the skin firm and elastic. This is an important concept, because this is at the heart of stretch marks. Stretch marks are formed because when the skin stretches very rapidly, collagen synthesis is disrupOne of the most common skin care questions asked is: How do I get rid of Stretch marks? There are ways to treat these unsightly marks and ways to avoid getting them in the first place. If you understand some fundamentals, providing skin care for yourself is easy. Let's get some basics down first, then we will move on to how to get rid of stretch marks.

If you looked at a cross-section of your skin, it would look like a lattice or mesh of connected tissue. As you age, this mesh loses its ability to hold moisture. It also becomes weak - kind of like a rubber band that has been stretched over and over again. In fact, that is a perfect way to describe it - your skin loses elasticity. This happens because levels of various proteins in your skin are broken down with time. These proteins are needed to keep the skin firm and elastic. This is an important concept, because this is at the heart of stretch marks. Stretch marks are formed because when the skin stretches very rapidly, collagen synthesis is disrupt

some fundamentals, providing skin care for yourself is easy. Let's get some basics down first, then we will move on to how to get rid of stretch marks.

If you looked at a cross-section of your skin, it would look like a lattice or mesh of connected tissue. As you age, this mesh loses its ability to hold moisture. It also becomes weak - kind of like a rubber band that has been stretched over and over again. In fact, that is a perfect way to describe it - your skin loses elasticity. This happens because levels of various proteins in your skin are broken down with time. These proteins are needed to keep the skin firm and elastic. This is an important concept, because this is at the heart of stretch marks. Stretch marks are formed because when the skin stretches very rapidly, collagen synthesis is disrup

it would look like a lattice or mesh of connected tissue. As you age, this mesh loses its ability to hold moisture. It also becomes weak - kind of like a rubber band that has been stretched over and over again. In fact, that is a perfect way to describe it - your skin loses elasticity. This happens because levels of various proteins in your skin are broken down with time. These proteins are needed to keep the skin firm and elastic. This is an important concept, because this is at the heart of stretch marks. Stretch marks are formed because when the skin stretches very rapidly, collagen synthesis is disrupgain. In fact, that is a perfect way to describe it - your skin loses elasticity. This happens because levels of various proteins in your skin are broken down with time. These proteins are needed to keep the skin firm and elastic. This is an important concept, because this is at the heart of stretch marks. Stretch marks are formed because when the skin stretches very rapidly, collagen synthesis is disrup the skin firm and elastic. This is an important concept, because this is at the heart of stretch marks. Stretch marks are formed because when the skin stretches very rapidly, collagen synthesis is disrupted and the dermis (the under layer of skin) develops tiny micro tears. These show up as stretch marks.

So what can you do?

For clarification - we are talking generally about abdominal stretch marks caused by pregnancy. Stretch marks also show up on people who gain a lot of weight and even on body builders. For our purposes, let's just talk about the stretch marks that are most common. Just keep in mind that the prevention and treatment is consistent for various types.

Some key points in the treatment and prevention of stretch marks: First, gain slowly. The skin is remarkably elastic, but it can't handle super-fast growth. When you become pregnant, try to stick to your doctors recommended weight gain recommendation. And just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you should start eating 50