I’ve been thinking about something off and on for the past few weeks: stretch marks, and why mine don’t really bother me.
When I was 8 years old, I grew four inches in a year. Then it happened again when I was 9. I had stretch marks on my thighs from that point forward. They’ve faded over time and just look like little white squiggles now, but they bothered me a lot when I was a teenager.
I didn’t grow very much at the beginning of my pregnancy, but by mid-summer I had some tiny stretch marks under my belly button. Then in the last few weeks I grew a lot more, and quickly, so I got a few more. They were quite dark. They’re a little paler now, but still very much present.
I went swimming with Dragon last week, and I realized I didn’t really care about them, for several reasons. For one, superficially, I know that Eric loves me no matter what I look like, and I don’t need to attract anyone else. Two, whenever I look at them, I see what I went through to have my daughter. I never understood the sentiment behind the “tiger stripes” movement, but I get it now.
And three, I understand where stretch marks come from, and why I have them. It makes such a difference to understand why your body does something, I find.
Reasons for Stretch Marks
- Fast changes in the body (growing or shrinking)
- Genetic tendency
- Cortisone level in the body
You can be any gender, any size, or any age, and you could get stretch marks. They appear when the body undergoes a big change very quickly. If cortisone levels are high, the elasticity of the skin is compromised and stretch marks are more likely to occur.
People likely to get Stretch Marks
- Bodybuilders
- Pregnant people
- Teenagers
- Adults
- You get the idea…
I hope this helps you to feel better about your own stretch marks.
Here are some home remedies to help treat stretch marks. Just in case you find it helpful.
References
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stretch-marks/home/ovc-20169154
https://www.jenreviews.com/stretch-marks/
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