Do you have stretch marks on your arms? What causes them and how can you get rid of these lines or marks that may be red, white or purple, that run parallel to each on your arms.
Also known as striae, stretch marks, appear on your arms because of rupture of elastic skin fibers beneath your skin surface. They can also be because of excessive stretching of your skin during pregnancy, weight gain or muscle building.
What causes striae on my arms
Have a look at our arms. Do you see these lines? Are they on the upper or the second layer of your skin? In fact, what you see is not on the upper layer.
Striae on arms, like in other places, signify mass damage of skin cells in the second layer of your skin. This layer is called dermis. Why do you see them if they do not affect the outer layer of your skin?
Generally, the outer layer (epidermis) is very thin and clear. Any inflammation on the subsequent layer can be seen through it. So, what are they?
The secondary layer of your skin contains numerous blood vessels, elastin fibers, and collagen. These are body components that get inflamed when overstretched, or when exposed to certain chemical substances.
Inflammation of blood vessels, collagen and elastin fibers results in what we are calling stretch marks. For example, rapid muscle building on arms stretches the skin. After a while, the arms develop these marks.
Just like thighs, belly, shoulders, and breasts, your arms can also develop them. They are common on arms are common in men, but some women can also develop them. Some people will tell you that they developed striae on arms after working out.
At puberty, many boys and girls also get these marks. This is attributed to rapid weight gain and hormonal variation. As a result, young boys and girls develop red, purple or red lines on their arms.
The same scenario is evident among people who overuse their arms. This may include people who undertake rigorous activities. These activities result in massive muscle gain, thus developing striae.
Before researching on the best way to get rid of these marks, or the best cream, it would be advisable to understand the factors that encourage them to appear.
There are different types such as age, genetic or even pregnancy stretch marks. IN appearance, you have purple stretch marks, red and white ones. But what are the causes of all these types?
Note that these marks that can appear at various parts of the body are attributed to certain factors such as genetics, weight gain, puberty and muscle gain
However, there might be other factors causing them in other body parts. How do these factors cause stretch marks on arms?
Some people will develop striae since the genes flow in their family line. In such a case, they are not related to any biological or environmental factor.
WebMD.com notes that it is possible to these marks caused by skin stretching on various body parts if your mother or father had some. This is because in some cases, they are genetic.
The color of the stretch marks on arms also depends on your genetic make-up. Whether you will get purple, red or white stretch marks depend on your complexion. For example, dark-skinned people get white ones.
On the other hand, light-skinned people will either get pink or red stretch marks on their arms and other body parts. What does this tell you? It is indeed true that genetics has a role to play as far as their formation is concerned.
Do you spend a lot of time in the gym? Do you frequently lift heavy material on daily basis? These activities cause massive muscle building on the forearm, arms, and triceps. You are at a high risk of getting them too.
While covering a topic on muscle growth and how it affects stretch marks, skinoverhaul.com highlights cases on arms form since the skin is overstretched due to muscle building
What happens during muscle building? When you gain weight, always ensure that you are hydrated to increase the elasticity of your skin. Failure to which, muscle building will cause your arms to develop severe stretches that are identified as striae.
If you are dehydrated, muscle building overstretches your arms muscles. This causes mass tearing of some tissues in your arms. These torn tissues form striae.
Many of you will attest to the fact that some people will see striae on their arms for the first time when they start gaining weight. What happens?
Amoils.com states that your arms become the primary victim of weight gain. Because of weight gain, a lot of fats will be deposited on your arms. This is noted in both men and women, but more evident in women.
Please have a look at obese people. Do you see the huge masses of flesh on their arms? Do you also see striae on this area? This will not be the case for the slim people. What does this tell you?
When you rapidly gain weight, your skin muscles stretch and expand abnormally. Some of them will be torn in the process. Consequently, you end with these marks.
Medically, obesity and weight gain stretch marks are the ugliest ones among all the other forms.
You will agree with me that striae on arms thighs, buttocks, calves, stomach among other body parts are more pronounced in young boys and girls, especially during puberty. These are called puberty stretch marks. Why is this so?
Boys and girls, during puberty, have a lot of hormonal issues. This causes a growth spurt. Kid’s Health on teen’s health states that growth spurt leads to the irregular development of skin tissues. The irregular development of skin tissues is due to rapid pulling and stretching of your skin as you grow
This rapid pulling interferes with the production of collagen. Collagen is the protein that makes up the connective tissues. If collagen is inadequately produced, striae occur.
Are these on arms a real bother to you? You don’t need to worry. There are numerous treatment options that you can adopt. While some are natural, some extreme cases may require you to adopt lotions and creams that are known to effectively remove these marks.
The following options are available for reducing and treating striae on arms:
However, before deciding on the best way to get rid of striae, or the best removal tips, you should consult a dermatologist. A professional dermatologist can give you a reliable advice on the best ways to manage them.
