Stretch marks are a part of life—that I’ve accepted. And now that some brands have decided to stop Photoshopping them out of their ad campaigns and celebrities have shown them off on Instagram, we can all begin to accept their place on our bodies. It’s not embarrassing to possess a feature you have no control over. We are humans, and our bodies do what they must to keep us living.
To be clear, "a stretch mark is a tear in the collagen fabric of the dermis that occurs whenever the skin is stretched beyond its tensile limits," explains Scott Wells, MD, a New York–based plastic surgeon. "This is visible as a lighter-appearing linear wrinkling under the skin. This will happen in the abdominal region during pregnancy or in the hips and leg region with rapid weight gain—this can happen any time but is most common during adolescence due to the hormonal alteration in the skin to accommodate growth."
I’ve grown used to my stretch marks, barely noticing them when I dress or undress, and the shame that came with them during my teenage years has generally subsided. I like my body, and I’m not worried about the stigma still attached to stretch marks. That being said, feeling compassion toward your body (all its curves and edges) and wanting to reduce the appearance of stretch marks don’t have to be conflicting schools of thought. I can feel good about my body positivity and still try to treat my stretch marks if I so choose. So that’s exactly what I did.
If you’re still a bit iffy on how to use one, here’s everything you need to know.
Source: Byrdie – Hallie Gould