The Social Impact Of Stretch Marks

Think of the life you had before stretch marks. Compare it to the life that you have now. Was your life any different back then? Not just your self esteem. Do you think that you are treated or seen differently now that you may have some visible stretch marks?

It is sad to say, but you probably have been judged because of your marks. Before going any further into this topic, let’s recap what we know about stretch marks.

Stretch marks, or striae, appear when there is a loss of elastin and collagen in the skin. The actual marks develop on the dermis (the middle layer of skin), but they show through to the top layer of skin (the epidermis). Virtually everyone gets these Striae as they age, but they can also appear earlier in life.

Even teenagers can get them. Obesity is a tremendous problem in this country, but you don’t have to be obese or even overweight to develop stretch marks. Pregnancy, weight loss, weight gain, hormonal changes, rapid growth, and even some medications can all cause stretch marks.

Most of American society has an ideal for what another person should look like. Unfortunately, Americans see too many things as ‘ugly’. However, not every female has glowing and perfectly flawless skin. Not every woman can fit into a size four pair of jeans. An American man may be unappealing if he has hair on his back or if he has a large nose. The point is that not everyone is perfect. Not everyone fits that American ideal of what beauty is. In fact, even those ideal beauties of the world do have or will develop flaws. If not now, they will one day have stretch marks. The larger point is that you don’t have to be ‘ugly’ or even obese to develop Striae.

But another reality is that you probably have been judged because of your stretch marks; no matter what you might look like otherwise. Let’s say that you go to the beach one day and a handsome man starts to approach you. As you step out of the shorts that cover your bathing suit, he spots a few stretch marks on your thighs and decides to keep on walking right by you. Had he stayed and talked to you, he might have gotten the chance to find out how wonderful you really are. You might say that you would not even want to be with a man as shallow as that. But let’s be honest; you’re an attractive woman and if he was an attractive man, you would probably be just a tiny bit disappointed if that scenario were to happen to you. You would probably want to do something about that stretch mark. You could exercise a bit more or perhaps use a daily cream to reduce current marks and prevent future ones.

Gentlemen, let’s say that you go to interview for a lifeguard position on the beach. You are perfectly healthy and in no way are you overweight. You are asked to show your skills as a swimmer so you remove your top. You oblige and your potential employer sees those stretch marks on your arms and upper chest that you might have gotten from lifting weights. Beach goers are going to be seeing your body all day long and that potential boss is probably thinking that those people won’t like seeing those marks. After all, it’s unappealing; isn’t it? So, the guy without stretch marks gets the job instead.

Teenagers can be so very cruel. What if your beautiful daughter develops some stretch marks on her thighs during a growth spurt? They are seen in the changing room during gym class and the next thing you know, the whole school is gossiping. Two small stretch marks turns into, “Oh my gosh, she is like, covered in them!”

It doesn’t matter how you got them; you have them and you want to deal with them. So now you are researching your options. Again, diet and exercise are wonderful treatment options, especially for teens. Adults may consider cosmetic surgery or a more cost effective option would be a daily stretch mark cream. Don’t let society judge you based on a few marks on your skin when you can do something about it.