(Image source from: oglf.org)

Regardless of gender, most of the people spot stretch marks on the body at some point in life making a person feel ill at ease and mystifying. The stretch marks usually appear when the body is going through change due to growth or weight gain.

The skin stretches rapidly and this causes a tear in the dermis, the middle layer of the skin. That’s the reason it is important to know that stretch marks are nothing dangerous and in fact, are very normal. They’re common in both men and women. They’re most likely to occur during puberty and when a woman is pregnant.

However, there is some confusion regarding red stretch marks and white stretch marks.

Red stretch marks are fresh. They’ve just started to develop and show the blood vessels through. That’s why they appear to be red or even slightly purple in color. In fact, red stretch marks can also cause itching for some people. This is the stage at which the stretch marks can heal faster and if taken care of, will not cause as much scarring.

White stretch marks are the ones that have been your body for a long time. It happens because the blood vessels have constricted, leaving the underlying fat tissue visible. The white fat tissues give it the color.

The main difference between the two is the time of their development. While the red stretch marks happen when the skin is just tearing due to rapid stretching, white stretch marks are older and more settled into your skin.

Red marks can be treated and prevented with home remedies like aloe vera and shea butter which are known to soothe irritated skin and also moisturize to help with healing. White stretch marks, however, require surgical procedures involving laser or tummy tuck-ins to get rid of the marks but keep in mind, that all surgical treatments will only lighten the marks and not make them disappear completely.

By Sowmya Sangam