Stretch Marks And Body Stress

Recent research has linked stretch mark formation to glucocorticoids – a group of steroids. The most common of this group is cortisol. High levels of cortisol can lead to weight gain. Cortisol is released when your body is under stress. Stress can be triggered from any external impact or physical activity. These triggers include pregnancy, puberty, weightlifting, high caffeine intake and smoking to name a few.

When your body senses the stress load, a type of "survival mode" mechanism kicks in to manage the stress. In this survival mode, your body generally tends to have an easier time storing fat. It also stores the fat at a quicker rate. This in turn leads to a high amount of weight gain in a relatively short period of time. The excess mass results in a stretching of the skin’s middle layer.

Since pregnancy is a form of physical stress, the appearance of stretch marks is quite common. For most pregnant women, stretch marks usually present themselves in the late stages of pregnancy. Most women get stretch marks on their abdomens. It is also common for them to appear on the breasts, buttocks and thighs.

Weightlifting is a form of physical stress where muscles beneath the skin are built up quickly. The stress involved in pushing oneself to achieve greater muscle mass can also increase cortisol levels and in turn create stretch marks. Rapid adolescent growth is also physical stress though completely natural. For the most part, stretch marks appearing during puberty fade over time and become much less noticeable. Sometimes they can even disappear completely much later on in life.