmon, orange and broccoli.
2. Foods high in protein, such as eggs, nuts and beans.
3. Foods containing zinc, such as oysters, beef and pumpkin seeds.