It is not often that there are negative side effects of working out and getting healthy. Experiencing weight loss, more energy, and even bigger muscles is pretty awesome. With that though can come some cosmetic issues that are not the end of the world, but still somewhat of a nuisance.
The issue is stretch marks.
Stretch marks are not uncommon by any means. They show up on women who are pregnant and people who gain weight at a rapid pace, even good weight like muscle mass.
So, what are stretch marks? Stretch marks occur when the elastic middle layer of skin called the dermis is stretched. Stretching leads to a breakdown of connective tissue, inflammation, and then scar formation as the injury heals. It's the scarring that causes stretch marks to appear.
There are many suggestions out there in how to get rid of stretch marks, in which few seem to hold up in theory. Many people also resort to tanning to darken the stretch marks, so they do not seem as visible. When it comes to getting rid of stretch marks, not many lotions seem to hold p in their claim. Cocoa butter has shown some pretty decent results in people and is easy to get in virtually any super market. Other options of course are surgery where the scar tissue is lasered off.
A method that has proven to have some merit is keeping the skin warm which allows it to have more elasticity, especially during training times. Now this does not mean you cannot go into the gym and see the progress you made and even show others what you have built, but by keeping a hoodie on little while longer or wearing a long sleeve shirt and sweat, the skin is kept warm and therefore reacts to the pumps and even the building better.
Finally, the only other method out there is one many do not want to hear and one that many could not comprehend doing. That method is lowering the intensity of the workouts and the weight being used. Sound crazy? Sure, it does. You have worked too hard to scale back now, especially because you are noticing something as tiny and senseless as stretch marks. So maybe be more preventative when it comes to stretch marks and keep the skin warm and even dab on some cocoa butter when you start noticing some marks appear.
